help with Yorkshire Dales / North York Moors routes

paulwood

Hoping to get away for a few days to ride in the Dales and North York Moors but don't know enough about the area to sort out logistics.

Looking to do day rides, 50-80 miles or so. Would like to ride Rosedale Chimney and also Buttertubs Pass.

Would it be a good idea to stay somewhere in the middle, Thirsk or Northallerton possibly and ride in either direction from there or would we be better off moving to shorten the distance before we get to the scenic bits? We will probably only have 3 riding days.

Any ideas of roads to avoid would be good, not keen on super fast A roads. Also if anyone has circular rides that take in those climbs or links to any sportive routes that do them then that would be appreciated.

Thanks if anyone local can help
Paul

bob6397

Your main issue will be getting across the A1 between the Moors and the Dales - Thirsk would be your best bet for accessing the Moors but the roads between there and the Dales are longer than you think and awful for riding on - I live in Ripon on the other side of the A1 and regularly go out through into the dales but I have never been into the Moors (apart from on my MTB and we drove there)..

I would recommend going Ripon -> Pateley Bridge -> Grassington (B6265 all the way), then up through Arncliffe to Halton Gill, up Halton Gill (nice climb), though Horton in Ribblesdale and then across to Ribbleshead. I would then go up through to Hawes, which gives you access to Buttertubs. TO finish I would then come straight down through Layburn, Masham on the main road - I would not recommend going off the main road as south of Leyburn all the smaller roads are simply terrible and you pretty much need a MTB for a lot of them...

Link: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/752541109

It's quite long - 114 miles - so it would be 2 days riding - but worth it in my opinion

Again though - I would drive across the A1 at least to Ripon from Thirsk if that's where you are staying..

bob6397

paulwood

Thanks for the reply. I think you are right, the distances between the Dales and Moors are further than I thought, was just trying to stay in one place if possible. Hadn't thought about the option of just driving 30 miles or so to the start of a ride, that might be a good idea. Avoiding riding the A1 sounds good!

I like the route you suggest, though might try and shorten it a bit. For some reason the link won't let me access your actual route, just your profile.

Thanks
Paul

bob6397

That's odd.. Here's the GPX file from the website though : https://www.dropbox.com/s/abcsn83pr4jf3aj/route752541109.gpx?dl=0

bob6397

ugo.santalucia

Download from Strava the course of the Etape du Dales. Start from Grassington, head to Fleet Moss and buttertubs, descend, from there, use the B 6270 to cut off the bit with Tan hill and rejoin the route at Nateby...

should be around 80 tough miles

bob6397

But you'll miss the lovely riding from Pateley Bridge across to Grassington that way.. I regularly hit 55+ down some of the stretches there and the climbs are hard work too

paulwood

I like the ideas. 80 tough miles is more than enough at my age :-) Certainly is if I want to get out of bed and ride the day after as well

markhewitt1978

While the N York Moors has some awesome riding and roads (heading there today) it also has more than it's fair share of busy main roads and often that's the only thing linking places.

You're probably best off driving somewhere like Pickering and doing a loop from there. Dalby Forest is a good place to stop excellent tarmac roads through the forest but also nice tiny roads over the tops.

ugo.santalucia

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19630466#p19630466]bob6397[/url] wrote:

But you'll miss the lovely riding from Pateley Bridge across to Grassington that way.. I regularly hit 55+ down some of the stretches there and the climbs are hard work too

No, you only miss Tan hill... which is an interminable drag... which you will absolutely hate if it is windy from the west

bronco016

Have you considered the Northern part of the North York Moors? Up near Grosmont? Some lovely quiet roads round there but lots of hills!! You could start in Scarborough and do a loop from there perhaps?

paulwood

We are pretty flexible where we go but my mate would like to do both Rosedale Chimney and Buttertubs so would like to include one of those each day if we can. I think they have been on his "want to ride" list for a while

ugo.santalucia

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19630643#p19630643]paulwood[/url] wrote:

We are pretty flexible where we go but my mate would like to do both Rosedale Chimney and Buttertubs so would like to include one of those each day if we can. I think they have been on his "want to ride" list for a while

Make sure you've got good brakes and decent gears. On a very windy day coming down the "north face" of Buttertubs I made the front rotor glow red, it is a very fast descent! ... :shock:

paulwood

Thanks for the tip. I've got a compact and a 28 so hopefully got a chance.

As for the descent the faster you go the more the air flow cools the rims right?

Ouija

I'd seperate the two days into two different areas. Do day one from a starting point of Scarborough, Pickering or Whitby and head inland towards the moors (my daily ride), avoiding all the A roads and going through places like Dalby Forest, Cropton Forest and then Rosedale (as nice as Rosedale chimney is your better off going out the back of Rosedale and going up and back down Blakey Ridge for a great scenic route). And then for day two relocate to the West coast and ride the Dales.

ugo.santalucia

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19630649#p19630649]paulwood[/url] wrote:

As for the descent the faster you go the more the air flow cools the rims right?

You can only go as fast as the road allows you... Fleet Moss is very fast on the north side, but also straight, while Buttertubs has a lot of bends where you have to brake a lot. I think on a normal day it is fine, on that day I had to brake more than usual due to the high winds. High winds are not unusual in the area.

34 x 28 is just about enough if you are not too heavy. 15-25% gradients for prolonged stretches are very common on most climbs in the Dales. You might be short of gears if you go up the Coal Road

It's real man's territory, you'll love it!

hdow

Paul, distances in the Dales can be quite deceptive because of the amount of climb.

