{"id":1495,"date":"2021-08-28T16:17:48","date_gmt":"2021-08-28T16:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/?p=1495"},"modified":"2026-10-05T14:37:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:37:19","slug":"yorkshire-more-than-just-harrogate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/en\/verhalen\/yorkshire-meer-dan-harrogate-alleen","title":{"rendered":"Enjoying cycling in Yorkshire: More than Harrogate"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United Kingdom as a cycling destination. Many people think of rain, rain and more rain. Not entirely without reason, by the way, since the 2019 World Championships in Harrogate were largely rained out. That was anything but a sunny picture compared to, for example, Emilia-Romagna in 2020. But if you look back just a little further, you will also remember the 2014 Tour start: sunny, beautiful trails, bike-crazy local people. Who wouldn\u2019t want to cycle in Yorkshire? It really is a cycling destination to add to your list. We\u2019ll take you to the Yorkshire Dales, where the 2014 Tour stage was also raced and where the Tour de Yorkshire will once again pass through this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Kidstone
Kidstones Pass \u2013 (c) Rupert Sagar-Musgrave\/Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Great World Heritage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a huge expanse of land northeast of Leeds. The lower boundary is roughly along the River Wharfe, which springs in the park and flows out into the River Ouse about 97km away. The park is 1760km2 in size and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List for decades. The park is truly stunning and with its good roads it is perfect for a nice ride on a race bike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even gravel enthusiasts will be in their element here, because the rugged hills offer plenty of off-road fun to make a complete bikepacking trip out of it, or to use it as a base camp for example in (a hotel in) Hawes or Bainbridge. The latter is preferred because of the Yorkshire Dales Brewery. Local, so definitely a must-try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural (and unnatural) beauty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The park has a beautiful landscape with magnificent sections of limestone (Winskill Stones, for example), waterfalls (Cotter Force, West Burton Falls, etc.) and, for example, Leck Fell, a particularly remarkable feature in the region. It is a considerable list of natural beauty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the roads you\u2019ll find the typical British stone walls, and combined with the green hills, it\u2019s definitely an idyllic environment to cycle through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the natural beauty, you will also find a number of castles (or what remains of them) such as Skipton and Pendragon Castle. Furthermore, (large parts of) the Wensleydale railway is beautiful to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a reminder: the park is beautiful in terms of nature, but you will always have to deal with wind in the plains. That\u2019s the way it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now on the bike<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Butter tubs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, the park is very versatile and initially seems designed primarily for the off-road cyclist. You can find plenty of route inspiration on the website of Cycle the Dales<\/a>. It's not necessarily very clear, but that way you get a better sense of where you should be in the park. Also on the site of Komoot<\/a> There are several collections to be found. Check out the micro Adventure from Harrogate, for example. This route goes through the Buttertubs Pass, and that is no easy feat. The sign \u2018watch out, 25%\u2019 is not for nothing. It is not for nothing that it is described by insiders as a \u2018brutal climb\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This tough climber was part of the 2014 Tour de France and was then nicknamed \u2018Cote de Buttertubs\u2019. Of course it could be done that way. The climb would also be part of the 2019 World Championships course as a prelude to the local rounds in Harrogate. However, that again caused problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Buttertubs
Buttertubs climb (c) Cyclingweekly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kidstone passes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another beautiful hill is that of Kidstones. This The Ardennes<\/a>-like this climb was also featured in the 2014 Tour de France. Here you are presented with about 130 meters of elevation gain in 1.6 kilometers. Not serious would you say. However, the climb is very irregular and so it will definitely hurt, even though it is only very short. The views over the typical Yorkshire Dales landscape are definitely worth writing home about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can attack this hill from two sides; from the north you come from Aysgarth. From the south you mostly follow the route from the 2014 stage. For example, you start in the village of Grassington (where you can also visit the Linton Falls waterfalls) and then drive northwards with a long uphill stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n