Arranged via Saddle Skedaddle, this was my birthday gift to John this year. When he was 60, I took him to Alaska. For his 70th.... it's Yorkshire.😂. But he was very happy to go there. He had lived in Hull almost 40 years ago for a few years, but not explored the Yorkshire Wolds, at least not the country lanes that we would explore. We drove to Beverely transporting our own bikes, where we parked our van in the station car park. The owner of the B&B across the road would then pay of our parking online each day. (We hoped anyway! No parking tickets in the post so far. )
We were very impressed with Beverely, as we took a stroll around on our first evening. We had booked a Brazilian Restaurant, with a set price menu. Interesting concept of several meats delivered to your table over the course of the meal, and help yourself to salad bar. The place was almost deserted, but it was Monday night. After a good breakfast, we set off, leaving our luggage to be collected, and initially had a another quick look at The Minster, before joining the official route.
I had my GoPro Camera at the ready,so many of these images are video screen shots, but the ones with my signature are taken when we stopped for a few minutes to use cameras.  |
| Through Beverely to the minster at. 9.15am |
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John had remembered this meadow behind the Minster 40 years ago. The Minster own the land
so it will not be built on. |
A good network of cyclepaths safely got us through Beverley, using NCR164, and then a gradual climb passing open greenspace and into Walkington.
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| John turning right at The Dog and Duck in Walkington. |
The county lane which linked Walkington to South Newbald was a gradual uphill, and offered wonderful views across a variety of crop fields, of varying colours.
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| Views on the way down to Kiplingcotes |
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| It was blustery, and certainly a good place for the turbines. |
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| Loved the subtle tones of pale and dark greens. |
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We turned left at this archway, heading now to Market Weighton
and into a lovely valley. |
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Strange place to see these two!
Nothing to see here!! On our way to Market Weighton. |
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Market Weighton.
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| That should keep me going for a while. |
After lunch, we climbed, and climbed and climbed some more, with one of those really annoying cheeky steeper bits up to a junction, where you need to stop. Then across the main A614. Then at last a downhill, before an uphill again to pass though through Londesorough, arriving then at this sign post.
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4.5 miles to go, except that we then came to a ROAD CLOSED.
Jobsworth wouldn't let us through. "Just carry on and take the next right"
he said, but that was a horrible fast section of the main York Road !
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We crossed over the main road, to do an alternative loop around some nice crop fields, at Hayton
before recrossing the main road again a mile of so further on. |
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| The Feathers, Pocklington. Looks a bit miserable.... |
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Our room was at the back left in new brick building.
Built just pre covid and so it was like new! Good size and excellent bathroom. |
We had a cuppa when we arrived at a teashop, followed by and ice cream, then a wine bar for our meal. I was stuffed! Day one done, and that was supposed to be the toughest day, so it will easy now!
DAY 2 POCKLINGTON to MALTON - 34 miles 1800 ft
It had been a wet forecast for this morning, but it stopped raining at 8am! Yippee! A good deal of uphill this morning, and steeper than yesterday, which was I thought to be the toughest day. Wrong!
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| Gloomy as we set off, but not raining. We need to get over that hill ahead. |
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| On our way to THAT Hill, we now drop down. Damn. What a pain. |
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| Wonderful lunch. A steak sandwich for John, and homemade Cornedbeef fritter for me. |
Our guidebook then advised dropping down to the river Derwent to see Kirkham Abbey ruins, warning of a "cheeky climb" back up. We started down the hill, and could see the ruins. We quickly decided, we were NOT going all the way down, just to climb up again.
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| Kirkham Abbey Ruins. Can see then well enough from up here! |
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As it was, the cheeky climb continued anyway, on NCR 166, and we puffed
our way for quite a distance.Phew! |
The rest of the ride to Malton was up and down the whole way, including another 10% descent, before finally arriving uphill to our accommodation, "The Old Lodge".
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G&T Patio at the Old Lodge, Malton. We both had curry for dinner.
Only one other person in the restaurant tonight. |
Our room was called "1604, The Boardroom". The room was part of the original building in 1604, and once used as the boardroom. Converted recently to a smart bedroom, with bath AND shower in the bedroom.
