Tell me about Buck Wood in SHipley

Anything interesting in there I ride past it every night at the moment never been in for a play – am I missing out or anything else down in that corner.

It’s definitely worth an explore, I often include it as part of a bigger loop if I’m riding around Esholt/Calverley woods. There’s a few ways to get into it from the canal, but there’s basically two bridle paths that take you in a loop (with a bit of road to connect them), plus a bit of off piste stuff. There’s also a pump track at the top if that’s your thing.

It can get a bit muddy when it’s been raining though.

might have an explore up there on the way home tonight then. Been riding past it for months – just follow up from the canal?

There’s a jump spot with pt, not sure what state the jumps are in these days. we did some exploring beyond the little jump park years ago, worth a look but don’t recall anything spectacular. Maybe work your way round to Dawson’s wood

If you’re coming from Leeds end, you can turn left over the canal where the sewage works is, before you start the road climb there’s a fence with a bridle path almost immediately on the right. That bridle path takes you along the opposite side of the canal before winding it’s way up to the jump park.

If you come from Shipley end, the easiest way of getting to it is over the bridge and up the cobbled bridle path (about 1 mile from the sewage works). This takes you to a quiet road, which if you continue up and go left at the top, it takes you to the jump park and the other bridle path. Have a look on Google maps, it should be fairly obvious. There’s other routes in there too but they require a bit more exploration to find the best ones.

There’s loads of good places to ride next to the canal between Leeds and Salt Aire, I often do a loop on my way home from work.

Had a look last night, needs an explore in daylight but lots to play on – came up the climb from Shipley and followed along the woods eventually dropping out the other side and then spun on to Apperley Bridge then back. A nice little spin back – living in a hotel for a year is crap but made much better with a bike in the room.

If you climb up from the sewage works towards the pump track (ainscough avenue) then at the fence you’ll see a track into the right. You can duck in there (keep left) and follow that down to the canal

Likewise if you climb further up there’s another track on the right that will track the contour line of the hill

And again on the left further up there’s a little loop to bring you to the second trail

A nice little spin back – living in a hotel for a year is crap but made much better with a bike in the room.

Not sure where your hotel is, but there is some fantastic riding around Buckwood / Esholt / Baildon / Harden.

If you’ve not already been, have a look at Calverley Woods too.

Love the mud round there

Calverley and Buck Woods in winter is ace

🙂 It does take a while to dry out!
Harden is the way to go for trails that dry quickly.

.

Im a regular rider of buck woods theres some (short) good technical rocky and rooty stuff in there and a good few segments on strava that I and others have created. You also have Dawsons wood just above buck woods which again has some playful but short sections.

Heres a few to get you going, only a couple are bridleways so be nice out there.

https://www.strava.com/segments/8120756
https://www.strava.com/segments/8209313
https://www.strava.com/segments/11468081
https://www.strava.com/segments/8268366
https://www.strava.com/segments/10713037
https://www.strava.com/segments/11688504
https://www.strava.com/segments/9794579
https://www.strava.com/segments/10752858
https://www.strava.com/segments/9755270

(feel free to follow me on strava and have a nosey)

Hotel is the Marriott on Hollins Hill so sounds like there’s plenty of options! To be honest it was pretty dark when I was out so I may have been on a bridle way, I may not have been but there was no one else I had to be nice to! There were horse prints for most of it though so I don’t think I found the good bits. Is there anyway to get back into esholt from the sewage farm. OS map shows a road but I guess it may be the access road for the sewage farm.

Are you talking about Ainsbury Avenue? If so you can take that down through the steel gates back onto the canal then take a left through the fence (near a yellow steel sign) that then takes you across the river aire. BUT the bridge is closed currently for repair because of boxing day floods.

I’m only posting on this thread so I can find it later. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Well I’ll be up again next week (and probably every week until Christmas) so if anyone is about in the evenings for a ride and doesn’t mind me tagging along then let me know.
Thanks for all the suggestions, Is there anything good going out over towards Hawksworth Moor as well? I went out round there on the road bike the other week on the way back to the hotel.

Light’s starting to roll back now, but if you’re heading past Shipley every night, and you’ve got some lights somewhere, you should hop on a train – 25-30mins to Skipton/Ilkley, couple of hours good riding, back in time for bed.

I should have started the quest for trails ealier in the year – I’ve had the road bike up since May most of the time as its not such a challeneg to fit in the hotel room. I need a few miles on the road to spin the mud off the tyres before bringing it into the room with the mountain bike!

Still I’ve been in that hotel for a long time so they do forgive quite easily

have a look around Esholt Wood (Spring Wood). Also Baildon Moor (looks like you can get there via the back of the hotel). Also, if it’s still dry enough up there, I suspect not, up Sconce Lane, Dick Hudson, up onto Rombald Moor (Ilkley Moor).

If you are staying at Hollins, try and get out the back on to this BW

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=416830&y=440929&z=120&sv=416830,440929&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=622&ax=416830&ay=440929&lm=0

It is part of this ride I did on Strava (not that its a route as such) the area is so full of trails that you can go a different way each ride.

https://www.strava.com/activities/338895152

To be honest most riding around Baildon/Buck Woods/Harden etc you don’t need to stick to BW’s, in 30 yrs of riding I have never had any issues, just be sensible. The whole areas has some great tracks.

Another ride combining Baildon and Harden Moor.

https://www.strava.com/activities/655695485

Just saw this rather nice edit of ilkley moor and esholt woods: