Yorkshire TDF - viewing plan

nammynake

My parents would like to drive towards Reeth via the Stang and park somewhere just North of Reeth on Arkengarthdale Road. They have a landy so no issues just pulling onto a verge or off road section. Any potential issues with this? They are getting on a bit so can only really walk a mile or two.

norvernrob

Cogidubnus wrote:

For those spectating on Jenkin Road, what time do you reckon you will need to get there for a decent spot to watch?

Probably need to be there before 8am. I'd turn up really early with plenty of food and drink and climb onto the wall opposite the steepest bend, there's a small patch of woodland type area up there (not private land) and you'll get a fantastic view no matter how many people are on the path and road below.

thefog

IanLD wrote:

Changed my mind from trying to get to Hawes.

Now looking at Skipton. Anyone got any idea how the parking will be there? Considering getting the train down as another option, but even that is a 04:30 start...

Not a great deal available so get there very early! Some parking on fields near Broughton Hall, but then a 2-3 mile walk to Skipton on bridleways.

Limited parking on all approaches. If a cyclist, what about parking at Bolton Abbey and then cycling 13 miles to the race route at Threshfield - then watch big screen in YDNPA centre at Grassington hub.

thefog

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I'm still in two minds if I'm going to go at all, or if it would be too much hassle.

If I was to view around the Reeth / Grinton area would there be any chance of parking up within 20 miles and cycling down to see the race come past having only spent an hour or so standing at the side of the road?

It's the idea of having to get there and sit there not moving for 4-5 hours I'm not so keen on.

Another poster has already mentioned Catterick Racecourse - theres a good cycle track into Catterick Garrison - then you can either cycle north to Richmond [and onto the quieter Marske-Fremington Road - signed to discourage cars from driving through] or continue towards Leyburn/ Bellerby to go up Grinton Bank north.

Catterick will be a great option, I can highly recommend it!

thefog

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I was considering a plan of parking up somewhere near Barnard Castle, cycling over The Stang, and plonking myself on this grassy bank http://goo.gl/maps/2J6Df sound like a good or daft idea? Just a matter of how close I can get before I would need to park up and where to park up!

Sound idea - but please be careful crossing the A66. There'll be plenty doing the same!

thefog

Pross wrote:

Where's the best place to park for Oughtibridge? I'll either be driving down from camping at Buttertubs or, possibly, up from South Wales as I might not go for the Saturday now. I'm happy to walk a few miles (I'd rather walk than have the bike with me for the day).

Can I give some clear advice here

If you are going to Buttertubs on Saturday, it will be a LONG time before the roads are reopened for you to travel south again. Don't want to put anyone off, but the reality is that once the race has gone through, there's lots to do before roads reopen. Then imagine a mass migration from lots of other areas by people to get to stage 2 viewing positions.

thefog

nammynake wrote:

My parents would like to drive towards Reeth via the Stang and park somewhere just North of Reeth on Arkengarthdale Road. They have a landy so no issues just pulling onto a verge or off road section. Any potential issues with this? They are getting on a bit so can only really walk a mile or two.

As with anything else, depends what time they get there - but, if they park blocking traffic up until road closure time of the route [7am] don't be surprised if its moved. Once the race route closes, parking is being stacked up on one side of the road from Reeth to Langthwaite.

Nickoo

what time would anyone recommend getting up buttertubs for?

thefog

Hawes car parks I reckon will be full by early morning. Then roads will be closed much further back.

Likely that cyclists will be the main ones getting up there.

markhewitt1978

TheFog wrote:

Sound idea - but please be careful crossing the A66. There'll be plenty doing the same!

Yes, that's a particular issue. The road leading onto the A66 is offset by about a quarter of a mile from the road going off it, inbetween is a dual carriageway with 80mph traffic and nowhere to hide.

markhewitt1978

bobbydazzla wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I was considering a plan of parking up somewhere near Barnard Castle, cycling over The Stang, and plonking myself on this grassy bank http://goo.gl/maps/2J6Df sound like a good or daft idea? Just a matter of how close I can get before I would need to park up and where to park up!

