I’ve got a job to do in North Uist in a couple of weeks, on the ferry from Uig Wednesday at 6.30pm back Thursday at 6.30pm, otherwise the week is mine to get there and back between Monday morning and Saturday evening.
I plan to leave early B/H Monday morning and will be riding the Golfie Tuesday, so want somewhere about midway up Monday, I’ve done Warncliffe, Ladybower/Hope valley, Cut Gate in the past on the way up, but fancy something different; Lakes is an option but normally prefer that on the way back down, though plan to spend Friday at Ft William with a leg stretch somewhere in FoD on the way home Saturday.
So any GPX’s for somewhere around 3000’ of elevation with awesome views and sweet descents, Hebden bridge area maybe, though bearing in mind the Bank Holiday, so away from the tourist hot spots.
Thanks.
Tourist avoidance? Northumberland. Not really half way though. What time will you be riding? For how long? Cutgate might still be the one if it’s the evening.
Kilburn / White Horse on the edge of the N Yorks Moors? Not far off the A1(M). I've probably got a route saved somewhere, but don't know it that well. Hit up @el_boufador for some Strava links.
Or, there's a small little village about half an hour NW of us in Leeds with a Moor and some excellent little trails!
Hamsterley? There's the official red/black, which has some fun bits. There's some off-piste stuff up on the same hillside as Danny Hart's Descend lines - which I don't know at all, but they're supposed to be good, especially in the dry.
Fair trek from Bournemouth mind ...!
Thanks Kevin,
I’ve been trawling through his and your Strava 👍
I normally leave here around 5.30-6.00 looking to start a ride around 2pm
Hamsterley is a good call. Dalby can be amusing, though there's no views. What about Reeth & Wensleydale?
Not that it fits with your outline plans, but once you get back off the bridge at Kyle you're no more than 40min from Achnashellach. If you've not been before then it'd be rude not to ride from there over to Annat and back. The classic Torridon loop.
And if you did that then cross over to Inverness and loads of short stops for Enduro-y trails down the A9 possible - Inverness (mast), Aviemore (burnside), Laggan (off the A9 but not far and on route if going A9 to FW) Pitlochry , Dunkeld/Birnam etc. Easier drive than down to FW and down the west.
Depends on whether you're coming up the M1/A1 or M6? If the M1/A1 then Sutton Bank/Boltby is literally 15 minutes off the A1 at Thirsk and well worth a go - its becoming my go-to. Ace trails, amazing views and (keep it quiet) usually its overlooked in favour of other places so its dead. Could easily do the first part of the red route from Sutton Bank and across to Boltby, do some of the off-piste bits in there and then loop back onto the red (or climb back up, especially if High Paradise Farm cafe is open) and then do the Blue descent/climb back to the start. Could easily extend it by parking at Kilburn/White Horse car park and having a spin up to the gliding club and toward the visitor centre to start with with the benefit of a flippin ace final descent back to the car on the Black Horse.
The following is utterly excellent advice:
once you get back off the bridge at Kyle you're no more than 40min from Achnashellach. If you've not been before then it'd be rude not to ride from there over to Annat and back. The classic Torridon loop.
And if you did that then cross over to Inverness and loads of short stops for Enduro-y trails down the A9 possible -
Especially given this in the OP:
but fancy something different;
Unless you have a pathological loathing of big XC rides* then it would be insane to drive such a huge distance and choose anything mentioned above in preference to Torridon.
* Or midgies and rain admittedly
Sutton Bank/Boltby sounds ideal.
Definitely up for a big XC ride, provided the downhills are top notch, but the gondola at Ft Bill is a big attraction; and I don’t want multiple stops in/out the car.
Will definitely check out some Torridon loops though.
I’m finalising the plan and looking like
Monday - Sutton Bank/Kilburn
Tuesday - Golfie
Wednesday - Old Man of Storr before the ferry
Thursday - Work
Friday - Torridon Lollypop loop if the weather is favourable (seems to be at the moment), any advise or GPX routes would be appreciated, looks like 5-6 hours?
Got to drive to Newcastle-ish afterwards, start the Torridon ride 8.00ish and I’ve got a good 8 hours slot and still get to Newcastle ish by 10.30pm.
Saturday, straight home as I need to leave for Nice on Monday morning!
Keilder, the mile descent should be open and it's a bit fun in places.
