[Wingnut]

Renting a holiday home next week just outside of York with wife and kid – hoping to get a day out on the bike and looking for some classic Yorkshire climbs, any recommendations please?

 

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[paul23]

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[Wingnut]

More than half a life time
More than half a life time ago pockstone, 1989, did a Peter Buckley event up there, think my lowest gear would have been 42 x 21 , happy to remember the moors with rose tinted glasses. Cheers

[pockstone]

Glad you enjoyed it.

Glad you enjoyed it.

I must admit that when I read your post about representing your country, I worried that  the Wolds may have been a little sedate. Perhaps moors and high dales next visit eh?

 

[Wingnut]

Many thanks for the input,

Many thanks for the input, particular thanks to Woldsman, both for the route which I followed and the beer recommendation which I sampled.

I managed a few gentle rides around the area with the family, Dalby forest was a particularly nice place to ride with my 8yr old son. Wednesday was the best day of the week weather wise and I kept it simple and stuck to the Yorkshire Wolds following the Garmin route along with a few, “hey that looks interesting, I’ll just pop up there” moments.  I used my Cannondale synapse with tubeless 28mm and it was a sensible choice, some of the minor roads are shockers. However, the roads were exceptionally quiet and the simple pleasure of riding along  roman roads, sites of Anglo Saxon villages and some wide ranging views from the high points were exceptional. Sadly, the gait inn was shut so a mid ride beer was aborted until later on (ahem). Good to see a fair number of cyclists about, and if anyone saw a yellow and black Stewartry wheelers jersey give them a cheery wave either riding or on a pub bench, twas me

[CXR94Di2]

Try out strava heat map. For
Try out strava heat map. For popular routes

[Woldsman]

arfa wrote:

arfa wrote:

Loads of great advice already but given you have a car, I’d be inclined to drive to Helmsley or Kirkbymoorside and start there as you right on the edge of the moors…

Not what I would think of as spitting distance but, yes, if wingnut can drive to Kirkbymoorside it’s less than 25 miles from Stamford Bridge.  And if there really is the option of a dawn til dusk jolly then Dave Barter’s Great British Bike Rides: North York Moors route is worth a look. 

The .gpx file can be downloaded from the official web site.  80+ miles of fun.  I rode it a few years ago on a touring bike and took all day, and some of the night.  Highly recommended if time – and fitness – permits. 

[arfa]

Loads of great advice already
Loads of great advice already but given you have a car, I’d be inclined to drive to Helmsley or Kirkbymoorside and start there as you right on the edge of the moors. I’d say Rosedale chimney is a must if you want to really test yourself. When it gets that steep that you feel you are just holding your hands above your head, you’ll know why people talk about it !
Personal favourites of mine are Bransdale (fabulous scenery and very little traffic) and the hills around Hawnby, Rievaulx and Old Byland (same reason).
I don’t know what gearing set up you have but there are loads of >20% gradients where you’ll be grateful for a bigger cog on the rear wheel !
As for the ale, Theakstons and Timothy Taylor are my favourites but if you are around Helmsley, they have their own micro brewery and it’s a fine drop.
My only other advice would be to avoid the A170 (a fast, busy tourist road replete with crap drivers) and be careful on the B1257 as that one attracts the top gear petrolhead crowd.

[Woldsman]

75 mile route if you fancy it

75 mile route if you fancy it.  Selected pub options (from mile 32 onwards) in Sledmere, Thixendale, Huggate, Millington and Bishop Wilton: 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/15698906

Some doubling back between mile 11 and 19 along Roman Road (and twice down Uncleby Wold) to go up Acklam South (Greets Hill), Acklam North (Thrussendale Road), Hanging Grimston and Painsthorpe Wold.  The last three are in Simon Warren’s book.  No actual killer hills after that to be fair.  Just lumpy stuff, lovely scenery… and those pubs. 

Watch out downhill after mile 40 for loose gravel to Settrington and uphill from mile 44 for loose cattle along Luddith Road.   

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Wold top is pleasant enough but is no great shakes IMHO. Haven’t visited Malton for some years but the ‘New Malton’ pub gets decent reviews and should have a good selection of beers

Fair comment.  I was thinking of this as a themed ride.  I’d go with the Wold Gold if it’s an option 🙂 

[Daveyraveygravey]

Theakstons are great beers.

