The three Ridings – North, West, East – are the historic divisions of Yorkshire. My ‘ridings’ are series of bike trips exploring England’s largest county, as defined by its traditional borders.
Latest posts
(Or see full list of all 80 Yorkshire Ridings posts)
- Dean Head: Cutting remarks
England’s highest motorway; Britain’s biggest single-arch bridge; Europe’s deepest roadway cutting; a farm stranded in the middle of the M62. Welcome to Dean Head…. - Lake Semerwater: Welcome to Lake Lakelakelake
Torpenhow Hill in Lancashire is sometimes said to the most redundantly named thing in Britain, because all four elements (tor, pen, how, hill) mean… - Buttertubs: You’ve done the Pass, now try the beer
Jeremy Clarkson calls Buttertubs Pass one of his favourite roads, but that won’t put me off. Because Buttertubs is, indeed, one of Yorkshire’s most… - Thirsk: Thoroughly vetted
Both the 1980s and 2020s TV settings of All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot’s heartwarming tales of a vet’s life in mid-1900s Yorkshire,… - Emmerdale: The village that doesn’t exist
Of all 57 Yorkshire dales, Emmerdale is the best-known. Which is remarkable, as it doesn’t exist. Emmerdale is, of course, fictional: the creation of… - Bingley Arms: Time to chill at Britain’s oldest pub
We pub pretty well in Yorkshire: 3,725 of them in all (or only 17, if you believe Wikipedia). These include not just the highest…
Yorkshire A to Z, and B to B
Two End-to-Ends of Yorkshire in May–June 2021.
The A to Z went north up the west side of the county, from the first place alphabetically (Abbeydale in Sheffield, down on the southern border) to the last (Zebra Hill near Richmond, up by the northern border). This was a leisurely four-day ride of about 150 miles through magnificent Pennines and Dales scenery, on my tourer.
The B to B went north up the east side, linking two famous bridges: the Humber, down by Hull, and the Transporter, up in Middlesbrough. This was an equally leisurely two-day ride of 90 miles through equally magnificent Wolds and Moors scenery, on my offroad tourer.
River Rides
Yorkshire’s eight main rivers ridden from source to mouth in 2018–2020. The Swale, Ure, Nidd, Wharfe, Aire, Calder, Don and Derwent all flow ultimately into, or become, the Ouse not far from York. Their dales and valleys cover the county.
The rides were 50–130 miles of 2–3 days, on a variety of bikes: folder, trekker, tourer…
Compass Rides
In 2017 I enjoyed eight rides that each followed a compass direction directly from my home in York – in the centre of the county – to the cyclable extremity of the historic border.
The rides were 60–100 miles of 1–3 days, on either trekker or tourer…
Yorkshire Places
Rides in quirky places: giants, narrow alleys, white horses, tiny ferries, fairies at the bottom of the garden…
Barkston Ash – Barwick – Beverley – Bingley Arms – Bradford – Buttertubs – Coldstones Cut – Cottingley – Dean Head – Easingwold – Eboracum – Emmerdale – Football – Halifax – Hambleton Drove Road – Haworth – Hebden Bridge – Hessay – Hornsea Mere – Hunmanby – Ilkley – Ingleton – Kilburn – Kiplingcotes – Malham – Market Weighton – Middlesbrough – North Cave – Nun Monkton – Pocklington Canal – Rudland Rigg – Rudston – Semerwater – Skipsea – Tan Hill Inn – Thirsk – Wentworth Woodhouse – Wharram Percy – York
York Route Guides
Leisure rides round York, with maps, photos and info.
Dick Turpin Trail In search of Swift Nick
York Monopoly Ride the board game’s squares
Inexplicable York The city’s most bizarre sights
York Bridges All nine in one lovely ride
York Lakes and Ponds Hidden gems great for picnics
York Orbital The city’s bike-path ‘inner ring road’
