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So I've done:
he oft-vaunted 'tour of nidderdale' (reservoir near pateley bridge, circular via the dam; rather underwhelming and ruined by gates),
Loop of swaledale from reeth/grinton (up fremington edge, mine, across road, around to gunnerside and the techy descent, onto grinton moor and down the back; absolutely awesome)
But what else am I missing out on apart from cheekily scouting out some of the ard rock stages or different routes off grinton?
Keys: rewarding single-track less than 2hrs from Harrogate (if further I'll go to the lakes) not at a trail centre.
The Moors. Some of the best singletrack around. You've missed the awesome dryness of summer though, it can turn into a bit of a mess once it gets wet.
In the woods, over the road and up the hill from stainburn, loads of unofficial/off piste trails in there
ilkley moor too
NYM is a good shout but like Flyingmonkey said, It's hard going after a decent amount of rain.
One of my old fave's is from Thoralby (just off the Leyburn-Hawes road) through West Burton, over the top to Braidley in Coverdale, follow the road towards Kettlewell then take a right Starbotton, head back towards West Burton on the road & go left up Hell Gap, branching off again back to Thoralby.
Sorry I don't have a GPX file (or whatever it is)
Also - bit of an outsider here - but you could be in Langsett in an hour and a half to ride Cut Gate. It's not in Yorkshire but it's cracking singletrack, and you can string in some of the wider trails around Ladybower too...
We did a great classic route that basically follows the skyline around the valley starting at Danby. It's in loads of guide books but I can find a link if necessary? Also plenty of great routes running across the moors between Pickering and Goathland including the Hole of Horcum loop.
Have you tried the rides around Settle and Malham? I really enjoy getting up on the tops there and investigating with the drop down to Arncliffe being a high light.
"But what else am I missing out on apart from cheekily scouting out some of the ard rock stages"
Probably intended tongue in cheek but would suggest this is a big no-no....
The Settle Loop is a nice ride, starts at Settle, takes you up Stockdale Lane, over and down Fairsleets Gate, down into Malham (pub stop), then back up Cove Road, onto the BW into Settle via Lancliffe Moor and down back into Settle past Clay Pits planation, not on par with anything like AR single track but it's a nice loop, you could make it longer and head over to Street Gate (near the tarn) and go up the BW that runs along Goredale Beck, it takes you right up so you descend into Arncliffe Cote, I wasn't blown away by the descent but we a strong head wind coming down which really slowed us down and put a bit of a dampener on it, I'm sure it's much better if you've got the wind behind you though, then you could come back up Mastiles Lane from Kilnsey ...after some lunch at the Tennet Arms of course!
Ilkley moor is brilliant.
Cut Gate. It’s not in Yorkshire
You sure about that?
In Derbyshire last time I visited ..and unless there has been a massive boundary change ..still is ..
Well what do you know, I stand corrected. That makes it even more valid!
Ilkley moor also, the ilkley side (proper ilkley moor) is still reasonable after rain, top of the moor is for dry periods only mostly and requires knowledge for the best bits.
Harden moor is all weather and lots of single track local knowledge is best can include it in a bigger ride. One of the best routes is the 'locals' Bingley Bash which takes in St Ives, Harden Moor, Brow moor, black moor, Cottingley woods
A lot of general suggestions here.
I've ridden all of the off piste at stainburn and whilst fun it's sort of bike park esque. Blast repeat blast.
Had a look at some of the suggestions and they seem mostly doubletrack / fire road epics for gravel or xc bikes?
Sort of hunting a few gpx files if anyone has any? Or even a Strava ride that I can copy?
Sorry if that's a bit demanding!
I can probably dig you out a GPX for some nice singletrack around Rosedale in the Moors, and there should be plenty out there for Cut Gate. Both of which will involve some doubletrack, but also lots of nice singletrack.
I don't mind the odd bit of doubletrack, just sometimes 'natural riding' ends up meaning 'slog up this farmers track for an hour, then ride down this loose and stony farmers track for 5 minutes and repeat' - and that's why I loved the swaledale stuff - all sheep tracks and mine paths. Very cool!
(And that scree valley before gunnerside is genuinely tricky)
Nah I'm the same as you, Swaledale is awesome, Pateley Bridge also felt like a slog.
If you've not done Cut Gate then it's pretty much miles of singletrack, the stuff around Rosedale is a bit more spread out and can be an effort to link up the good stuff (but there is some really good stuff).
Some brilliant riding in Wharncliffe Woods, steep natural descents but might be a bit ‘bike park’ for you from what you’ve said.
Or loops around Hebden Bridge?
I love riding and building trails, apart from 2 or 3 times a year when we head off to the Lakes or Scotland (the Golfie), we don't venture too far because the singletrack and cheeky lines round here are a match for most.
The valley and woods from Brighouse out to Sowerby and back are amazing (my local).
Bingley, Harden, Cottingley (my old local).
Buck Woods, Calverley, Esholt.
Hebden Bridge obviously.
Wharncliffe.
There is a but though, a guide is required to stitch it all together in each area and winter isn't kind to my end of the valley, it becomes boggy and horrible in the woods but thats a good time for trail TLC.
By 'bike park' I dont mean tabletops and pushing, i just mean that if I wanted to ride a largely man-made trail cut through woodlands, there are loads of rewarding trail-centres dotted around with a good flat white at the end and the trails are well drained and rideable whatever the condition.
Which is great; but there's also real reward in long slogs in the wilderness to find interesting, technical descents on hill/mountainsides.
Is there any better way to find these cheeky lines you're talking about than hunt out Strava segments? That's how I found lots of the stuff around here. Find fast bloke on segment, look at his ride, copy route.
I don't think you're gonna get much of that in Yorkshire unfortunately 🙂
Apart from Swaledale most of the Dales BW are farm/estate/cart tracks. The BW heading towards Starbotton from here http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=395092&Y=473560&A=Y&Z=120 is quite technical.
The descent, also to Starbotton, from here has a bit of everything and quite possibly the biggest descent in the Dales being close to 500m of drop. Getting to it it is another matter though, we rode(ha!) in via the BW from the North which included this plastic matting across the moor.
I've not done the top part of the BW that descends from Buckden Pike but a bit of cheeky south from the summit would give another 50m or so of descent on top of the above.
The wikishire map's right about Cut Gate but there's no way Longdendale through to Holme Moss is in Cheshire.
And according to the wikimap, Earby is now in Yorkshire.
'Ow do all.
Have a look at Crummackdale. Up through the Tunnels from Clapham, up Long Lane, carry on north across Thieves Moss until you get to a gate above the limestone pavement on your R. There's a small gate here on the R, though that, steeply down to pick up natural levellish singletrack heading eastish to pick up the path between Horton and Wharfe. All the way down this, up the road to the L and over to Feizor via the BW, then singletrack round to Austwick climb back up from Austwick to meet the BW at the foot of Long Lane to finish down through the tunnels. Probably 12/13 miles. Plenty of interesting stuff to enjoy there.
PS The Settle Loop is not a singletrack-heavy route, to put it mildly. If you have to do it, do it clockwise so at least you can descend Stockdale Lane, and then don't just drop down the road to Settle, aim for the turnpike cottage about a mile south of town on the main road.