I rode this ride eleven years ago to the day. The occasion was part of a local tourism body outdoors festival that has taken place in various forms over the years each September. I met Rupert Douglas, co-creator of the Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route, Big Skies Bike Rides and Way of the Roses, to do this hilly loop from the free carpark in Stamford Bridge. This is an extract from a blog post I wrote back in 2013…

Last weekend I took a 30-mile cycle ride with Rupert Douglas, creator of the Big Skies Bike Rides that I have written about over the last couple of years. The ride wasn’t one of the eight circular routes described previously, being longer, harder and starting further from the Yorkshire Wolds than any of the others.

Stamford Bridge is an ideal base from which to cycle on to the western escarpment of the Yorkshire Wolds – the steepest area. This ride passed through Acklam in North Yorkshire then on to the attractive East Yorkshire villages of Millington, Great Givendale and Bishop Wilton. There are few opportunities for refreshments along the way, but we made use of an extended stop at the Ramblers’ Rest. Unusually there weren’t many cyclists at the tables outside, which was a pity; I couldn’t recall a better day for cycling in the Yorkshire Wolds this year. It was glorious.

I had always thought of Stamford Bridge as being in North Yorkshire, but apparently it falls within the East Riding of Yorkshire. Anyway, this ride was advertised as part of the Walking and Outdoor Festival by ‘Visit Hull and East Yorkshire’ (14th – 22nd September). Patrick and I had tried to follow this route last year and after taking the little bridge over the River Derwent we travelled north before turning east towards Buttercrambe. It wasn’t long before we turned off the ever-so-slightly main road and headed for Barthorpe. This is a lovely road and we rode side by side without any traffic to bother us as we gabbed all the way about cycling stuff. The conversation became tougher as the roads around Acklam pointed upwards and here we took a different, supposedly easier, route from the one Patrick and I had taken up Thrussendale Road. It was still a stiff little climb.

Past the communications mast it was on to the familiar Roman road and the gradual, gentle incline to Garrowby Hill – the highest point of the Yorkshire Wolds. On a clear day such as this one there are excellent views over the Vale of York. After crossing the A166 it is always a pleasure to descend to Millington, whether stopping for something to eat or drink or not.

From Millington we went out on a road I had never ridden before. A thrilling descent followed before the struggle to regain height once more on the steady climb to Great Givendale. I’m not sure I could have captured the beauty of the early autumn scene as a herd of cows grazed around a pond. I’ve been cycling in this area for more than thirty years and I’ve never seen that particular view before. Perhaps it’s just as well I didn’t pause to take a photograph. We were running late after the longish stop in Millington and I would probably have been disappointed at my efforts to do justice to the scene.

Another unfamiliar and splendid road led us to Bishop Wilton and another diversion from last year’s route. Rupert had arrived in Stamford Bridge with his road bike on the back of the car, and didn’t fancy the bridleway Patrick and I had taken last year. So an alternative route along the road known locally as Snake Lane. True to its name it wriggled and twisted for much of its length. Fortnately the motorists we met took to the grass verges as they passed us in the opposite direction. We crossed the minor, but busy, road between Pocklington and Stamford Bridge and took the quiet alternative route back to the car park there.

I should probably have dared to take more than one photograph, but the ride was advertised as being one ridden at a brisk pace (a little under 14mph as it turned out) and I didn’t want to slow things down any further. This was a superb route and although I would happily have gone along the bridleway with my 28mm Gatorskins I particularly enjoyed the Snake Lane diversion. And I especially enjoyed chatting with Rupert Douglas about cycling in the Yorkshire Wolds and beyond. As well as putting together the Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route he is also the creator of the Way of the Roses coast-to-coast route – wayoftheroses.info – is the only official site.

Patrick takes the alternative route via the track after High Belthorpe on the Western Wolds Big Skies Bike Ride

(As mentioned, the Stamford Bridge Big Skies Bike Ride was not one of the original eight – the others start from Wolds-edge towns and villages that feature on the Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route – and perhaps that’s why the ride no longer features on the East Riding council’s list of these routes. Yes, there is a potentially busy road northwest out of Stamford Bridge, but I’m not sure if that’s why it can’t be found easily any more. At any rate we can use the Wayback Machine for the Western Wolds Big Skies Bike Ride map.)

In the decade that followed that ride with Rupert I’ve passed through Bishop Wilton on a number of occasions. Many of the visits have been to check out potential routes for the Sykes Churches Trail and to make use of the excellent community shop, which is run by volunteers, as described by Sarah-May Buccieri for the BBC after the Times newspaper listed Bishop Wilton as one of the best secret villages in which to live.

