Tag Archive for: MTB

PENMACHNO TRAILS  – MEDIUM 16 MILES

The Penmachno Trails are the hidden gem of North Wales biking; 30km of singletrack and forest trail with spectacular views and the feel of a proper mountain biking adventure.
The trails are split into two loops that can be ridden individually or as one amazing 30km ride.

RHYD DDU SNOWDON – HARD 14 MILES

It goes up, then it goes down! It’s tough going up, and it’s a real whizz going down, with lots of tricky and fast sections that you’ll need to take care on. Awesome mountain day though. Just remember to adhere to the mtb restrictions.

MAM TOR – MEDIUM 12.4 MILES

A rollicking eight around the Hope Valley. Cave Dale is one of the techiest descents around these parts so be ready to hang on tight. The route across Mam Tor to Hollins Cross and down to Edale is sublime.

CUT GATE – HARD 39 MILES

Rolling, tight, technical, steep, fast and fun, Cut Gate has it all. It can be a mountainbikeneering trip in poor weather, but when the sun shines, you’d be hard pushed to have a better day out.

GREAT HOGRAH MOOR – MEDIUM 14 MILES

At only 14 miles this route really packs a punch, starting off with a steep climb of Ingleby Bank over rough and technical terrain. Then the singletrack begins, giving you a taster of what’s on offer further along at Great Hograh Moor.

HELMSLEY LOOP – MEDIUM 19.5 MILES

Starting with a pleasant gravel track through a wooded dale, the route takes you out into a little frequented part of the moors, before bringing you back to Helmsley via the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey.

OSMOTHERLEY INTRO – MEDIUM 15.4 MILES

This is a fantastic introduction to Moors riding. Don’t look at the middle section as 5 miles of toil – it’s 2 1/2 miles of toil, followed by a great downhill section. From Square Corner – yep, check the map name – we’ve taken this route down the Cleveland Way and past the reservoir, towards the village.

RIEVAULX WOODS – MEDIUM 10.2 MILES

Numerous bridleways and tracks cut across this valley. The route here is a good introduction, and a great little evening or afternoon ride. A few steep climbs and a terrific short singletrack descent, good woodland trails, and great little swooping descent across open meadows.

RUDLAND RIGG – HARD 18 MILES

This route has a section of moorland singletrack that is amongst the best in the UK – yep. I know that’s a big statement, but ride it and see. The route itself starts off with some easy riding and some woodland downhilling, followed by a long climb along Rudland Rigg, before turning off on singletrack to Low Row.

BLUE ROUTE AT SUTTON BANK- EASY 9.4 MILES

The short blue, as it’s now listed, it a great amble across the escarpment, with some good field edge trails thrown in; all nicely surfaced with chippings where necessary, providing an excellent surface. The route starts off near the visitor centre and heads off into the woods, providing a great little section through trees, before opening up and crossing the gallops on its way to the escarpment.

AYSIDE – EASY 8 MILES

This is an enjoyable easy excursion in the southern extremities of the Lakes. It would make a good family outing with a mixture of easy, traffic-free or very quiet lanes, forest tracks and farm tracks.

BLACK COMBE – MEDIUM 8.6 MILES

You’ll need to pack your lungs – much of the climbing will have you simultaneously screaming for a lower gear and wrestling the front wheel back down. But the route is easy to follow and is all rideable apart from a section at 200m that would challenge the toughest climber.

CLAIFE HEIGHTS – MEDIUM 15 MILES

It’s uphill, so accept it and enjoy. This route typifies that, as you climb on tarmac towards the tracks that take you across Claife Heights, before sweeping descents on hard packed and well drained tracks lead you down again.

CRAKE VALLEY – EASY 9 MILES

An easy but enjoyable pootle around a network of byways. Even this far south, it still counts as The Lakes because there’s a glimpse of Allan Tarn (the Octopus Lagoon in Swallows and Amazons) at one stage.

EASTERN PASSES – HARD 11 MILES

A cracking ride into the hills around the south-eastern Lake District, with epic descents that are hard earned, but definitely worth the effort.

GARBURN PASS – MEDIUM 13.6 MILES

So classic, it’s the Baker Street of Lakeland passes. You could thread it into a longer ride by using it as a warm-up to the Eastern Passes but it’s a perfect pint-sized ride on its own.

GRASMERE LOUGHRIGG – MEDIUM 20 MILES

This route rolls and climbs around the fells close to Grasmere and Ambleside, using the lanes to weave together a great route. There’s nothing too testing about the route in terms of technicality, which can easily be extended to Knipe Fold and Hawkshead.

HELVELLYN ENTIRE – HARD 25 MILES

Not only is Helvellyn generous with its altitude, not only does it bear a name like an epic poem but it offers an unusually generous choice of routes to its summit with no fewer than ten bridleways setting off from the surrounding valleys.

HIGH STREET & BOREDALE – MEDIUM 20 MILES

This route is so classic that the National Trust should slap a preservation order on it forthwith. It has the lot – big, beefy climbs, grassy ridge-riding and two rollicking descents.

IRTON FELL – MEDIUM 13.4 MILES

A superb tour of West Cumbria, far away from the crowds. We rode this route (and the neighbouring Muncaster Fell loop) on a dry Bank Holiday Sunday and saw no other riders.

LOADPOT HILL – MEDIUM 14.3 MILES

It’s a long but steady pull on grass onto Loadpot Hill and you don’t keep the height for long. But the wild, swoopy, single-track descent to Heltondale makes it all worthwhile.

