Yorkshire Dales mountain biking Cicerone Cicerone | 9781852846763

A guidebook to 30 short, medium, long and full-day MTB routes across the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The circular rides visit all the major dales, including a tour of the Howgills, and include loops around two of the Three Peaks, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent. Choose a route by grade, percentage off-road, length or time at a glance. Seasons: Throughout the year, with longer and higher routes best left to the warmer months. Centres: Settle, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Dent, Kirkby Lonsdale, Grassington, Hetton, Ribblehead, Thoralby, Orton, Reeth, Gunnerside, West Burton, Sedbergh, Langthwaite, Airton, Kettlewell, Kirkby Stephen, Bainbridge, Hawes. Difficulty: Varying lengths and difficulties, graded blue (medium), red (hard) and black (very hard); novice mountain bikers with reasonable bike handling skills should be able to complete the blue routes, while experts should be challenged by the red and, more so, the black routes. Must See: All the major dales: Wensleydale, Swaledale, Ribblesdale, Dentdale and Wharfedale; circumnavigations of Whernside and Pen-y-ghent; unique limestone geology and two major bodies of water - Malham Tarn and Semer Water.