Thrussendale Road – detailed by Roger England in his excellent Hill Climbs on the Yorkshire Wolds – leads out of Bishop Wilton on its way up to the A166. It’s a pity that the cycle track on the southern path at Garrowby Hill doesn’t extend to the top of Thrussendale Road as this would open up further route opportunities for touring cyclists and roadies alike without having to face the terrifically busy main road.

View the Garmin Course of the Western Wolds Big Skies Bike Ride.

The only criticisms of this route – levelled by one of the group of cyclists who rode with me one day way back in 2012 – concerns the same road: the route over Langton Wold to and from Malton. It’s a fast descent but, unsurprisingly, a correspondingly slow ascent, which isn’t a problem with the other, quieter uphill stretches on this ride. It’s just that this can be a busy road and, for me at least, there is a greater sense of vulnerability as I puff and pant uphill with motor vehicles whizzing past. The other objection on the day was Langton Wold is effectively and ‘out-and-back’; a circular route is generally preferred by the majority of my ride buddies. Still, the same climb forms part of the Pock Pedal, following refreshments in a community centre or similar in Malton/Norton. Perhaps it’s an age thing.

Once over Langton Wold from the start in Malton there is a descent towards Birdsall and pretty views to be had through the estate of Birdsall House, one of an increasing number of Yorkshire country houses now offering its services as a film set.

Birdsall Brow

Maybe one day I will set a good time on the ascent of Birdsall Brow. I’ve never beaten my ride buddies up it, and I find it somehow tougher than similar climbs but, as with this ride, I’m almost always thinking about the freefall in to Thixendale through Water Dale to take my mind off the toil. Water Dale is not so steep as to be tough to climb, or too dangerous to descend and it has understandably featured in many Yorkshire Wolds cycle events. After entering the village – the hall opens only on a Sunday for refreshments – the route points towards Burdale, passing the Three Trees near Thixendale before a left turn and what can be a stiff little climb for the unprepared rider. Here’s what John Woodcock, for the Yorkshire Post, wrote about this part of the ‘Thixendale from Malton or Norton on Derwent’ Big Skies Bike Ride:

A couple of miles on you start pedalling back to Malton. That is you would if you were of Tour de France standard. At this point most average cyclists will have to dismount and push the bike up to the plateau above the remains of the medieval village of Wharram Percy.

That makes it sound tougher than it probably is, but the pleasant view of Fairy Dale affords a distraction from any exertions – just watch out for gravel on the way up. I’ve yet to visit the deserted medieval village at Wharram Percy – from memory the bridleway looks a bit choppy for a road bike – but for those not in a hurry it’s always an option. (Looking at the map I wonder if it is possible to get down the hill to the village from the road then rejoin the route later at the switchback near the ford along the bridleway – just don’t quote me on that.)

Point 7 on the map and the turn-off for the bridleway

There is a part of this route along a bridleway that the excellent map suggests should be taken. I’ve done it once and it was fine. The alternative is to take the main road. I’ve never had a problem – there is soon a 30mph warning sign after the road is reached – and a left turn at the crossroads in Wharram le Street brings us back on course. A lovely, typically quiet, road drops to a ford (I’ve yet to see any water in it) and a short sharp climb before the right turn towards Grimston Brow. I should point out a couple of things, not wanting to put you off or anything, the first being that this is fairly remote now – from memory it’s a struggle to get a phone signal – and the descent of Grimston Brow is through a rarely gated cow field. The road surface is much improved since I caused something of a mini-stampede one time. Other riders have reported trying to shoo away uncooperative bovines before taking Luddith Road as an ascent. Still, on this Big Skies Bike Ride we’re going downhill, so it will all be over that bit quicker.

Luddith Road/Grimston Brow. Arguably best done as a descent, and maybe keep an eye on the weather forecast

Safely over the second and final cattle grid on Luddith Road and it’s a usually quiet road towards Langton Wold and a gentle climb before the pacy drop back down to Malton. I used to like the full English breakfast at the Yorkshire Tea Rooms in the self-styled food capital of North Yorkshire, but it’s been a while…

The PDF maps for the Big Skies Bike Rides are not stored on this web site, but can be downloaded from this page.

Technically, I don’t have this route as a Garmin Connect activity or Strava segment, but for what it’s worth here is the Thixendale from Malton or Norton on Derwent Big Skies Bike Ride on Garmin Connect as part of a longer ride.

Straight over the crossroads on towards Helperthorpe. This is a stretch of the Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route, but once in Helperthorpe you’ll be looking out for a left turn signposted “E Heslerton Wold” – there’s also a brown Byways sign on the post – that will take you off the long distance route and on to a road with a heavily shrouded tree-lined summit. It’s almost a relief that you’re not on this road for long – the way ahead at first appears ominously steep – before turning left and passing Haverdale House along a very broken road surface that makes for a quiet route – unless you’re on bike that rattles. This road will find any lurking noise.

