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Morning all, I'm planning a bit of a tandem adventure with our youngest and we're heading from Stockport to Wensleydale over 3 days. Accommodation is sorted in Hebden Bridge and Malham for the 2 stops but I need a little local knowledge to get the route between them sorted. Days 1 and 3 are pretty sorted but I seem to be struggling to get a suitable route for the middle day. We need it to be offroad in the eyes of a youngster, manageable on a loaded tandem and ideally with a few points of interest along the way for him to discover. I've plotted it on Komoot, Strava and Garmin with some success but some routes look like I could end up walking with a tired wee man which he won't enjoy. We're not scared of hills, a reasonable surface is most important. Gargrave is a definite as what small boy doesn't want to have lunch in a cafe with a sweet shop?
Thanks in advance.
I would suggest either head out on the road to widdop reservoir join the pennine bridleway, hit the canal on the west and head towards Gargrave coming off at East Marton, taking bit of track, the road.
Or, head up to midgehole, take the old Rd over aggiez staircase (prob a big of walking on the really rough) turn left and follow the west Yorkshire cycle route. Cut over the Moor to keighley reservoir, then down the access Rd. Past cowling pinnacle. Road to Carleton tops the drop down to broughton via estate tracks and finally Gargrave.
I can probably put that on a map!
Thanks for that, Midgehole looked the likely way, then over Baby House Hill Lane which looks like a gravel track on Google Maps.
Some big hills which ever way you go out of Hebden. Could go up through hardcastle craggs to widdop and then pick up the pennine bridleway.
The gb divide route went via pennine bridleway to Gargrave via laneshaw Bridge and Broughton, the route is still on the website.
Baby House Hill Lane is a good MTB ride up to "The House Of Shit". At that point either head east to Widdop Reservoirs and the Gorple Road, or straight over the top and down Stairs Lane toward Haworth
TO be honest I'd go with the forner - Gorple Road then pick up the GB divide route
https://bikepacking.com/event/great-british-divide-2021/
Cheers NBT. "Good MTB ride up", as in, it would be good on a mountain bike but might see tears for a small boy while his dad pushes the tandem?
Did this a couple of times in summer.....
Hebden to Hardcastle Crags, track to Walshaw and on to join the road at widdop, over the watershed on tarmac to Thursden, take the Pennine bridleway to Wycoller, tarmac to Foulridge, canal towpath to Gargrave (with a bit of bridleway/tarmac after East Marton. The climb up to widdop is easily managable, steep pull on tarmac (or bridleway parallel) at Thursden, that apart its flat to rolling.
Penninne Bridleway from Wycoller to Long Preston is a bit poor.
Theres a cafe on the canal after Barnoldswick, Wycoller is nice for a picnic break, the double bridge over the canal at East Martons interesting... Its a nice relaxing ride.
edit...bit like neal c said. Wouldnt be taking a tandem etc over house of shite/haworth old rd.
It was a regular ride for us back in the day when we rode up that way. It's a gravel track up to a farm not far short of the turning at The House of Shit, then as ai recall a fun descent back to the road
this shows the track up
https://www.geograph.org.uk/mapper/combined.php#14/53.7744/-2.0375
this is "the house of shit"
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1082388
you go downhill where they're climbing here
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3958060
Or as @gallowayboy suggests, take the lower track from Midgehole round to Walshw rather then going up and down
http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=397590&Y=430072&A=Y&Z=120
If you're set on Gargrave then, laden with bags of sweets, I suggest you head up the little road to Hetton to press your noses against the windows of the Michelin starred Angel, then for some Dales mtb, take the Moor Lane track (Dales High Way, offroad) over the back of Winterburn Res, then bridleway (still 100% rideable) to the top of Weets Top, then fun easy descent to Calton (better than the Hanlith one), couple more road miles to Malham.
Thanks johnx2, the Dales Hwy looked like a good idea although it looks like a varied surface on Google Maps but you have probably just finished our route for us.
Unless anyone else has a better idea...
Bit round the houses isn't that John, especially on a long ride? I'd be more inclined from Gargrave to BW it to Bell Busk, then over to Airton/Carlton. Reverse yours up to Weets then follow the road down to Malham where they can take in Gordale and Janets Foss?
