Mountain Biking in the Yorkshire Dales

A guidebook to 30 short, medium, long and full-day MTB routes across the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The circular rides visit all the major dales, including a tour of the Howgills, and include loops around two of the Three Peaks, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent. Choose a route by grade, percentage off-road, length or time at a glance.

Seasons

throughout the year, with longer and higher routes best left to the warmer months

Centres

Settle, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Dent, Kirkby Lonsdale, Grassington, Hetton, Ribblehead, Thoralby, Orton, Reeth, Gunnerside, West Burton, Sedbergh, Langthwaite, Airton, Kettlewell, Kirkby Stephen, Bainbridge, Hawes

Difficulty

varying lengths and difficulties, graded blue (medium), red (hard) and black (very hard); novice mountain bikers with reasonable bike handling skills should be able to complete the blue routes, while experts should be challenged by the red and, more so, the black routes

Must See

all the major dales: Wensleydale, Swaledale, Ribblesdale, Dentdale and Wharfedale; circumnavigations of Whernside and Pen-y-ghent; unique limestone geology and two major bodies of water - Malham Tarn and Semer Water

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Overview

A guidebook of 30 short, medium, long and full-day mountain bike routes across the Yorkshire Dales. The graded circular rides visit all the major dales and include loops around two of the famous Yorkshire Three Peaks - Whernside and Pen-y-ghent. Routes are graded for difficulty and this guidebook gives all the necessary background information. Choose a route by grade, percentage off-road, length or time at a glance. Old Roman roads and other ancient byways once used for lead mining and livestock droving are now perfect terrain for mountain bikes. Fast-rolling lanes can be combined with rocky drops down steep gullies and sinuous tracks meandering high over deserted moorland. Mountain bikers of all abilities will find their own challenges here and some surprises for novices and experienced riders alike.

Contents

Contents
Introduction
Getting to the Yorkshire Dales
Accommodation
Equipment
Food
Bike checks
When to ride
Limestone
Rest and recovery
Routes
Maps
Timings
Rights of Way
Trail centres
The dirty dozen
Pre-ride checklist
Short loops
Route 1 Clapham and Norber
Route 2 Thoralby
Route 3 Ribblehead and the Cam High Road
Route 4 Orton and Great Asby
Route 5 Apedale
Route 6 West Burton and Carlton
Route 7 The Dentdale Dalliance
Route 8 Kilnsey and Mastiles Lane
Route 9 Fremington Edge
Route 10 Gunnerside
Medium loops
Route 11 Hetton Hijinks
Route 12 Sulber, Wharfe and Feizor
Route 13 Cautley and Uldale
Route 14 South of Mastiles Lane
Route 15 Barbondale and Lunesdale
Route 16 Grassington
Route 17 Arkengarthdale
Route 18 Tour of Pen-y-ghent
Route 19 Kettlewell and Old Cote Moor
Long loops
Route 20 Kirkby Stephen and Crosby Garrett
Route 21 Settle and Malham Tarn
Route 22 The Ribble Rumble
Route 23 Raydale
Route 24 Tour of Swaledale
Route 25 The Cam Fell Cracker
Route 26 Embsay and Flasby Fell
Route 27 A Tour West of Hawes
Full day loops
Route 28 Tour of Whernside
Route 29 The Dales Leg-Breaker
Route 30 The Howgills Classic

Appendix A Bike Shops in the Region
Appendix B Route summary table

Maps

This book includes extracts from 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey maps to help ease your navigation of the routes (see OS map symbols on page 7). The descriptions have sufficient detail to be used alone but the maps are to be used in conjunction with them to help you to stay on the right track. The following Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps are recommended for the routes in this guide:

• OL2 The Yorkshire Dales Southern and Western areas
• OL19 Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley
• OL30 Yorkshire Dales Northern and Central areas

Updates

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Be notified by email when this book receives an update or correction

Sept 2019

There was severe flooding in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale about a month ago which has temporarily affected some of the rights of way, hopefully the rights of way will be repaired soon but in the short-term here is a useful link.

https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/home/flood-information

Feb 2016

Route 16 - amendment.

Please download the PDF containing the updated route 16 as there is no public access over Grassington Moor.

Reviews

'Each route is illustrated with a clear, highlighted 1:50k OS map and an easy-to-understand written description. Given clear visibility, you could navigate using only this pocket-sized book. ... Highly recommended.'

Cycle, the magazine of CTC, February/ March 2013

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