I know a couple of primary heads. They are forever fielding calls from locals about parking, school run, behaviour etc. Calls that take up time from more important duties. People parking inconsiderably is the most common. At least there he can ask for the reg and put in the school bulletin and quickly look like he’s doing something.

This head is probably fed up with calls about cycling and just wanted to do something to reduce this workload. It might not be the right solution but I can see why they wanted to do something and be seen to do it.

Having really looked forward to my first trip at BPW I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I had expected. One of the things putting me off was the huge amount of willy waving machoism all around. You could smell the testosterone as you got on the bus. Large groups of middle age men acting as if they were teenagers in a gang on a night out! Maybe I’m a big softy but I actually found it a bit intimidating at times

I can quite easily see how it could put off anyone who doesn’t fit their stereotype. It’s definitely put me off taking my 10yr lad  who’s more than capable of riding the blues.

Could be worse – I’ve been at ski resorts where the trails are flat or even uphill to the lifts. That is a PITA. At least bikes are designed with a means of going uphill

I was there on Saturday and although busy the uplift seemed very efficient for those prebooked. A couple of times the queue was down past the railings but the buses tended to come in 3s or 4s so quickly moved. They seemed pretty efficient at loading the bikes/vans.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet the trails seemed given all the people.

My two gripes though are firstly the queue to get the tickets. Took about 40min and for a first time visitor a little confusing – did I get my hired helmet from there or bike hire etc? Given that I’d paid online and filled in the risk form there ought to be a more efficient way, perhaps printing your ticket yourself?

Secondly keep the bikes off the terrace! There wasn’t enough seating as it was and half the benches were occupied by bikes leaning on them. And it was pretty hard just walking round them all with a tray of food! Maybe more racks at the side and a no bikes on the decking policy?

I was there last week. The section through the quarry and over the two long boardwalks is shut – and likely to be for a while. I believe the board walks need replacing. So that’s a short forest road diversion. The rest is all open.

The oreviously closed section is the next long section of singletrack that winds all the way up to Whelpstone Crag. That’s all open now and been resurfaced on the descent as you re enter the woods. And very fun it is too.

No other closures.

Thanks everyone. The Beast it is then! I’m certainly not against walking the odd tricky section – do it all the time! But I draw the line at walking down miles of singletrack!!

You might get a bit of a skewed picture at Grizedale because they hire eBikes there. So likely to be loads. I’ve not particularly noticed eBikes on my local trails in West Yorkshire and the Dales.

Cool – thanks for that. Its not that I want to keep my wheels on the gound, its just that they don’t seem keen to leave it! But my colleague was suggesting it wasn’t really rollable.

The trip is back on and I can start getting excited!

I’ve just found it on google maps – looks like I did avoid it. When I got to the A629 at CrossRoads I went straight over on the bridleway to the B6144 then over the mood to Back Moor Lane and back over the Moore behind the Flappit quarry. So I missed that particular delight!

A few years ago I had a great lesson with one of the guys from Cyclewise at Whinlatter. It wasn’t really confidence we worked on but certainly at the end I was happy riding stuff I’d have walked at the start

Actually I did a bit of both!! I did the classic Bingley Bash from the West Yorkshire guidebook – with a little addition over Black Moor near Haworth. But to get to Bingley I left Otley on the roads to Hawksworth and off road along the golf course to Baildon, over the moor and down Shipley Glen to pick up the canal towpath. On the way back I stayed on the canal then up through Esholt Woods to Guisley

I live near Otley but am guilty of ignoring the local trails and heading further afield. Seemed like there was a lot more to explore on Baildon and Harden Moor.

Abd it saves trying to get a bike in a Mini!

I didn’t notice the abbertoir! Did enjoy a nice bacon sandwich half way round though

I think it’s at least partly because the bar has been raised in terms of British sporting success. One tennis commentator pointed out that not so long ago you got an MBE for making the third round of Wimbledon. Now we have two players who people expect to go a long way.
So five years ago you’d probably get a knighthood for winning the tour. Now it’s kind of expected!!

Thanks for the link. I think this race was actually part of their series. But he was looking for something a bit more mountain bike orientated. He really enjoyed it but his faves were definitely the more technical and the descent sections!
It’s not being mega-competitive – it was the racing with a load of other kids who love bikes and the high fives and cheering at the end he really liked

My view is that if you just want to ride the purpose built trails then Whinlatter is much better – make sure you do the blue as well as the reds, it’s really good fun. If you just want a few hours trail centre blast with fun downhills, great views and no navigation than do Whinlatter.

