Bikepacking in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors

Bikepacking in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors

covers eight multi-day bikepacking routes – from a compact 67km weekend to the epic 303km Yorkshire Dales 300 – through two of England's most dramatic national parks.

The eight routes cover 67–303km, range from Easy to Hard (Green to Red in British Cycling MTB grades), and are designed for experienced riders comfortable with multi-day self-supported touring. Every start and finish is at a railway station – the Yorkshire Dales routes are accessible from the Settle–Carlisle line, while the North York Moors routes depart from Thirsk on the East Coast Main Line and Whitby or Scarborough in the east. Terrain includes ancient cobbled pack-roads, moorland bridleways, green lanes and forestry tracks. The flagship Yorkshire Dales 300 – a 303km circuit from Skipton – is the guide's headline challenge.
Train access is central to the guide's design: Thirsk is just over 2 hours from London on the East Coast Main Line, and Scarborough is accessible via York on TransPennine Express services. Accommodation options span the full range from wild camping and seasonal campsites to B&Bs, shepherds' huts, glamping pods and inns – the guide includes a full accommodation appendix and planning guidance to help you mix and match. Each route also offers Big Gravel Day options, carving a single day's riding from the full itinerary if time or energy is limited.

Eight named routes across the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks, 67–303km, each starting and finishing at a railway station
The Yorkshire Dales 300 – a 303km loop from Skipton with options for 2–6 days
Grades from Easy (Green) to Red (Blue) using British Cycling MTB standards; not suitable for beginners
Free GPX files to download. Also available in the Cicerone app with offline GPS-enabled maps, route advice, accommodation options and points of interest
Big Gravel Day options for each route – a single day's ride without overnight kit,
Comprehensive planning guidance on kit, bike choice, accommodation, fuel strategy and wild camping
All routes use bridleways, green lanes and pack-roads; appendices cover accommodation, bike shops and recommended kit lists


The Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors offer some of England's finest off-road riding – remote, historic and accessible by rail.

Bikepacking in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors

by Ed Hunton gives you the routes, the GPX files and the practical detail to plan your next long-weekend adventure.

Seasons

Routes are mostly on well-defined gravel tracks and so can be ridden at most times of the year. However many sections traverse wild and exposed landscapes, so pay careful attention to upcoming weather forecasts. Spring, summer and autumn are the optimal times to ride these routes; in many areas you will have the trails to yourselves even in the peak of summer.

Centres

In the Yorkshire Dales: Skipton, Settle, Dent; in the North York Moors: Scarborough, Thirsk and Whitby.

Difficulty

All of these multi-day routes present a challenge. Whilst only a few have technical sections all but two are over 100km so you will be out on the bike for a couple of days at least, with the challenges that accompany that. We have done our best to avoid hike-a-bike where possible; the main routes that include such sections also offer easier alternatives.

Must See

Historic Market towns of Settle and Skipton; Pen-y-ghent and Whernside (two of Yorkshire's Three Peaks); The Sun Inn at Dent; The Falcon Inn at Arncliffe; Mastilles Lane; Yordas Cave; The Calf near Sedbergh; The Devil's Bridge at Kirkby Lonsdale and countless swimming spots; Buckden Rake; Bloworth Crossing; Cinder Track to Robin Hoods Bay; the Esk Valley; Monks Trod climbing out of Clay Bank; views north from Dromonby Bank; hamlet of Cockayne; Rievaulx Abbey; Whitby's Dracula connection.