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Cycling & Cycle Routes in Harrogate & District
The huge success of the Tour de France in July 2014 showed the world what we in Yorkshire already knew; there are some great roads and cycle routes around Harrogate, Ripon and Nidderdale.
Bring the bike and come and see for yourself!
You can hire a bicycle & equipment from one of our great cycle shops and explore the area's winding roads and quiet tracks at your own pace, as well as getting some great cycle and route advice from knowledgeable staff.
For the committed enthusiast we have a range of serious cycle routes that can test fitness and strength, while showcasing the breath-taking landscape that wowed the world last July.
Of course the most popular at the moment is Stage 1 of the 2014 Tour de France.
Now signposted for its full length, the Stage 1 route offers all cyclists the chance to see just how they compare to the best in the world and to relive that memorable weekend, touring the Yorkshire Dales before racing into Harrogate, victorious and triumphant.
Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) has two great cycle routes, a Northern and a Southern Loop, both include stunning views, gruelling climbs and tranquil back roads and, at 40 miles a piece, can be treated as a gentle day ride or a vigorous training route.
Stitched together however, you have a "Round the Dale in 80 miles" epic which will challenge any keen cyclist.
Each Loop features one of Nidderdale’s ‘Killer Climbs’, brutal ascents that will test the legs to breaking point.
Sustrans’ newest coast to coast route, the Way of the Roses, has its halfway point - for effort rather than distance - between Pateley Bridge and Ripon making both towns popular stopping points for those tackling the route in two or four days.
This National Cycle Route is well signposted as NCN688 and is a great way to see some of the best of the Yorkshire Dales.
Be sure to rest well and recharge with our cycle-friendly hospitality before pushing on to the coast.
But you don’t need to love the pain or spend the day attacking horrible hills to enjoy a day in the saddle.
We have a host of leisurely routes & cycle paths offering the simpler pleasure of just being out in the world and enjoying the scenery or chatting with a friend.
Try the recently opened Nidderdale Greenway which stretches 4 miles from the centre of Harrogate.
Well signposted, you can gently follow the route of the old Nidderdale Branchline Railway out of the town, over a restored viaduct and though the fields to the castle village of Ripley for an ice cream or lunch at the Boars Head.
Yorkshire Water offer permissive Bridleways around both Scar House Reservoir and through the woods south of Fewston Reservoir, around the village of Timble.
Both these sites offer free car parking and picnic facilities for a relaxed family day out.
To read more about the growing cycling scene around the Harrogate District, find cycle shops and cafes and find out about our Tour de France legacy visit our new Cycling Section.
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Number of items: 15
Tour de Nidderdale - Cycle Route
Type
Cycle Route
These two routes will each make for a vigourous ride in themselves, touring the valley of Nidderdale as well as Mashamshire and showing off some of the best views the valley has to offer as they go.
They an be joined together to create a serious ride of almost 60 miles that will test the legs…
Swinton Bivouac Family Bike Trails
Type
Cycle Hire
Enjoy a cross-country lap or two on the mountain bike at Swinton Bivouac. There are 8km of off-road trails, featuring a number of options for riders to enjoy set among the woodland and countryside of the Swinton Estate.
The mountain bike trails offer a choice of green, red and black sections…
Scar House Cycle Route
Type
Walking Route
Pateley Bridge
Scar House Walking & Cycle Routes are a permissive bridleway loop around Yorkshire Water’s Scar House Reservoir which comes to 4 miles and crosses both dams at the top of the valley.
For walkers it can be extended with a further loop of rough yomping around Angram Reservoir to the remote top of…
Nidderdale Greenway
Type
Cycle Route
Harrogate
The former railway line is also known as the Nidderdale Greenway.
As well as developing the traffic-free path, this route development included bringing back into use the Grade 2 listed, seven-arch Nidd Gorge Viaduct and providing new safe crossings of the A61 near Ripley.
The Greenway also links…
Killer Climbs - Old Church Lane
Type
Cycling - Road
Pateley Bridge
One regular comment from visitors to Pateley Bridge is how steep the high street is. In point of fact at less than 10% it’s not all that steep at all, as you’ll find out on this Killer Climb. Instead of following the main road down the valley from the top of the high street, this climb goes…
Beryl Burton Cycle Way
Type
Cycle Route
Knaresborough
This fully surfaced cycle path connects Knaresborough to Harrogate and beyond, connecting to the Nidderdale Greenway which goes to both Ripley, and the centre of Harrogate.
The cycleway offers an alternative to the often busy A59 and is not only traffic free, but picturesque as it passes…
Killer Climbs - Trapping Hill (Côte de Lofthouse)
Type
Cycling - Road
Pateley Bridge
One of the most unrelenting climbs on offer in Nidderdale. This is a climb that never ends, but if it does get the better of you, there are stunning views down the valley as a consolation.
On 29 April 2017 the Cote de Lofthouse was the main climb of both the women's and Stage 2 of the men's…
Swinsty and Timble Cycle Route
Type
Cycle Route
Harrogate
With something for everyone the trails which make up Swinsty & Timble Cycle Route are made up with a network of Bridleways and permissive routes, and custom built mountain bike trails.
Family cycling can be found along the forest tracks, while a rewarding but accessible selection of mountain bike…
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Nidderdale's Killer Climbs - Cycle Challenge
Type
Cycle Route
Pateley Bridge
A set of challenging climbs on the roads of Nidderdale that can be incorporated into your route choice to provide a gruelling challenge the likes which great rides are made of.
No Pain, No Gain!
If you like your cycling to be a challenge and no ride is complete if your legs aren't…
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Way of the Roses - Coast to Coast Cycle Route
Type
Cycling - Road
Ripon
The Way of the Roses is the most stunning and also the newest of the 8 Sustrans Coast to Coast cycle routes.
Beginning in Morecombe the route passes through two of the North’s great National Parks and two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The route takes in some of great northern cities…
Killer Climbs - Peat Lane
Type
Cycling - Road
Pateley Bridge
Less than a mile from Pateley Bridge this climb feels surprisingly remote. A brutal climb used locally for hill climb training (some will do reps believe it or not) or as a traffic free alternative to Greenhow Hill as it has negligible traffic, and as such it can be included in a number of popular…
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National Trust Long Dales Route
Type
Cycle Route
Ripon
This is a challenging route for committed, fit bike riders that takes in some of Yorkshire's most amazing scenery. Starting from the National Trust Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal World Heritage Site (toilets, refreshments) the route heads through the historic deer park and then country lanes…
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Nidderdale Northern AONB Loop - Road Route
Type
Cycle Route
Pateley Bridge
This route is a variation on a popular local classic, and includes some of the best roads for riding in the Harrogate area.
As the name suggests the route tours the northern half of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) so while the route contains some challenging climbs…
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Nidderdale Southern AONB Loop - Road Route
Type
Cycle Route
Pateley Bridge
This loop crosses moors and valleys, scales remote hilltops and follows rivers on its 39 mile length around the southern part of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Highlights include the climb up Greenhow Hill, spectacular views across far reaching moorland and…
Killer Climbs - Two Stoops (Naught Bank)
Type
Cycling - Road
Pateley Bridge
Starting just a stone’s throw from the foot of the Peat Lane Climb this adjacent ascent features a very different profile and environment.
The climb makes its way right up the valley side, from the fields through the trees and out onto the moors at the very top. Tight and windy this climb…
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