| |
CLASSIC ROUTES
A quick blast after work, a night loop you can finish before your lights die or a ride to squeeze in when you’re short of time. That’s a classic. Relatively low on mileage and never taking you too far from the start, these are good, solid rides. Short but not necessarily easy. |
| |
Kilnsey, Mastiles Lane & Arncliffe Cote
A tough climb at the start followed by a long undulating section on the historic drovers’ road, another climb and a dream descent on easy grassy tracks.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 19km |
| |
Easy tracks around Austwick
One of the easiest mountain biking routes in the guide, this nevertheless gives a good taste of all that is typical and best about off-road riding in the Yorkshire Dales.
Route Grade: medium. Distance: 14.5km
|
| |
A Tough Circuit above Kettlewell
A small but perfectly formed mountain bike route that will have your lungs and legs screaming on the climb and whooping with delight on the downhill!
Route Grade: extreme. Distance: 9km |
| |
Ingleton, Kingsdale & North End Scar
This is quintessential Dales scenery: limestone and drystone walls, sheep and rough pasture, narrow lanes and enclosed tracks – and this route encompasses them all.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 16.5km
|
| |
Clapham, Feizor & Thwaite Scars
In many ways the perfect short Dales route with two attractive villages and two small hamlets linked by a series of tracks that range from broad stone to singletrack and from high grassy plateau in amongst a sea of limestone pavement.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 18km
|
| |
Horsehouse & Scar House Reservoir
The challenge up and over the moor at the start is followed by an easy circuit of the spectacularly set reservoir and then what was a tough climb at the start becomes a blistering downhill on the return.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 16km |
| |
Kirkby Lonsdale & Brownthwaite Fell
Four off road sections linked by quiet lanes running along the east side of the Lue Valley
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 20km
|
| |
EPIC ROUTES
Getting longer now – these mountain biking loops will take a bit more time and effort. Not rides to be scared of, but definitely rides to be respected. Rather large hills and plenty of technical ground to cover mean that firstly, you’re going to be out for a few hours and secondly, you’re going to have a really good time. |
| |
Settle, Malham Cove & Gorbeck
Not hugely technical, but with some good fast sections and tough climbs, this route explores some stunning Dales scenery.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 22km
|
| |
Kirkby Malham, Malham Tarn & Weets Top
A mountain bike route of two halves, the western all on quiet lanes and the eastern almost entirely off-road. Includes a tremendous downhill from Wheets Top on improved track then grass then stone zigzag.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 23.5km |
| |
Embsay, Bolton Abbey & Embsay Moor
Starting at Embsay the route includes stretches of tarmac split into three by off road sections. The long off road blast from Barden Moor/Embsay Moor offers some f the finest plateau cruising in the Dales
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 30km |
| |
Gargrave to Mastiles Lane & Hetton
There’s a real sense of linking lowland to highland in this ride. Starting in Garburn, which is accessed by the busy A65 the route takes you away and up to 400 metres right in the heart of the craggy limestone scenery of the Dales and what seemingly seem a million miles away from the start.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 30.5km |
| |
Buckden & Littondale
The climb up Bucken is amongst the toughest in the Dales (boggy conditions higher up and best avoided in winter). Technical downhills, a blast along a road, a tough track climb a moorland crossing and a descent that is long, steep with short, flat, slippery limestone slabs – be warned!
Route Grade: extreme. Extreme: 20.5km |
| |
West of Kirkby Malzeard
The first section of off road is one of those secret tracks – a little gem that drops to cross two tributaries of the river Lune. Then its climbs, descents and blasts across the moors.
Route Grade: medium. Distance: 30km |
| |
West from Masham towards Nidderdale
This mountain bike route gains all its height on tarmac leaving you with a dream return leg on fine tracks.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 31km |
| |
Grassington, Mastiles Lane & Hetton
A superb mountain biking route, crossing Malham Moor, along part of stone highway known as Mastiles Lane, to highpoint on Kilnsey Moor, onto Weets Top and down to Winterburn Reservoir and onto a final long off road section that has all sorts; narrow stone tracks, to patches of rough moorland, to recently rebuilt tracks and old established trails.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 32km |
| |
ENDURO ROUTES
Now we’re talking, Pack your sarnies and your chain lube. These are big, tough mountain biking rides that’ll probably take you all day. They are challenging routes for fit and experienced mountain bikers. Riding where you might describe the route as a bit of a beast! |
| |
Horton, Langstrothdale, Horse Head & Foxup
The outward route fro Horton; a climb on the Pennine Way on a broad stone track then an easy forest section, presents no real problem. The next stage is quite different; it starts with the hardest, roughest and steepest climb in this guide and finishes with one of the best descents in the Dales. Finally there is a last challenge of climbing and then descending Foxup Moor.
Route Grade: extreme. Distance: 30km |
| |
Pateley Bridge & Appletreewick
Highlights of the route include a climb up through old lead mining ruins, a 150 metre off-road descent into Appletreewick, a great climb up Skyreholme Bank and a final off-road downhill to Middle Tongue.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 63.5km |
| |
Stainforth to Littondale
The quality of tracks is generally excellent, whether on the climb up towards Pen-y-ghent, the descent to Litton, the grassy climb over High Cote Moor or the newly improved trail over Gorbeck.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 41km
|
| |
Tour d’Ingleborough
A circuit around one of the famous three peaks, linking three long off-road stretches via stunning road sections that just happen to pass several pubs and cafes in Clapham.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 38km |
| |
Pateley Bridge Northwest
One of the classic mountain bike routes of the Yorkshire Dales on a mixture of quiet lanes, easy tracks and tough challenges
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 38km |
| |
Ribblehead, Dentdale & Great Knoutberry Hill
This route has variety! From the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct and easy tracks by the railway, to the testing climb up the north east flank of Whernside and onto the grassy plateau over Great Wold. Like rock gardens, try the 6km long, 350 metre descent into Dentdale. Good on road climbs? Test yourself on the savage blast to Dent Station. Then it’s onto superb improved tracks that were once unrideable, and a cobbled masterpiece with hop across drainage channels.
Route Grade: hard. Distance: 31.5km |
| |
KILLER ROUTES
Character building… We wouldn’t go so far as say these routes could kill you, but they won’t be much fun if you’re not prepared. Allow plenty of time; stock up well on the calories and make sure you’re firing on all cyclinders. |
| |
Settle to Kinsey via Malham Tarn
This route links thee classics in the Yorkshire Dales. At each stage there are tough climbs, high level cruising and descents to dream of. Plus a final teeth rattler to return to Settle.
Route Grade: extreme. Distance: 49km |
| |
Appletreewick to Scar House Reservoir
The longest route in the guide and with the most ascending and descending. It contains a fine mix of farm tracks, rocky gullies and wide open grouse moor, almost all rideable and fast enough to mean you don’t need to be an Olympic medallist to do this in a (long) day.
Route Grade: extreme. Distance: 80km
|
| |
PLUS TOP DOWNHILLS, UPHILLS, CRUSING |