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| Tall ceilings. The Latin Carvings over the fireplace as listed. |
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| The "walk in shower" big enough to have a party! |
We arrived here mid afternoon, and I wanted to visit some gardens just a few miles away. But they were off a main road, and we had done enough cycling anyway, so we got a taxi there and back to Scampston Hall. The walled garden, part of larger grounds, were redesigned by dutch designer Piet Oudolf, 20 years ago. Very modern, very different to the rest of the garden, which had been designed by Capability Brown.
As we walked around the larger Capability Brown parts of the garden, we chatted to a gentleman in a mobility scooter. He was with his two dogs. "who also live here", he said. HE was the owner. The house has been in his family for many generations, and he was the one who hired Piet Oudolf, long before he became so famous as a designer.
We didn't have time to look inside the house unfortunaltey, but it does look beautiful
Scampton HallDAY 3 MALTON to HUNMANBY - 32 miles 1700 ft
We had managed to stay dry so far, but with rain once more forecast by noon, another 9am start today, to get ahead of it. A gentle terrain to start us off, including passing over a ford, but then we knew we had a 17% hill to climb, which was last almost a mile. 😔. We joined NCR166 this morning.
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| Passing through Settrington just a few miles into our route today. |
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Settrington, and soon to the ford.
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| The ford rather full, so took the bridge option. |
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John at the other side of the ford, as we start to climb.
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| Left turn here, as he road starts to rise again. |
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This cyclist stopped for a photo of the "17%" gradient sign.I passed and
then realised it was Steve who was staying at our hotel. We didn't see him again until the next hotel.
(he later told us that he walked up. ) |
I peddled for as far as I could, beyond this bend, but when I saw what was to come, I decided to walk the rest of the steep section. John passed me then stopped for a breather a couple of times. But he didn't walk any of it. (My hero 😊). When it became less steep, I was able to get back on, to puff my way to the high point. (almost a mile in total). That was the hardest bit of the whole route so far, and Saddle Skeddle just called it a cheeky climb!
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| Well done John, who kept it going. |
At Duggleby, we turned left to Kirkby Grindalythe.
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| At the top at last! |
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| Wold Top Farm. A fitting name. We were high up. |
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On the way down to Sledmmere.
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"Over the next 2.5 miles there are two more "cheeky climbs", says the guide book. 😐
At Sledmere, we pulled off the route for a cuppa at Sledmere House, and a look around the walled garden. A bonus to find some Shire Horse ponies, just one month old.
We spent an hour or so at Sledmere. A very well managed estate.
We were heading to a pub for lunch about 5 miles further on, as recommended by our tour guides. Some beautiful scenery enroute to Weaverthorpe, and we spotted some red poppies.
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| pulling in, and looking forward to lunch. It was closed! |
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| Lunch a few miles later at the top of yet another hill. |
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| Potato crop looks nice in flower! |
After that not entirely satisfying lunch, at least it was downhill on an 11% descent for a while to reach Fordon, before we finally saw the sea as we dropped down into Hunmanby.
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| 11% descent this time into Fordon. |
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| If you squint you can see the sea at Bridlington, as we approach Hunmanby. |
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| Tonight's accommodation. |
We still found nothing offering food in Hunmanby, so at 3.30, and starving, we got a sandwich and salad at the Co-op. Desperate times. Our hotel tonight, family run, and not entirely seamless, but OK. Four poster bed tonight, and a very creeky floor. 1980's chicken tiles in the bathroom. 😅. 20 mins to get our G&T right at the bar, no instructions how to work the "kettle" machine, and no internet password until we asked. Reasonable meal, although not the "fine dining" that was promised on their board. Forecast for tomorrow is 90% chance of rain. 😔
DAY 4 HUNMANBY to BAINTON via Bridlington -44 miles 1200 ft
With 44 miles as a minimum today, another 9am start fully prepared to get wet, but hopefully not until 11am. We climbed for the first few miles, just for a change, and today were following NCR1.