That's exactly what I'm doing with a couple of pals. Leave cars in Barney, ride over The Stang to Grinton Moor.

You reckon there will be decent parking in Barney then? Especially since the race doesn't get over to Reeth until about 3pm I'm not going to be turning up at the crack of dawn.

bigmat

TheFog wrote:

Pross wrote:

Where's the best place to park for Oughtibridge? I'll either be driving down from camping at Buttertubs or, possibly, up from South Wales as I might not go for the Saturday now. I'm happy to walk a few miles (I'd rather walk than have the bike with me for the day).

Can I give some clear advice here

If you are going to Buttertubs on Saturday, it will be a LONG time before the roads are reopened for you to travel south again. Don't want to put anyone off, but the reality is that once the race has gone through, there's lots to do before roads reopen. Then imagine a mass migration from lots of other areas by people to get to stage 2 viewing positions.

If I watch the race go past at Buttertubs, how long will I have to wait before I can continue following the route? Planning to ride on to Leyburn, watch the finish on big screen then on to Harrogate.

markhewitt1978

I think the road is open to cyclists again pretty quickly. It's just that it will be closed to motor traffic for some time?
(In general there is a lack of clarity between the road being closed for cars and for bikes, which is surprising for a cycling event)

rabk

Anyone any idea what is happening to the roads around Hawes?

I have booked camping in Sedbergh - hoping to drive towards Hawes and then cycle. I assume the road will be closed - but not sure if I can park on roadside and cycle from there.

zx6man

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I think the road is open to cyclists again pretty quickly. It's just that it will be closed to motor traffic for some time?
(In general there is a lack of clarity between the road being closed for cars and for bikes, which is surprising for a cycling event)

Read that as soon as the last police escort goes through its open to cyclists again.

Pross

TheFog wrote:

Pross wrote:

Where's the best place to park for Oughtibridge? I'll either be driving down from camping at Buttertubs or, possibly, up from South Wales as I might not go for the Saturday now. I'm happy to walk a few miles (I'd rather walk than have the bike with me for the day).

Can I give some clear advice here

If you are going to Buttertubs on Saturday, it will be a LONG time before the roads are reopened for you to travel south again. Don't want to put anyone off, but the reality is that once the race has gone through, there's lots to do before roads reopen. Then imagine a mass migration from lots of other areas by people to get to stage 2 viewing positions.

I'm camping on Buttertubs on Saturday night (I'm booked in at Muker) unless I decide not to go up so I would be heading back south early on Sunday morning in that scenario. Just need to find somewhere within a few miles of Oughtibridge to park on the Sunday so that I can walk in from there.

Sitter

Rabk wrote:

Anyone any idea what is happening to the roads around Hawes?

I have booked camping in Sedbergh - hoping to drive towards Hawes and then cycle. I assume the road will be closed - but not sure if I can park on roadside and cycle from there.

A lot of them are closed from 6am, wouldn't count on being able to park roadside either as it is just like a lot of the roads here in the Dales, dry stone walls with little to no verge to park on.

I'm planning on Hawes, getting a lift to Ribblehead and cycling from there, easier than trying to park, it gets busy enough on a weekend with people walking the peaks, never mind the TDF too.

rabk

Sitter wrote:

Rabk wrote:

Anyone any idea what is happening to the roads around Hawes?

I have booked camping in Sedbergh - hoping to drive towards Hawes and then cycle. I assume the road will be closed - but not sure if I can park on roadside and cycle from there.

A lot of them are closed from 6am, wouldn't count on being able to park roadside either as it is just like a lot of the roads here in the Dales, dry stone walls with little to no verge to park on.

I'm planning on Hawes, getting a lift to Ribblehead and cycling from there, easier than trying to park, it gets busy enough on a weekend with people walking the peaks, never mind the TDF too.

I suppose I could cycle from Sedbergh, not sure my 8 year old son will be able to cope though :shock:

yourpaceormine

The caravan - on the info I have there are 186 vehicles confirmed for the caravan. (Which seems a lot, obviously haven't counted vehicles in Paris before but 186? Total number of accredited vehicles?)