Bit round the houses isn’t that John, especially on a long ride?
True. It is an up and down, but very doable on a tandem and includes some fund mtb descending. And they'll be full of sweets and aren't frightened of hills...
then follow the road down
Does not compute 🙂 (nah - it's a nice road but you're missing a fun descent)
“Good MTB ride up”, as in, it would be good on a mountain bike but might see tears for a small boy while his dad pushes the tandem?
It's a long 'ole drag from the valley floor to the side of Shackleton Moor and the bit from nbt's "House of Shit" to the bit of decending is pretty bloody stern.
From Gargrave, head up Mark House Lane to Bell Busk, then the BW from Bell Busk to Airton (Kirk Syke Lane). Very little climbing. Cafe/Farm Shop at Airton for refreshing the nipper.
Then either up and over Weets Top, or, more likely at that stage, road up to Malham.
If I were you I'd look for ways to utilise the Leeds Liverpool canal towpath to the max on the approach to Gargrave - you're not adding any decent riding by trying to do bridleways on that stretch.
Oh, and the descent via Hanlith from Weets Top is shit, should you find yourself with enough energy to get up there.
Good luck motivating him for the climb up Cove Road or Smearbottoms (!) in the morning...
Reverse yours up to Weets
may be getting squelchy at the bottom now? But is a good (fast easy) descent even when wet and better as a descent? Winterburn is an all season climb.
I am now selling double glazing... Whatever, sounds an adventure however handled and I wish I'd done more of that with my lads when they were of an age (to not tell me to bog off...)
It might be as long as ten years since I last rode up to the House Of Shit so yur point is valid, maybe better to stick to the lower trail round the vallery to Walshaw. @chipps will know better as a local
Cafe/Farm Shop at Airton for refreshing the nipper.
excellent point. good view of the cove.
From Gargrave, head up Mark House Lane to Bell Busk, then the BW from Bell Busk to Airton (Kirk Syke Lane). Very little climbing. Cafe/Farm Shop at Airton for refreshing the nipper.
Then either up and over Weets Top, or, more likely at that stage, road up to Malham.
That's what I'd do. John's route is good too, just maybe better solo?
Agree with the canal call, if you get over to Colne via Wycoller you can jump on the canal at Foulridge. Saying that, at the same point you could ride the old railway line to Thornton, then join the canal further down. Plenty of back roads and BW that head to Gargrave around there so you can extend or shorten the ride as you wish.
So, after checking out the suggestions above and plotting out what looks like a suitable route, our accommodation for night one is now off the cards. My nephew has just had a positive covid test so staying with my sister and family is off the cards. Thankfully he's not feeling unwell but, bummer for our trip.
The boy still wants to ride so it looks like 70 ish miles from home to Malham on day one and I'll be spending this evening reworking the route to see just how easy I can make it while still retaining an offroad flavour.
Any opinions of following the Leeds Liverpool Canal from Burnley to Gargrave? Reasonable route or will I spend a few hours picking broken glass and hawthorns out of the tyres like other canal stretches elsewhere?
It's a reasonable surface. Could be a few muddy bits but it really shouldn't be that bad.
There is a section with a massive meander on it you can cut out on a BW, plus you can leave the towpath at Bank Newton, head north to Coniston Cold on a good BW (signposted 'Craven Country Ride', I think), ride down the pavement next to the 65 for a few yards and go directly up to Bell Busk.
Brilliant, that's pretty much exactly what I hoped to read. Thanks very much indeed.
and ideally with a few points of interest along the way for him to discover.
No idea if this is feasible but What about track over to Oxenhope, worth valley steam railway to Keighley, canal to gargrave.
There is a section with a massive meander on it you can cut out on a BW, plus you can leave the towpath at Bank Newton,
I lived for 10 months at Newton Grange, Bank Newton on that bridleway and on the side of the canal, was a lovely place.
Oxenhope was looking likely on the original 3 day ride but now we're on 2 days with the first being about 70 miles, I'm sticking with a less climby route to save the wee man's legs from to much pedalling up hill. The other suggestion of Bank Newton is now on the plan. I hope the cafe in Gargrave has plenty of hot chocolate and cake as we may need a decent refuel by then.