Winter Malham routes

Hi all,
Despite being from Leeds I have never really ridden much around this area as I tend to go for more technical stuff (e.g. in the peak.)
Anyway we are up that way for a few days around New Year, and I am wondering whether to take the bike or not. Might be able to get a couple of short (1-2hr) rides in straight from Malham (no driving). I’m sure there must be loads around.

Thinking of taking either the the gravel bike and mix up a bit of road with green lane, or I could take the XC bike (currently SS but I would probably chuck the gears on).

Which would be better? Any tips for tracks that stand up well int he winter?
Don’t mind a bit of wet/puddly track but would prefer no heinous muddy slogs.

Thanks!!!

Settle Loop is the most weatherproof option around there. Couple of tweaks make it better from the Malham side.

Go down Stockdale Lane if you’re taking the mtb, then when you hit tarmac, pick up the footpath that cuts across by Victoria Cave (one tricky wall gate to lift over), then rejoin the route without the hideously muddy climb out of Settle.

Normal direction is the other way to the one I’ve described. and is CX suitable, you could throw in a circuit of Malham Tarn to add distance.

That sounds spot on, thanks. What’s mastiles lane like on a cx?

It’s fine for the most part, bit sloppy in places, couple of bumpy bits, the descent at the far end into Kilnsey is pretty manageable on CX.

Don’t be too tempted by the BW that goes to Arncliffe Cote from Malham Tarn. Will be a bit of a struggle in either direction, and a grassy, boggy push up from Littondale.

If you are looking at heading east along Mastiles then there’s a small network of BWs and tracks to the south of it that can provide loops. They are just about holding up at the moment: I did a Hetton – Weets Top – Mastiles – Threshfield Moor – Hetton loop yesterday and it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might have become but parts are definitely “wet”. That was 1hr50 of riding on a fat bike.

A Mastiles loop that will be pretty weather proof is: Mastiles Lane to the bottom of the big descent down to Kilnsey, turn right through the cattle pens and take a BW across open pasture (bumpy but not boggy as it’s on limestone), at the road turn R and at the end of the road turn L and go to Bordley Farm, the yard can be very muddy! Continue on the BW to Lee Gate then take the road back to Goredale and then Malham. You can extend this by turning L at the top of the big descent down to Goredale and making a short climb up to Weets Top …

There’s a BW leading down from Weets Top towards Calton that’s doable on a CX, friends use it as part of a training loop for the Three Peaks, the upper part is trail centre style armoured track, there’s a short boggy section below that that you can usually work your way through without much problem. Don’t bother with the BW that leads off this down to Hanlith – that will be boggy!

Some nice stuff South of Mastiles too – Weets Top, Hetton, Threshfield Moor, Malham Moor. I’ve only done them on MTB but I would have thought there is plenty doable on CX.

Great, just the info I need. thanks all!

…a slightly longer – couple of hours on a crossbike – but a goodie and 100% weatherproof is road to Mastiles lane, down to kilnsey, straight across the bridge to conistone, all the way up the bridleway to Mossdale. After going down into mossdale there’s a sharp right steep uphill on a newly concreted landrover track (two parallel strips of concrete for wheels, which then zigzags following the valley towards Greassington – marked on the map as going to bycliff hill. Then a nice fast descent through mineworkings, nd a choice of tracks to Grassington (track that turns into a road you’ll see on the map) or more fun though a million gates, bridleway down to Hebden. Then road back to malham via winterburn, or track back to Mastiles, depending on energy levels.

The route johnx2 describes is brilliant, but be aware that the bit from Mossdale south to the min workings around Yanbury is technically a no go area for bikes.

I’ve done it twice and had no problems however…

The above is perfect for CX if you’ve got the legs and nice warm gear, I’d not bother with the Hebden Gill gate-fest, just straight down into Grassington and up Malham Moor Lane/Bordley to reconnect with Mastiles about halfway along.

Top tip though re the above: If you get just past the gate at the top of Scot Gate Lane and can see lots of landrovers milling about on the top ‘out of bounds’ track above, take the FP on the R which goes direct to Yarnbury instead!

When I was last up in Mossdale a month or so ago (heading the other way along the dark horizon in @legometeorology’s shot – really cheeky!) there was a sign at the junction about a Dales cycling guidebook being wrong.

The “No cycling” signs went up about five or six years ago but I’ve not had any problems in the several times I’ve ridden along that track, mainly because I’ve never seen anyone up there!

I ride round there a fair bit and have never had trouble, including from guys on quad bikes plainly working. There’s a fair bit to go at round grimwith, appletreewick, etc bridleway and cheeky. But another thread…

I think they were trying to sell the shooting moor a couple of years back so turned a few folk back, but no, I don’t normally see anyone, and it’s an excellent bit of bleak moorland. I just need to find a way of linking the back of the mines to Grimwith to make a bigger loop up.

Mines to grimwith is easy peasy. Head down as though to hebden beck, to the kind of crossroads of tracks, turn left to Blea Beck Dam and there’s grassy – thin but it’s there – singletrack leading down blea beck, which becomes bridleway: OS ref 54.094894, -1.937267 (put in bing maps and it’s pretty obvious). You can either follow the bridleway – becomes a stone track – down to the main Pately Grassington Road, or fork cheekily down on the left down a farmers track (marked on the map) to grimwith, follow track round and there are various ways off. Do this from Ikley sometimes, back along pockstones. Strava heatmaps and evidence on the ground indicate that this gets ridden not just by me.

I’ve gone up the BW @johnx2 mentions: standard Dales walled track at the bottom then after the gate it’s moorland singletrack. Legal BW to the estate wall (complete with the usual no cycling signs) then cheeky singletrack to get to the vehicle track at Blea Beck Dam. All rideable apart from one small beck near the dam that I’d no idea of how deep it was.

None of which helps the OP of course – if he’s this far from Malham he’ll be taking a lot longer than 2hrs😃

I’m hoping the OP has enough to be going on with!

John – cheers – I did look on Google Earth at that bit, came away with the impression that you’d be climbing over walls, will check it out – wanted to make a big round from Skipton.

Thanks all, plotting all this into google earth right now 🙂