# cycling in the yorkshire dale



## Orang Utan (Feb 5, 2010)

i'm going to be in leeds for a large part of march and want to spend a few days cycling about.
i need to work about a route and places to stay.
i want to cycle from leeds rather than get a train anywhere.
any suggestions of routes/places to stay/websites i will find useful?
DAMN - MODS - please can you correct the thread title if you spot this? ta!


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## fredfelt (Feb 5, 2010)

You could try the CTC forum (Cycle Touring Club).  They also have a massive amount of routes you can download, but you need to be a member.


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## AnnO'Neemus (Feb 5, 2010)

You mean you actually managed to get some time off work!  





Slacker!


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## Orang Utan (Feb 5, 2010)

i had 3 weeks off in january which was much needed. feel MUCH better now.
got lots off in march too - my dad is in nz and my mum in respite for a month, so i'm gonna go and keep her compant for a bit and have a mini holiday on my own


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## jonnyd1978 (Feb 5, 2010)

What sort of things do you want to see/do?


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## soulman (Feb 5, 2010)

Like Yorkshire is one big dale


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## Orang Utan (Feb 5, 2010)

soulman said:


> Like Yorkshire is one big dale



it was a typo - hence my edit of the OP - i can't change the title - only a mod can do it


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## Orang Utan (Feb 5, 2010)

jonnyd1978 said:


> What sort of things do you want to see/do?



just cycle and see the pretty dales and stop and have the odd beer and sandwich. a tranquil break but with a bit of strenuous exercise thrown in.


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## soulman (Feb 5, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> it was a typo - hence my edit of the OP - i can't change the title - only a mod can do it



I know. Now you can let them know you're being facepalmed for it


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## Orang Utan (Feb 5, 2010)

i don't mind being eyerolled or hmmed, but for some reason i take exception to being facepalmed


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## Bernie Gunther (Feb 5, 2010)

If you fancy some technical stuff, I've heard that the work these guys have been doing is ace ... 

http://www.singletraction.org.uk


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## machine cat (Feb 5, 2010)

i dunno, cycling from leeds and finding somewhere that isn't a shithole could take a while. it's probably worth catching a train to harrogate or skipton and going from there as they're not too far from leeds and pretty cheap to get to.


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## jonnyd1978 (Feb 5, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> just cycle and see the pretty dales and stop and have the odd beer and sandwich. a tranquil break but with a bit of strenuous exercise thrown in.



How far can you cycle? 
Do you want to go somewhere from Leeds and then go back on the same day or cycle somewhere then stay over? If you want to see the dales you'd be best staying around there. Hawes, Richmond, Grassington are largish places (in terms of the dales!).  Loads to see, just pick up a book. There's a billion pubs of various quality. If you get a chance though check out this place, well worth a visit. He'll let you camp in the field next to the pub too but it might be a bit cold in March!
http://www.sunriseag.net/adoptapub/more/0027VictoriaArmsWorton.htm


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## Orang Utan (Feb 5, 2010)

jonnyd1978 said:


> How far can you cycle?
> Do you want to go somewhere from Leeds and then go back on the same day or cycle somewhere then stay over? If you want to see the dales you'd be best staying around there. Hawes, Richmond, Grassington are largish places (in terms of the dales!).  Loads to see, just pick up a book. There's a billion pubs of various quality. If you get a chance though check out this place, well worth a visit. He'll let you camp in the field next to the pub too but it might be a bit cold in March!
> http://www.sunriseag.net/adoptapub/more/0027VictoriaArmsWorton.htm


yes, i want to stay in various places. was thinking of cycling out as far as burnsall/grassington on the first day (is that feasible?)


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## jonnyd1978 (Feb 5, 2010)

It's about 35 miles. Out of Leeds you'd be ok up to about Ilkley but it will be hard work after that! I'd split it into 2 days or get the train from Leeds to Skipton and cycle from there. You won't be missing too much scenery in between!


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## free spirit (Feb 6, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> yes, i want to stay in various places. was thinking of cycling out as far as burnsall/grassington on the first day (is that feasible?)


I used to do leeds to Ilkley and back in a day no bother, which is about 2/3 of the way to grassington and then back... but that was when I was cycling regularly.

If you do do it, then take the otley old road up over the top of otley chevin (big steep moor type park) rather than the main Otley road, then stop for a swift half at the pub on top of otley chevin, and if you're on a mountain bike, cut down the bridleways down the chevin into otley.

IIRC from Otley there's the busy main road on the left of the river to Ilkey, or a much quieter but slightly more winding road along the river to the right of the river if you cross the river in Otley rather than following the signs to Ilkley. decent chippy in Ilkley for lunch, then cycle up along the river past Bolton Abbey to Grassington - worth having a stop for a wander round Bolton Abbey as well IMO.

Next day up along the river to kettlewell for lunch, then across to Malham via malham tarn and malham cove, the youth hostel in Malham's pretty good IIRC, and there's some nice pubs there.

Personally I'd then head up towards the 3 peaks area around Horton in Ribblesdale the next day. There's a decent and reasonably priced pub that does B&B right next to ribblehead station at the end of the ribblehead viaduct, and you could always give your backside a break and go for a walk up one of the peaks, or do a proper mission to do all 3.

I'd then probably either get the train back (settle to carlisle route), or the next day cycle on up to dentdale and then get the train back from dent station (actually several miles from dent village right up the hill), so you get the to actually go back across more of the scenic stuff. Reason for getting the train back being 

If you really don't want to get the train, I'd head back via settle, skipton then pick up the canal in Keithley and follow that back to Leeds for a nice easy roll home. Or if you're still not done then head for hebden bridge instead of Keithley, probably stop over in Hebden and then follow that canal back the next day.