Theakstons are great beers.  Watch the Old Peculier though, it’s strong and will take your legs from you if you are walking, never mind cycling.  I used to like XB, great flavour and mid strength…mmm…

 

Not sure if White Horse Bank is the same as Sutton Bank?  Sutton Bank climbs the North Yorks Moors from Thirsk, but it is likely to be very busy.  I wouldn’t fancy being half way up it with some idiot in a caravan or truck trying to get past.  Once you’re up there though, lots of quiet and quite remote roads.  

[Anonymous]

Wold top is pleasant enough
Wold top is pleasant enough but is no great shakes IMHO.
Haven’t visited Malton for some years but the ‘New Malton’ pub gets decent reviews and should have a good selection of beers

[Woldsman]

Wingnut wrote:

Wingnut wrote:

… So next question, what are the unmissable local ales?

Oof.  Taking me out of my comfort zone there, but I’ll do what I can…

(For the moment, the food and drink menu for the Ramblers’ Rest in Millington – where Brian is seen in the ITV4 trailer – suggests that Wold Top Brewery beer is available with food for £3.95 a pint.  I would lean towards a route that puts that tearoom/pub near the end of a lumpy ride.  The Gait Inn is also just a few yards away.)

[Wingnut]

Thanks all, particularly
Thanks all, particularly Woldsman (Garmin at the ready) I have a permission slip that allows me to ride from dawn to dusk should I choose. I last rode in Yorkshire about 25years ago racing in the Juniors Scotland team, this time it’s more sedate, take in the countryside and more importantly sip the odd ale en route. So next question, what are the unmissable local ales?

[Woldsman]

Do you have a GPS device?  If

Do you have a GPS device?  If yes is it a Garmin?

Re the North York Moors – I went up Murton Bank, White Horse Bank and Boltby Bank at the weekend.  Excellent climbs.  However, I couldn’t spit quite that far from Stamford Bridge and there are potentially a fair few miles between the three if you were to climb them in that order.  Book your next holiday home in Osmotherley, Egton Bridge or Grosmont in the North York Moors and have a great time. 

If you can tell us how many hours you can spare and how many miles you would like to cover there are plenty of cheeky climbs around the northwest escparpment of the Yorkshire Wolds.  I would be happy to put together a crisscrossing route that passes through Thixendale a few times and takes in most of the climbs out of there.  I may be a tad biased, but I reckon it is a superb area in which to cycle.  (The best bits on ITV4’s Tour de Yorkshire trailer were filmed around Thixendale – and Millington mentioned upthread.)

In Simon Warren’s “Cycling Climbs of Yorkshire: A Road Cyclist’s Guide” seven of the 75 hills are in the Yorkshire Wolds.  Two you can discount straight away because they come off a busy A road and one or two more are a bit too far south to be included in a likely route.  But the remaining three can easily be supplemented by several testing climbs close together that linked up would make a rewarding route.  Stamford Bridge is an ideal place from which to explore the Wolds.  The roads are is eerily quiet. 

Some further reading on climbs in the area:

http://eastyorkshirectc.org.uk/hill-climbs-on-the-yorkshire-wolds

And if you happen to like Strava art routes shaped like a rabbit changing the belt on an upright vacuum cleaner this one gives an example of some of the lumpy bits around Thixendale:

https://www.strava.com/activities/576006201

Cheers. 

[Anonymous]

A warmer upper without having

A little warmer upper without having to drive anywhere with a couple of 12% and a wicked 20% descent out of Wharram just before hitting a twisty bit :D. nowhere notable but lots of quiet back roads.

Approx 53 miles & 2800ft

Stamford – Pocklington – Bainton – Wetwang – Wharram le street – Malton – Coneysthorpe – Barton hill – Harton – Bossau – Buttercrambe – Stamford

As above, plenty of short steep stuff if you look around and get into the Dales and out of the Wolds.

 

[700c]

zzk wrote:

zzk wrote:

There are no end of awesome climbs within spitting distance of York

Awesome climbs they are, but not very near to York! It is exceptionally flat. However as zzk goes on to say, heading up north will get you to some lovely countryside. Howardian hills, wolds and then NY moors is a lovely ride out.

[Author]

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