Some other interesting factlets - Police are anticipating 15000 spectators on the short section from where the Holme Moss road takes a nasty left hand onto Woodhead to the bridge over the reservoir (in other words the turn itself). They then estimate 40000 between the bridge and the Flouch Inn, which is about a mile or so.

As for the Glossop commuters - there are 30 shuttle buses going upto Crowden Youth Hostel and Snake Summit. Along the walking route to the race routes there are 'welfare stops' with water available.

I believe it is possible to ride/walk along the route until ASO close the route, which is iirc between an hour and half an hour before the caravan arrives.

Sitter

Rabk wrote:

Sitter wrote:

Rabk wrote:

Anyone any idea what is happening to the roads around Hawes?

I have booked camping in Sedbergh - hoping to drive towards Hawes and then cycle. I assume the road will be closed - but not sure if I can park on roadside and cycle from there.

A lot of them are closed from 6am, wouldn't count on being able to park roadside either as it is just like a lot of the roads here in the Dales, dry stone walls with little to no verge to park on.

I'm planning on Hawes, getting a lift to Ribblehead and cycling from there, easier than trying to park, it gets busy enough on a weekend with people walking the peaks, never mind the TDF too.

I suppose I could cycle from Sedbergh, not sure my 8 year old son will be able to cope though :shock:

Maybe look at trying to park at Garsdale train station (5 miles from Hawes) and riding from there, might not be too busy. That was one of my plans (although not parking there, getting the train there), still trying to decide where I'm going to watch/plans to get there, I only live 20 miles from the route but seems to be harder to decide than if I was travelling from much further afield!

bobbydazzla

markhewitt1978 wrote:

bobbydazzla wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I was considering a plan of parking up somewhere near Barnard Castle, cycling over The Stang, and plonking myself on this grassy bank http://goo.gl/maps/2J6Df sound like a good or daft idea? Just a matter of how close I can get before I would need to park up and where to park up!

That's exactly what I'm doing with a couple of pals. Leave cars in Barney, ride over The Stang to Grinton Moor.

You reckon there will be decent parking in Barney then? Especially since the race doesn't get over to Reeth until about 3pm I'm not going to be turning up at the crack of dawn.

We're staying in Barney on the Friday night so will be parking up when we arrive and then leaving the cars there on Sat.

norvernrob

yourpaceormine wrote:

The caravan - on the info I have there are 186 vehicles confirmed for the caravan. (Which seems a lot, obviously haven't counted vehicles in Paris before but 186? Total number of accredited vehicles?)

Some other interesting factlets - Police are anticipating 15000 spectators on the short section from where the Holme Moss road takes a nasty left hand onto Woodhead to the bridge over the reservoir (in other words the turn itself). They then estimate 40000 between the bridge and the Flouch Inn, which is about a mile or so.

As for the Glossop commuters - there are 30 shuttle buses going upto Crowden Youth Hostel and Snake Summit. Along the walking route to the race routes there are 'welfare stops' with water available.

I believe it is possible to ride/walk along the route until ASO close the route, which is iirc between an hour and half an hour before the caravan arrives.

That's crazy, the Woodhead is only a slight gradient and plenty wide enough for the peloton to fly past at 20-odd mph. The are loads better places to watch than that.

We're now thinking of riding to Holmfirth, getting there around 9am and soaking up the atmosphere for an hour or so before heading up Holme Moss and following the tour route back to Ewden Bank to get settled down and wait. The only downsides are that the weather doesn't look hugely promising at the moment, and I'm not sure just how crazy Holmfirth/Holme moss will be getting around 10am and how easy it will be to ride up and over (number of people on the roads wise). The opportunity to ride back over the Woodhead without being passed every 30 seconds by a HGV 3 feet away sounds great though, and will probably be the only time we'll ever get to go that way when it's closed.

FJS

yourpaceormine wrote:

The caravan - on the info I have there are 186 vehicles confirmed for the caravan. (Which seems a lot, obviously haven't counted vehicles in Paris before but 186? Total number of accredited vehicles?)

