Hi all.
Looking at some slightly longer weatherproof CX rides for this winter from the west side of York. Done a few loops out past Askham Bryan then out to Healaugh and the long double track BW down to Tadcaster and then looping home via Oxton, Bolton Percy, Appleton Roebuck etc but want to do something a bit longer.

If I did the first leg to Tadcaster, does anyone have any route advice for trails to the west of Tadcaster? Looking on a map I could go through Tadcaster and then south west on a BW (looks like a farm track) towards Hazlewood Castle, then BW south to cross the B1217 and to Saxton. Head towards Scathingwell, alonside the lake to Barkston Ash and then either a long road stretch to Cawood, Riccall and back to York on the bike track OR loop around through Church Fenton and Ulleskelf before heading back to Tadcaster where there are a few options back to York? Anyone know if you can ride through Grimston Park from Kirkby Wharfe?

Dave – this is right in my neck of the woods (I remember when you said you were moving, I advised you might find your out on the gravel bike a bit more!). Send us a PM and I’ll get you some info through, might be worth digging through my Strava too.

Theres plenty of options and its possible to put some good routes together, ideal for Gravel bike/nice long steady XC rides.

Expect to get chased by an angry man and shouted at if you cut through Grimston Park,There are locked gates to negotiate too….

Cheers Si. Sent a stalking request on Strava and I’ll ping you a message 😉

Include me in.
Copmanthorpe start for me.
Good cafe for coffee and cake.

PS as for Grimston Park, the owners still live on the estate. I don’t think they cycle though.

That’s local for me, too.
The farm tracks SW of Tad are all good and weatherproof. The one NW from Towton even has some gradient and scenery (by local standards). The BWs towards Aberford are generally OK, field edges etc., and Lead Church is a wonderful place. From Aberford you can get across towards the Leeds Country Way (?) BWs via Parlington and a very cool (and dark) tunnel.
I have pedalled through Grimston Park a couple of times in the last year or so, having seen a small group emerging onto the A162 and thinking “where have they come from?” Never had any bother, I think it used to be a public road.

From Aberford you can make a nice loop going down the Leeds Country Way along to Temple Newsam. From the top of the ‘Avenue’ at TN you can go through Hollinthorpe to Kippax via Brecks Lane, and from Kippax you can take a path going trough Ledston Luck towards Ledsham. You can then head north through Ledston Park, Micklefield woods, past the MX track, and follow a track next to the A1M which takes you through Hook Moor wind farm which is a lovely stretch, and then back to Aberford.

All of that above @droplinked is my most ridden bits of trail in the past 20 years so we must live close by.

Some decent stuff between Healaugh and Tockwith too.

And further east between Heslington / Dunnington and Skipwith Common – flat but fun.

i have a nice 50 miler with not much road, from mine in rothwell out to the east of taddy.

Ton that sounds good. Can I get the gpx off you? I need something that isn’t as hilly as NW Leeds every now and again.

I have no idea where I found this loop, and a bit north (starts Harrogate) of where you are looking but might be of interest. I’ve ridden some bits of it on shorter rides but not the whole thing.

https://www.komoot.com/tour/522289194?ref=itd

@ahsat
sorry love i dont know how to do a gpx. but if you fancy a meet up for a ride, and anyone else too, i will gladly take you for a steady ride round the loop.

anyone fancy ?

I did the Wild Boar Challenge from Rothwell a couple of weeks ago. It was all pretty good going apart from the couple of miles of grassy floodbank between Whitwood and St Aiden’s. I don’t understand Strava but if you can get the route here you might be able to rejig the start point from Aberford to incorporate it into a longer ride. https://www.wildboar-challenge.co.uk/theride/routeinformation.html

That route goes right past my mum and dads house on the Colton/Whitkirk border, might combine it with a trip over to see them if I can extract it from Strava

Skeletor, there isn’t a more soul destroying, stretch of off road riding, than the grass floodbank(the bund of doom) ,I live on the opposite bank of the river, and avoid at all costs, even more depressing when its soggy

Everyone knows the best CX riding is heading East, Dave, not West 😉

Cheers all (except for you Ross) for the advice. I’ll spend some time having a look and piecing the suggestions together.