Rather than working on distances what sort of riding times are you looking for? For a fairly typical 80 mile Dales ride I would allow 5.5 to 6 hours of riding time. This is not taking it easy. I would add extra time for a couple of food breaks, plus photos, plus catch up. For a very flat ride I'd be looking at 4 hours for 80 miles.

Buttertubs one day and Rosedale Chimney Bank the other day sounds a great couple of days riding. Day rides incorporating them will include lots of climb but you don't want to be fried before doing the second one.

paulwood

We are reasonable riders even if one of us (me) is no longer in the first flush of youth. Have ridden a fair bit in the European mountains and done some hilly sportives in the UK. An 8 hour day including stops should not be too bad, at least on one of the days. I guess the climbs in the Dales are steep, short and frequent.

At the moment thinking of staying in Thirsk perhaps and driving towards Grassington and Scarborough to do a loop and miss some of the main roads

ugo.santalucia

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19630762#p19630762]paulwood[/url] wrote:

We are reasonable riders even if one of us (me) is no longer in the first flush of youth. Have ridden a fair bit in the European mountains and done some hilly sportives in the UK. An 8 hour day including stops should not be too bad, at least on one of the days. I guess the climbs in the Dales are steep, short and frequent.

At the moment thinking of staying in Thirsk perhaps and driving towards Grassington and Scarborough to do a loop and miss some of the main roads

I think 6 hours on the saddle for 80 miles in the Dales is reasonable, actually quite fast and certainly very fast if the weather is against you. The climbs are steep, frequent and not so short... most of them cover 250-350 vertical metres, which is twice as much as the climbs in the south of the country.

I had cycled extensively in the Peak District, but I found the Dales far more brutal and unforgiving.

bob6397

I would agree with Ugo - 80 miles in 6 hours is pretty good going. I did an 80 miler across to Carnforth (where relatives live) last summer - I basically followed the route I said above until the coal road turning. I then went down Dentdale, then up and over into Barbondale. That's the worst climb I have ever done (And the only one I have walked in a long time). I then went down through to Kirkby Lonsdale and down to their house.. 6 hours riding time (including a stop for lunch) and I wouldn't have wanted to do the same thing again the next day..

And Ugo - Tan Hill isn't that bad - And the descent down from Stump Cross is awesome - dead straight and a smooth road.. I did 55 mph down there last time and I plan on beating that over the next couple of weeks (The only downside being the 90 degree bend at the bottom - I slightly glazed my Swissstops slowing for that...)

bob6397

hdow

Paul, here's my suggestions. Agree with Thirsk as a good base

Day 1, Yorkshire Dales. Pateley Bridge. Greenhow, Grassington, Buckden, Oughtershaw, Fleet Moss, Hawes, Buttertubs, Muker, Reeth, Grinton Moor, Leyburn, Masham and back to Pateley via Lofthouse (hard) or Kirkby Malzeard (less hard) depending on how you feel and the weather. 4 or 5 really challenging hills. Should take around 8 hours with short stops

Day 2, forget Scarborough as its a long way when you should be cycling. Instead park up at Keldholme just off the A170 & quick to get to from Thirsk. Head south of A170 through Marton to use back roads to Pickering. Then Newton on Rawcliffe, Stape, Egton Bridge, Glaisdale, Glaisdale Rigg, Rosedale Abbey, Chimney Bank, Hutton-le-Hole then back to Keldholme. Should take 4 hours with one stop. Could extend by continuing up Eskdale from Glaisdale to Danby or Castleton before making for Rosedale.

markhewitt1978

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19630897#p19630897]Hdow[/url] wrote:

Paul, here's my suggestions. Agree with Thirsk as a good base

Day 1, Yorkshire Dales. Pateley Bridge. Greenhow, Grassington, Buckden, Oughtershaw, Fleet Moss, Hawes, Buttertubs, Muker, Reeth, Grinton Moor, Leyburn, Masham and back to Pateley via Lofthouse (hard) or Kirkby Malzeard (less hard) depending on how you feel and the weather. 4 or 5 really challenging hills. Should take around 8 hours with short stops

Day 2, forget Scarborough as its a long way when you should be cycling. Instead park up at Keldholme just off the A170 & quick to get to from Thirsk. Head south of A170 through Marton to use back roads to Pickering. Then Newton on Rawcliffe, Stape, Egton Bridge, Glaisdale, Glaisdale Rigg, Rosedale Abbey, Chimney Bank, Hutton-le-Hole then back to Keldholme. Should take 4 hours with one stop. Could extend by continuing up Eskdale from Glaisdale to Danby or Castleton before making for Rosedale.

This is pretty much spot on. You don't want to be driving to Scarbrough as the A170 is a tedious drag of a road you don't want to be driving - or cycling on it very much! Excellent loops can be had from Keldholme.

IME the Dales are quite different from the Moors. In the Dales you have lots of long climbs like Buttertubs, Grinton etc, as well as the occasional steep one, e.g. Park Rash. Whereas the N. York Moors are all about steep climbs (often >20%) followed by steep descent then straight into steep climb again.

random man

I'd suggest having three good rides in The Dales, there are plenty of climbs and scenic routes. Here are three I've done based in Pateley Bridge:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/467893618/

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/466735210/

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/467914194/

paulwood

Thanks to everyone for the ideas and suggestions. Sure I can now plan a good trip.

I will try to provide the same level of help should anyone want to come down to Surrey and ride some real hills :-)

ugo.santalucia

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19631921#p19631921]paulwood[/url] wrote:

I will try to provide the same level of help should anyone want to come down to Surrey and ride some real hills :-)

Yeah right...

hdow

Let us know how you get on.