LOUGHRIGG LOOP – MEDIUM 14 MILES

If you don’t have a superb time on this route, whatever the weather, it may be time to have a long, hard, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you’re just a bit of a misery-guts.

P IS FOR PARKAMOOR – EASY 9.5 MILES

Great. Just great. It’s only short, so we’ve dropped it in with the easy rides but that has to be taken with a huge pinch of salt – nowhere in the Lakes counts as properly easy.

ROSTHWAITE TO GRASMERE – HARD 17 MILES

A tough crossing of two high, remote mountain passes, with long stretches of push’n’carry and a need for good navigation skills … and humour. You’ll also need good downhilling skills for the super techy finale down Hazel Bank.

SKIDDAW – MEDIUM 4.3 MILES

A pilgrimage to the summit of Northern Lakeland’s grand patriarch. Once up, you can sit and enjoy the view,then ride down at speed in the fading light of a summer evening.

S/E LAKES WEEKEND LOOP – HARD 73 MILES

Mortals will find this challenge enough for a weekend but there will always be someone who wants to show off and do this in a day. If you are that show-off, write in to tell us your epic story.

THE OTHER BORROWDALE – EASY 15.3 MILES

This Borrowdale, of course, is very different from its famous namesake, being tucked away in the shy wedge of cragless land between the A6 and M6. Ride it if you like escaping the hordes, ride it if you like that sense of exploring or ride it if you just like riding.

TOUR DE CONISTON – HARD 23 MILES

This ride links together the magnificent Walna Scar route with the equally-impressive Parkamoor ride to make a monster. The linking route, for once, does not feel at all like a filler – the crossing of Subberthwaite Common is a real highlight.

ULPHA FELL – HARD 14 MILES

There are plenty of people who will tell you that the Lake District is just too full and too commercialised – an endless parade of concession stands selling achingly tasteful Peter Rabbit coasters and ‘Daffodils’ tea towels. This route enables you to explore the less frequented fells.

BARDEN MOOR – MEDIUM 23 MILES

One of the moor interesting (pardon the pun) moorland areas of Yorkshire, with some great sweeping tracks

BUCKDEN TO SEMER WATER – HARD 23 MILES

Excellent climbs and great descents, twisting their way across the Dales, this ride will leave you with big grins all round.

CARPERBY EIGHT – MEDIUM 22 MILES

Your cycle climbing skills and fitness will be tested on this ride. There’s lots of climbing from the start. However, what goes up must come down means that there are some great fast descents

DALLOWGILL – HARD 25 MILES

The views are spectacular as the routes crosses moorland tracks and rises and falls with spectacular descents all day long.

GREWELTHORPE LOOP – MEDIUM 9.4 MILES

This route is a superb winter night ride – so long as all the ice has cleared! The green lanes are safe and fast, and the climb up onto the moor opens up great night skies.

HEALAUGH – MEDIUM 10 MILES

Setting out from Healaugh this route climbs straight away – sorry Garry. The track is however good and allows you to gain height.

HOWGILLS – HARD 14 MILES

These hills provide an unparalleled riding experience – smooth surfaces, stunning views and a wealth of bridleways.

INGLEBOROUGH ROUND – HARD 26 MILES

Although not our hardest route, it covers some rough ground and takes you into the real Dales, as you circumnavigate Ingleborough.

KETTLEWELL KILLER LOOP – HARD 21.2 MILES

The riding around here is extremely steep and wonderful. So pack a camera, tubes, tools, a map and off you go!

LADY ANNE & WILD BOAR – HARD 38 MILES

This is a tough but magnificent loop around the North-Western Dales involving five substantial climbs and some wild, remote trails.

MALHAM TARN – EASY 10.4 MILES

If you’re looking for a great ride for older kids and families in the Yorkshire Dales, between 10 and 25 km, then this is the one.

MORESDALE ROAD – MEDIUM 18 MILES

Taking in some of the best tracks that Swaledale has to offer, this uses well defined and accessible moorland tracks, as well as bridleways, to produce a great ride.

NINE STANDARDS – HARD 26 MILES

. The route bestrides the main watershed of northern England so there are a couple of substantial climbs, but these are partly alleviated by tarmac.

SETTLE TO WHARFDALE – HARD 30.6 MILES

This is a fantastic route, bringing together some superb elements: the Settle Loop; Mastiles Lane; and Old Cote Moor – a fantastic three course meal.

SWALEDALE MIXED – EASY 10 MILES

We wanted to throw in an easy opportunity for the younger kids to ride a section of the Tour de France and also enjoy some of Swaledale’s great tracks. This way they can make a choice in terms of where they think their cycling lies.

THE CAM ROAD – HARD 22 MILES

From the moment that you take to the saddle, the road climbs steeply, leading onto a further 3 1/2 mile climb along the Cam Road. Even the descent into Hawes from Cam Houses takes some technical skill and will test your fitness.

VALLEY & PINSEAT – MEDIUM 23 MILES

good climbs on road and trail and a great descent on the hard but loose tracks down Pinseat. Flowing tracks along the river make this a great and steady day out and a super intro to riding Swaledale.

WHERNSIDE LOOP – HARD 28 MILES

This ride describes a loop around the Cinderella hill, taking in some beautiful Dales scenery and a good variety of under-tyre surfaces. It has climbs to test all riders, and descents to live in the memory for weeks.