Four new cycling routes have opened in the North York Moors National Park, offering riders a new way to explore one of Yorkshire’s best-known outdoor destinations by gravel, mountain or e-bike.
Located on the northern edge of the national park around Guisborough, Great Ayton and Danby, the circular routes combine off-road tracks, forest trails and quiet country lanes, taking cyclists through moorland, former mining landscapes and towards the Yorkshire coast.
The North York Moors National Park covers 554 square miles (1,436 sq km) of North Yorkshire and includes 26 miles of coastline, ancient woodland and extensive areas of open moorland. The park attracts an estimated 9.03 million visitors a year.
The new routes have been developed by the North York Moors National Park together with local cyclists John and Lois Fife, making use of existing rights of way.
Routes range from a seven-mile ride around Roseberry Topping, the distinctive hill known as the “Matterhorn of the North”, to a more challenging 37-mile journey through the area’s historic “Land of Iron”.
The longer route passes remnants of the region’s Victorian ironstone mining industry before reaching the coast at Skinningrove. Riders then return towards Guisborough using a former railway line and quiet roads.
Rail connections have also been incorporated into the routes to make them more accessible to visiting cyclists. Each loop starts close to a station on the Esk Valley Railway, which connects Middlesbrough and Whitby, giving riders the option of reaching the trails without a car.
Bike hire is available for the two shorter routes from Bike Base in Gribdale, near Great Ayton, including mountain bikes and e-bikes.
The routes join the national park’s existing Explorer single-day itineraries and launch as gravel cycling continues to grow in popularity across the UK. The discipline combines off-road riding with less technically demanding terrain than traditional mountain biking and has been supported by a growing range of gravel bikes, e-bikes and organised events.
Yorkshire cyclist and content creator Guy Kesteven (@GuyKesTV on YouTube), who has produced a series of video guides showcasing the routes, said: “The North York Moors has some of the best off-road cycling in the UK. As well as good stretches of smooth ‘champagne gravel’, all-weather tracks and forest trails, there’s a wonderful mix of lost landscapes and iconic landmarks – perfect for escaping everyday stresses and immersing yourself in nature at your own pedalling pace.”
The North York Moors was established in 1952 as Britain’s sixth national park and is also home to more than 840 Scheduled Monuments and 3,000 listed buildings.
Maps and GPX files for the four new gravel Explorer routes can be found at northyorkmoors.org.uk
Image: North York Moors National Park Authority