I'm in Leeds and have loads of OS maps of this whole area if you want to borrow any. Could possibly be up for a bit of a mission if you were up for some company, but not if you're superfit as I've barely ridden for years now (but aiming to change that this year).


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## jonnyd1978 (Feb 6, 2010)

That's some good advice there! Just to point out though that although it's pronounced 'Keithly' it's spelt _Keighley_.


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## Orang Utan (Feb 6, 2010)

free spirit said:


> I used to do leeds to Ilkley and back in a day no bother, which is about 2/3 of the way to grassington and then back... but that was when I was cycling regularly.
> 
> If you do do it, then take the otley old road up over the top of otley chevin (big steep moor type park) rather than the main Otley road, then stop for a swift half at the pub on top of otley chevin, and if you're on a mountain bike, cut down the bridleways down the chevin into otley.
> 
> ...


cheers for that - very helpful. i did want to ride the main road into otley chevin though cos i want to experience the 'surprise view' of the wharf valley and the long freewheel down into it. i even want to climb back up it. i've been on that stretch of road so many times in a car, so it will be weird cycling on it.
you're welcome to join me - i'm not super fit but i cycle 16 miles a day all on the flat with only one tiny hill, so i'm not used to climbing.
my dad has a whole cupboard of os and national park maps and guides, so i doubt i'd need to borrow any
not sure when exactly i'll be doing it, but it'll be 3 or 4 days in the second half of march - there'll be loads of lambs gamboling about.


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## free spirit (Feb 7, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> cheers for that - very helpful. i did want to ride the main road into otley chevin though cos i want to experience the 'surprise view' of the wharf valley and the long freewheel down into it.


'Surprise View' is what the viewpoint is called at the top of the chevin, so if you want to experience it properly you want to take the route I said as it brings you to the road at the top of the Chevin that surpise view is just off. You can get there as well by taking the main otley road, then turning left just before the chevin then right along the top... but that's not as nice a route to cycle. If you want to experience the long downhill on the main road after that, then I think you can offroad it across and down from surpise view to the traffic lights at the start of the long down hill into Otley.

If you really want to scare yourself though go down Old Pool Bank from just along from those traffic lights, think it's a 1 in 3 or something daft, and takes you down into the valley bottom in about 30 seconds flat (presuming you make the scarily tight bends on it)



> i even want to climb back up it. i've been on that stretch of road so many times in a car, so it will be weird cycling on it.
> you're welcome to join me - i'm not super fit but i cycle 16 miles a day all on the flat with only one tiny hill, so i'm not used to climbing.
> my dad has a whole cupboard of os and national park maps and guides, so i doubt i'd need to borrow any
> not sure when exactly i'll be doing it, but it'll be 3 or 4 days in the second half of march - there'll be loads of lambs gamboling about.


cool, well if the dates pan happen to coincide with me not having anything on then I might well join you for at least a bit of it presuming I don't die utterly when I give myself a test ride.

I grew up biking round these routes, so it'd be cool to get out there again.... it was kinda my new years resolution to myself anyway, and I've been eyeing up the 2nd hand bikes on ebay for the last month.


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## rapattaque (Feb 7, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> cheers for that - very helpful. i did want to ride the main road into otley chevin though cos i want to experience the 'surprise view' of the wharf valley and the long freewheel down into it. i even want to climb back up it. i've been on that stretch of road so many times in a car, so it will be weird cycling on it.
> you're welcome to join me - i'm not super fit but i cycle 16 miles a day all on the flat with only one tiny hill, so i'm not used to climbing.
> my dad has a whole cupboard of os and national park maps and guides, so i doubt i'd need to borrow any
> not sure when exactly i'll be doing it, but it'll be 3 or 4 days in the second half of march - there'll be loads of lambs gamboling about.



Ay up, this is my stomping ground. 

I'd suggest going over the Chevin and then up the Washburn Valley to Greenhow Hill in the bottom corner of Nidderdale, and then going down into Wharfdale and Burnsall from there. It's breathtaking up there. Go over the Chevin, through Otley and up towards Farnley and Little Timble. You'll get to go past Lindley Wood, Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross resevoirs (which are all great) and up to Greenhow Hill and then left down towards Hebden, Burnsall and Grassington from where you can go on up to Klnsey Crag and Kettlewell. The approach from Greenhow down into Burnsall is breathtaking. It's probably only a 30 mile route from Leeds, maybe more, definitely worth it. In my opinion anyway. It might not be a 'Dalesy' as your after to start with but it gets that way by the end of it.


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## rapattaque (Feb 7, 2010)

http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/gb/bramhope/205126555281231552

Here's a rough route from the edge of Leeds. The point where i've stopped there's an ace 20 foot cliff to jump off into the Wharfe if you need refreshing!


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 7, 2010)

I live in Swaledale, which I'm aware is quite far north of leeds, but if it does look like you're coming this far, then let me know and I'll make some suggestions/do some research for you. 

Not going to type a load out now, cos you'll have to feel quite energetic to come so far, but imo is well worth it, far more of a wild feel then the more southern dales.


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## Bingo (Feb 8, 2010)

from Leeds to Otley you can take the Meanwood Valley Trail


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## Orang Utan (Feb 8, 2010)

Bingo said:


> from Leeds to Otley you can take the Meanwood Valley Trail



not by road bike! that only goes as far as golden acre anyway - then it turns into something else iirc


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