BUT Grizedale is much, much better if you add on all the natural stuff in the forest and surrounding areas. You can make it as short or as long as you want and pretty much as hard as you want. The North Face Trail is nowhere near as good as Whinlatter but it’s great for linking up bridleways and gaining height without using the forest roads.

I thought it was a bit tougher than the Lakes to be honest. Both are rocky but I wasn’t so used to the big loose rocks in gullys. Obviously the climbs aren’t as tough as some of the big hike a bike days out in the Lakes but still longer and harder (I thought) than the southern Lakes riding in Grizedale, Landgale, Ambleside etc

No sorry – no pics. I never seem to take any photos when cycling or walking. It was a bit hazy for good long distance views (but that’s being really picky about the weather!)

But one bit would have made a good photo if I dared! Bloke stops to ask me directions. No helmet, topless and no pack or gear of any sorts. That’s going to hurt if he comes off. And he was covered in tattoos saying ‘100% white’, ‘Britain first’ and ‘English till I die’ and so on. I’m not one to judge, but it was hard….

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Just back from riding Cutgate. The clincher was that’s I’d had enough driving when I turned off the M1.
To be honest you’d have struggled to have a bad ride today what ever the route, warning but not too hot, bone dry trails and a little breeze. But Cutgate was awesome!!

The climb from Langsett was surprisingly rideable, just a few little pushes on the steeper, looser bits. I didn’t ‘get’ the top bit on the way out. Not uphill but definitely not down or even flat. And it seemed to go on forever and I couldn’t get any rythym. But the descent to Ladybower made me forget all that, a bit of everything. Then down the track on the east of the reservoir to the visitor centre for coffee. Looking st the map I continued down the reservoir a mile or so then up a steep climb to Lockerbrook activity centre and a great decent back to the reservoir. Different from Cutgate but still fun. Then Tarmac along the lake before the big climb. By now this was mostly a push but I didn’t mind, id had too good a day. But what made it was the decent. This time the top bit made more sense and seemed over a lot quicker. Then singletrack for what seemed like miles with barely any climbing all the way back to Langsett.
So all in all a great day and it’s whetted the appetite for more. Ladybower loop next time.

Thanks everyone!!

It’s too much for my legs to ask for both!!!
But seems to be a lot of love for Cutgate

I’ve got a Mini One and regularly put my bike in the back. Both wheels off and seat right down (or off) and I don’t need to move the front passenger seat. It does go in easier one way round but I can never remember which…..

Thanks everyone for that – seems pretty good for the time of year

Mind you I don’t think Boss Moor has ever dried out! If it ever did I dread to think how many hiking boots and cycling shoes would be found at the bottom!

thanks for all the advice – much appreciated. We’re staying near the Brockhole visitor centre, so plan was to go up the bridleway from there to Townend, lane past High Borrans and the bridleway to Kentmere, then up and over Garburn, Limfit Park, Troutbeck then Jenkin Crag back to Ambleside. Then try and persuade the wife to pick me up from a pub there rather than try to ride along the A591. But I’ll look at how it can be done the other way
Thanks again

Although very good Hebden Bridge would be a bit of a faff to get to. Not very close to the motorways and a bit of an awkward detour. Anything in the Western Dales would be much nearer. The Clapham loop is fun but quite short – which might be what you are looking for. Gisburn wouldn’t be too far out your way if you want a trail centre.

I live in the Wharfe Valley just north of Leeds. For us it’s pretty much ideal. I work in Harrogate – 25min and MrsJ north Leed 35min. Riding wise there’s some limited but fun stuff on out doorstep – Otley Chevin, Baildon Moor, Ilkley Moor. 30-40min takes us to the Dales proper, similar to Calderdale, 90min to the Lakes. Can even manage Llandegla in a reasonable day trip at the weekend. And despite being in a pleasant town on the edge of the countryside I can be in central Leeds in 20min by train.
Not sure where a paramedic would be based but as a fellow NHS worker it’s pretty convenient for many of the Yorkshire hospitals.

For a shorter day out I rather like the route around Grassington – number 15 in the book. Not massively technical but with good variety and some fun fast bits. Only variation I do is usually to start in Threshfield and then from the Winterburn Reservoir head back up to Threshfield Moor and go down the first climb. For some reason I’ve never liked the section behind the quarry.

A good variant on the Tpur D Ingleborough adds in a great descent. From the top of the climb from Selside at Cam End don’t head straight down to Ribblehead – it’s a boring track used by the forest lorries now. Instead turn right up the hill. Shortly after it turns to Tarmac look for the Pennine Bridleway to your left. It’s a new upgraded track, fast, fun descent down to the B road at Newby Head. To avoid the main road you head straight over on the Dent road and a Bridleway soon leads back to Ribbleshead.