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| Levelling out a few miles from Bridlington |
There was an option to stop at a place called Sewerby Hall. Having checked the website, the planting looked like council summer bedding, so I suggested we miss that out, and instead continue to do our stop today at Burton Agnes, 20 miles into our ride. There was another option to extend with a loop to Bempton cliffs or Flamborough to see the seabirds. Not bothered, so we didn't do that either. But first, into Bridlington, just to say we have been. Not really our kind of place, but the public loo was very clean.😉
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| Arriving at the seafront, Bridlington |
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| We turned right here, to leave the town. We had seen enough. |
We left Bridlington behind, with, no surprise ..... a climb! I loved the next part of the ride, rising high over Bridlington, which disappeared behind the hill we climbed.
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| A few miles now beyond Bridlington, back on NCR1 on Woldgate, more David Hockney country. We rode on Woldgate for about 4 miles. Very pretty lane. BUT... the clouds were gathering! |
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| Riding on Woldgate |
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| About 2 miles to go to Burton Agnes.... peddle faster! |
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| Get out the way. It's about to pour. |
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| Seconds after we arrived at Burton Agnes, the heavens opened! |
We sat in the teashop for a while, until the rain eased off, then had a look inside the beautiful Elizabethan house, and around the gardens. Lovely house, and so light, since the owner insisted that they had no shutters. (unlike most properties where you can barely see any paintings.)
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| The sun has come out! |
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| The gatehouse, Burton Agnes |
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| Not convinced the storm has passed yet. |
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| Loved the windows on the house. So much light. |
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| In the walled garden. |
We had lunch here too, homemade pizza to share, and with 20+ miles still to go, we decided regardless of the weather, we needed to go. No sooner had we stepped outside, it started to rain. Quite heavily. John's saddle bag had a puddle inside it.
After just a mile or so, it got even heavier and we took shelter under a tree. Didn't really help, so we pressed on, and within a few minutes, had ridden out of the storm. But there were some massive puddles around now.
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| After you! |
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| We crossed the railway 7 times today, twice at these unmanned crossings. |
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| One of the very few streams we saw on our travels. |
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| It was windy, and you can see our rainjackets billowing! They were drying out quite quickly. |
After all the villages and lanes, it was a shock to come into Driffield, the main town in the area. There was a roadblock where two lorries had arrived at a bend at the same time.
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| Roadblock in Driffield. |
Some very pretty countyside once more on the other side of Driffield, as we passed the village of Hutton Cranswick, with it's village pond. (I think the Way of the Roses, also passes here).
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| Hutton Cranswick village pond... sorry not level, the water will fall out!😂 |
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| Countryside between Hutton Cranswick and Bainton |
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| Spent a few minutes here watching the crows. They were also in amongst the crops. |
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Our road ahead. Flat all the way to the finish today now in Bainton.
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Our hotel, just off a roundabout on the A614 Bainton, and called Wolds Inn.
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| Wolds Inn, countyard cafe. We ate dinner in the conservatory. |
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A quirky place. This fox looking to our room.
Our room theme was Art Deco. |
A nice evening meal, pre-ordered before 6pm, and next days breakfast also had to be ordered the previous evening. All very good, but very large portions. A comfortable room. The landlords both very welcoming, and excellent hosts.
DAY 5 BAINTON to BEVERLEY - 15 miles 300 ft
Since our courier said they couldn't get our luggage to Beverly until 2pm at the earliest, we decided to cycle there, collect our van, and drive back to Bainton for our luggage. It was only 15 miles, so we had reached Beverley by 10.30.
A cooler day, and VERY windy, which was annoying, since the route wasn't difficult.
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| We backtracked a couple of miles from yesterday route to join NCR 1 to Beverley |
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Rain on the camera lens as we pass through the
pretty Cherry Burton |
We also admired a very tall spire on a church at south Dalton, and these cottages in the village.
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| South Dalton |
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| South Dalton |
A mile or more on a cycle path, brought us back into Beverley, and as you can see from the next photo, we survived unscathed the whole way, until this BUS almost took us both out in Beverley!!
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| Cuppa tea in the market. |
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| Arriving back at the station car park, to now drive to collect our luggage at Bainton. |
A wonderful trip, a bit more climbing than I expected, but only got off to walk twice, one being that 17% gradient hill, so am quite chuffed... if a little weary.
Well done to Saddle Skedaddle for excellent organisation and customer contact both pre holiday and during if we had any problems. They also had a very good app with information on each days ride, profile etc. We had preloaded the routes to our Garmins before we left for the trip, but could easily have followed the app had we not had Garmins.