Some other interesting factlets - Police are anticipating 15000 spectators on the short section from where the Holme Moss road takes a nasty left hand onto Woodhead to the bridge over the reservoir (in other words the turn itself). They then estimate 40000 between the bridge and the Flouch Inn, which is about a mile or so.

As for the Glossop commuters - there are 30 shuttle buses going upto Crowden Youth Hostel and Snake Summit. Along the walking route to the race routes there are 'welfare stops' with water available.

I believe it is possible to ride/walk along the route until ASO close the route, which is iirc between an hour and half an hour before the caravan arrives.

If that's what they're predicting for Woodhead, a pretty miserable stretch of road to stand on, what for the more agreeable climbs? Where did you get those numbers?

rabk

Sitter wrote:

Rabk wrote:

Sitter wrote:

Rabk wrote:

Anyone any idea what is happening to the roads around Hawes?

I have booked camping in Sedbergh - hoping to drive towards Hawes and then cycle. I assume the road will be closed - but not sure if I can park on roadside and cycle from there.

A lot of them are closed from 6am, wouldn't count on being able to park roadside either as it is just like a lot of the roads here in the Dales, dry stone walls with little to no verge to park on.

I'm planning on Hawes, getting a lift to Ribblehead and cycling from there, easier than trying to park, it gets busy enough on a weekend with people walking the peaks, never mind the TDF too.

I suppose I could cycle from Sedbergh, not sure my 8 year old son will be able to cope though :shock:

Maybe look at trying to park at Garsdale train station (5 miles from Hawes) and riding from there, might not be too busy. That was one of my plans (although not parking there, getting the train there), still trying to decide where I'm going to watch/plans to get there, I only live 20 miles from the route but seems to be harder to decide than if I was travelling from much further afield!

I'm hoping the road will be open to that point. 5 miles would be ideal to cycle

Fingers crossed

dwanes

Just cycled up Buttertubs today, there are now official signs most of the way up there saying 'No Spectators'

TMR

How are they going to enforce that? If it's public then people can go where they like.

Sitter

dwanes wrote:

Just cycled up Buttertubs today, there are now official signs most of the way up there saying 'No Spectators'

Suspect that might just be a deterrent to reduce how many they get up there watching.

Sitter

Rabk wrote:

Sitter wrote:

Rabk wrote:

Sitter wrote:

Rabk wrote:

Anyone any idea what is happening to the roads around Hawes?

I have booked camping in Sedbergh - hoping to drive towards Hawes and then cycle. I assume the road will be closed - but not sure if I can park on roadside and cycle from there.

A lot of them are closed from 6am, wouldn't count on being able to park roadside either as it is just like a lot of the roads here in the Dales, dry stone walls with little to no verge to park on.

I'm planning on Hawes, getting a lift to Ribblehead and cycling from there, easier than trying to park, it gets busy enough on a weekend with people walking the peaks, never mind the TDF too.

I suppose I could cycle from Sedbergh, not sure my 8 year old son will be able to cope though :shock:

Maybe look at trying to park at Garsdale train station (5 miles from Hawes) and riding from there, might not be too busy. That was one of my plans (although not parking there, getting the train there), still trying to decide where I'm going to watch/plans to get there, I only live 20 miles from the route but seems to be harder to decide than if I was travelling from much further afield!

I'm hoping the road will be open to that point. 5 miles would be ideal to cycle

Fingers crossed

Should be, road closure isn't until the road to Hawes from the junction up to Kirkby Stephen.

Paul 8v

Sitter wrote:

dwanes wrote:

Just cycled up Buttertubs today, there are now official signs most of the way up there saying 'No Spectators'

Suspect that might just be a deterrent to reduce how many they get up there watching.

Damn, I'm staying in Harrogate and that is the nearest climb! I'm guessing driving down and then riding the last bit to Holm moss instead will be pretty hard as everyone else will have had the same idea

durhamwasp

dwanes wrote:

Just cycled up Buttertubs today, there are now official signs most of the way up there saying 'No Spectators'

These stages are full of people taking the pee out of the Tour.