If you pick a base, Wharfedale or Ribblesdale you’ll find plenty of riding for a few days with minimal driving. Dales roads aren’t always fast and say Settle to Grassington doesn’t look far but takes a surprisingly long time.

This is whats confusing me! All these different types of bikes – endurance/racing and so on. What is an endurance bike? I know I don’t want a hybrid. If I want to bimble with the kids along the canal I’ll take my mountain bike. I want a bike thats easy to ride on the road, to cover a reasonable distance and cope with big hills – I live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. And all this talk of gears really confuses me!!!

Gisburn is fine in the winter. I live near the Dales and its my alternative for when the natural stuff is turning to bog. There will be a lot of standing water and puddles but underneath its all fine.

Only thing to be aware of is that its not as sheltered as some trail centres, quite exposed to the elements at the top so take appropriate gear.

Sorry – I think I gave the wrong impressionn!! I am not at boater at all. Just wondering if the trails were currently more suited to a boat than a bike.

Thanks for the tips though – think I will look at Grizedale

Even with only one lap it still works out at 19p a km – which doesn’t seem too bad to me.

Any of the stations on the Settle-Carlisle line. Great riding from Settle, Horton in Ribblesdale, Ribblehead or Dent (I don’t know much about the Dales north of there!). Or could easily do train one way and ride back, or multiday rides using the railway.

When I was a car-less student in Leeds we did all our climbing/walking by public transport – Peak District (Edale), Pennines (Hebden Bridge, Todmorden) or the Dales (Settle-Carlisle)

The only drop off a boardwalk I can think of is the one at the start of the B-line. There a bit of a drop down to the trail and it does look a bit intimidating. But I’ve done it and I have no rad or gnarr-ness at all. It’s much easier than it looks. To be fair the B-line is marked as an orange/black freeride trail and marked as a step up from the black.

I’m sure I’ve read the guys from OPA saying that there is a long term ambition to make the initial climb more singletrack and interesting but in the short term they think people would rather they prioritise spending on new downhill singletrack sections.

Thanks everyone – really looking forward to it. Can you rent full face helmets there or nearby? Don’t really want to buy one for a single trip

And I don’t think it ever really rains in Wales!

Or if you’ve already done the red you can do the first part of the blue run to pick up the bridleway. From Thornthwaite is quiet lanes to Braithwaite then a cycle path back to Keswick – so you don’t have to ride along the A66

Its worth checking out the Keeper of the Peak (KoftheP) twitter feed for updates on the Peak District conditions – and post an update if you’ve been for a ride. According to them Cutgate is pretty good for this time of year. Just a bit muddy on the top but ridable muddy puddles rather than bike swallowing bogs.

I think my usual Langsett to Slippery Stones and return out and back is about 20km so I guess 10km or so each way

There’s still great skiing next door at Nevis Range so the top will be covered in snow. The path will be covered and there are no signs!
I think you’d need ice axe and crampons and a map and compass and the skills to use them. If the weather closes in the top plateau is pretty unpleasant and hard to navigate.

Hamish McInnes put it better by pointing out there’s no such thing as scottish winter walking – it’s all mountaineering of different degrees. It’ll still be winter at the top of the Ben

Cheers everyone – much appreciated. Might see if I can persuade MrsJ to drop me or pick me up at Brockholes to avoid riding the main road.
I looked at doing the route in reverse but wasn’t sure how technical and tough the descent to Kentmere is. In Grizedale Parkamoor – Nibthwaite and Breasty Haws is about my limit of gnarliness!

Rushup Edge??

But seriously when you say Yorkshire whereabouts will you be staying? Its a big county! If you’ve not booked yet have you considered coming north to the Dales? A lot less rocky and technical. Routes like Nidderdale Round, Settle loop or Clapham are fairly reliably under wheel and fit the bill for length and difficulties.

Sorry I don’t have GPX files, I’m a paper OS map chap

I don’t care who’s dumping the rubbish etc but the bottom line is that the current start of the trails is far from appealing. It is not a very nice place to park your car and set off for a ride. I know that an urban environment is not the same as a FC wood but if they want to entice people to ride there (which I think was the rationale behind the trail developement) a few improvements would go a long way.
Last time I was at Lee there seemed to be lots of enthusiasm and ideas for biking in the area and it was sad that these seem to have come to not much. It made me a bit sad TBH