Yorkshire Dales Mountain Biking

guest:

Beat riding in England by miles.

Off camber even.

Bigmick:

A group of us had booked a weekend stay at the Dales Bike centre to explore Swaledale and despite the weather taking a decidedly snowy turn in APRIL we had a great time riding the trails around Swaledale. The set up at the dales bike centre is great, accommodation above cafe and bike shop surrounded by superb trails that you can ride to from the centre, oh and a good few pubs within easy walking distance for evening entertainment a perfect recipe for a great weekend away. As mentioned we experienced some very extreme weather but still managed to ride all the trails we set out to ride and can't wait to go back (possibly without the snow)

Great countryside for riding,everyone should make a trip to this area

Tibbort:

Where do you start? The easy answer is Swaledale, the most northern and scenic of the Dales. This review won't really do the other Dales justice as I haven't ridden there, except on the road. There is always enough variety and terrain here. Some local knowledge may be required to best enjoy Swaledale. The Dales Bike Centre at Fremington, Reeth would be a strong recommendation for the start (and finish) of your ride. You'll be able to pick up one of several route maps which help you avoid the pitfalls of dragging your bike through knee-deep heather searching for bridleways, and making sure you hit some of the best descents- Gunnerside Gill, Storthwaite Hall, Fremington Edge, Great Pinseat, Apedale, the Pipeline to name a few. The bike centre does great soup and cakes; you can get showered and clean your bike too. They do guided rides, have bike demo days and skills lessons too. If you get further up the dale you should call in at the Farmers Arms at Muker- lunch in front of the open fire will sort you out. A handy little book that has some decent rides and highlights some of Swaledale and upper Wensleydale's best tracks is called Yorkshire Dales Mountain Biking- the North Dales, by Nick Cotton. We've had many great rides in Swaledale, and some pretty horrific ones too: the main variable is the weather. If its bad, it really is bad.

Miles and miles of trail Great selection of pubs, cafes, bike shops on routes National Park views

StupidMonkeyKev:

The dales is immense, something for everybody and great views.

Vast area, big hills, limitless.