North York Moors with Mark Ayton

This week Mark Ayton brings us a great collection of routes to show off the stunning countryside and history of the North Yorkshire Moors.

According to Mark, “the North Yorkshire Moors offer some of the very best cycling in the UK” and we have to agree. The scenery is beautiful, the roads are quiet and there are lots of steep hills to challenge the legs.

For this particular collection, Mark has used his extensive knowledge of the area to capture some of the very best routes and climbs (some official, some not) on lovely sunny days.

OC-149 CAPER HILL AND OC-55 ROSEDALE CHIMNEY

This ride climbs two 10/10 hills in the North Yorkshire Moors. Caper Hill (Official UK climb #149, length 1.2km, height gain 174m) and the more famous Rosedale Chimney (Official climb #55, length 1.4km, height gain 179m). Like all the best hills, both are visible in the far distance as you approach them just to intimidate you. The ride starts in Egton, passes through the scenic Glaisdale and climbs Caper Hill up onto the moors before descending into the village of Rosedale. The chimney has a feared reputation among cyclists as one of the steepest roads in the UK, so provides a challenging finish.

More Info
19.41km
DISTANCE
00:57:55
DURATION
542m
ELEVATION

OC-150 EGTON HIGH MOOR

The climb from Egton Bridge up onto Egton High Moor is the longest climb in the North Yorkshire Moors at over 7km in length. The good news is the steep section comes early and the reward for the long gradual drag to the summit is the stunning scenery in this isolated part of the moors. All the better for the purple heather when the ride was recorded. The ride climbs up onto the moors and then rather than continue to Rosedale and the dreaded Chimney, turns around for the exhilarating decent back to Egton bridge.

More Info
21.79km
DISTANCE
00:53:32
DURATION
427m
ELEVATION

LOUSY HILL LANE

All three roads out of Littlebeck are great climbs. The East route up Lousy Hill Lane isn’t as tough as in the West climb up Little Beck Lane, but it is the prettiest. The ride starts on the road bridge high above the town of Whitby, crosses the Esk in Ruswarp before using quiet lanes to Littlebeck and, after the Lousy Lane climb, back into Whitby.

More Info
17.64km
DISTANCE
00:43:47
DURATION
399m
ELEVATION

ROBIN HOOD'S BAY

The most popular historic village clinging to the cliffs of North Yorkshire is Robin Hood's Bay. Known in the past for smuggling, legend has it that goods could get from the sea to the top of the village without seeing daylight. Easy to believe as you cycle up the steep, narrow street between the houses. After hauling yourself up through the village, there is still 2km of climbing up onto the moors, a climb that has been used on the Tour de Yorkshire. The ride starts and ends at the 100-year-old swing bridge in the fishing town of Whitby. Briefly, at 31% at 10.28 Km, we believe this to be the steepest climb on FulGaz.

More Info
22.91km
DISTANCE
0:56:28
DURATION
453m
ELEVATION

STOUPE BROW

This climb is a hidden gem, tucked away on the North Yorkshire coast between Whitby and Scarborough at Ravenscar. Back in Victorian days, there was an ambitious plan to turn Ravenscar into a popular tourist destination, but the lack of easy access to a beach (and the North Sea winds) killed the idea. Today it is a quiet but beautiful corner of Yorkshire where the moors meet the sea. The road is a dead-end, so to do the climb, you have to descend it first, but the view of the North Yorkshire Coast makes it worthwhile and prepares you for the suffering you will have on the way back up.

More Info
10.47km
DISTANCE
00:30:28
DURATION
343m
ELEVATION

GROSMONT TO GOATHLAND

The pretty village of Goathland trades on its role years ago in the UK TV series Heartbeat, plus the steam trains that visit in the Summer. For cyclists it’s much more interesting because, like many villages in the North Yorkshire Moors, it is surrounded by good hills. Starting just outside of Grosmont, the ride takes back roads to Goathland and then climbs out of the village to finish high on Sleights Moor.

More Info
13.092km
DISTANCE
0:37:51
DURATION
434m
ELEVATION

ROSEDALE TO WHITBY

Just because this ride goes down rather than up Rosedale Chimney and Egton High Moor, don’t be fooled into thinking it is an easy ride. There are significant climbs out of the villages of Rosedale and Egton and since this is North Yorkshire, plenty of smaller bumps along the way. The last 10km follow the finish of the 240km Open Cycling Coast-to-Coast-in-a-Day and is a lovely fast run to the seaside at Whitby.

More Info
28.08km
DISTANCE
1:03:56
DURATION
478m
ELEVATION

WHITBY TO KETTLENESS

Kettleness is a tiny hamlet tucked away on the North Yorkshire coast known only to walkers and locals. The ride starts in Whitby by the famous whale bone, travels north along the coast to Sandsend and up the testing Lythe Bank before using quiet country lanes to Kettleness. After climbing out of Kettleness, the route returns to Whitby back through Sandsend.

More Info
22.81km
DISTANCE
0:52:43
DURATION
414m
ELEVATION

OC-147 SLEIGHTS MOOR

As Simon Warren says in his 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs book, there are so many 33% hill signs in North Yorkshire, they must have got a bulk deal. The climb starting at the steam railway in the Grosmont up onto Sleights Moor (Official UK climb #147, length 3km, height gain 177m) isn’t the 33% that is signposted, but it is steep at the beginning and a long hard slog all the way to the finish high up on the Moors. The ride starts and finishes overlooking the harbour in Whitby.

More Info
29.19km
DISTANCE
01:10:25
DURATION
560m
ELEVATION

Subscribe to FulGaz

Now available on a wide choice of platforms including Android, Apple TV, iPad, MacOS, iPhone and Windows. FulGaz offers you the ultimate ride!

Pricing