The road out of Helperthorpe. If you have time there is a longer ride straight ahead, but on the Sledmere Big Skies Bike Ride it’s a left turn at the bottom of this hill

Along with the ride from Pocklington this a short loop that I first enjoyed when I had lost my cycling mojo somewhat and needed a sort of cycling pick-me-up. (There was a lovely serving of tea and scones back then, which always lifts the mood.)

Although this route is well worth the effort of seeking out in its own right it offers a glimpse of Snainton and Settrington routes which also have much to commend them. On the way back from Haverdale there is a drop in to West Lutton before taking the main road out west through the village and – on a rising bend – taking the right turn signposted ‘High Mowthorpe, Settrington’. Don’t miss it. This is a generally quiet road, but it does seem to have a fair bit of agricultural vehicles with those trailers pulled behind them. On another day you might wish to take in the descent in to Settrington, but a left turn, where the Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route is picked up once more for the remainder of the ride – followed by even quieter roads takes you through Duggleby. I should find out more about Duggleby Howe and its nationally important round barrows – the largest in Britain.

There is less than a mile of mostly downhill road to Kirby Grindalythe and its Norman church. Before the long descent in to Sledmere there is the not inconsiderable bump in the road as the route passes over the OS map’s single chevron pointing towards the possibly wearying cyclist. On this and longer rides there is always the temptation of refreshments in Sledmere, and the good news is that the Coach House Café in the grounds of Sledmere House (this side of the turnstiles) has been newly renovated and looks to be rather well done.

I like this ride for the varying scenery and largely quiet, undulating roads. If the stats on Strava are anything to go by it’s not a route that has been ridden a great deal in comparison to some of the other Big Skies Bike Rides. Why not give it a try?

View this ride as a Garmin Connect activity or a Strava segment.

Download the PDF map for Sledmere Country from Sledmere

Related routes in Garmin Connect:

Snainton from Sledmere (30 miles)
Snainton from Hull (100 miles)

The B1246 east out of Pocklington is not the most pleasant way to start a bike ride, but the sightlines are good until the bend just before the turn off to Kilnwick Percy. (I’ll get this bit out of the way now: there is only one downside to this ride – but don’t let it put you off – as the road surface later between Burnby and Pocklington – at the time of writing – is not great.) [edit: the road surface between Burnby and Pocklington was resurfaced summer 2023] With the KP golf course to your left and the Kilnwick Percy Hall meditation centre to your right there is a steady incline before dropping down and then climbing gently to the pretty village of Millington. In normal times the Gait Inn and Ramblers’ Rest are recommended stops, and shared with the Western Wolds from Stamford Bridge Big Skies Bike Ride, a later addition to the series of rides, at this overlapping point.

As the view of the dale opens up after a tree-lined descent there is the satisfying ‘S’ bend to negotiate before reaching the valley floor (you may have seen this and the roads around Thixendale in ITV4′s brilliant Tour de Yorkshire video). I tend to hold out for a tailwind through Millington Dale, described back in 2010 by Cycling Plus as a ‘hidden gem – an intimate valley-floor shimmy through luscious micro-Alps’. The highly photogenic Highland cows only ever seem to come out to play when I have a tailwind. With a headwind I might stop for a rest and take a snap.

On my last ride I heard for the first time the distinctive call made by a pair of Red Kites wheeling about over the valley. Watch out for them – as well as for the on-road walkers who seem to have increased in number just lately. Just as all good things must come to an end the six miles from Kilnwick Percy and the final push through Millington Pastures finishes by ramping up a fair bit and can catch out those who haven’t left anything in reserve. At the ‘T’ junction a left turn and a few more uphill pedal strokes soon lead to a downhill stretch on to Huggate. (Do take care to scrub off your speed as you enter the village. On a ride to Whitby recently my ride buddies and I were delayed whilst waiting for the ambulance to pick up a chap who had come a cropper on the gravelly, right hand band.)

Millington Dale heading west

If you’re not in a rush the Wolds Inn has much to commend it – in these COVID times it currently offers a takeaway service by arrangement – but the route proper doesn’t go quite as far before taking a right turn to the long descent over Warter Wold. I’ve only ever ridden this road once uphill. It was teeming down as torrents of rainwater rushed by my front wheel as I lugged myself upwards. Perhaps that’s why I can’t bear the thought of going up that way again. Interestingly, the Pocklington Cycle Map suggests precisely that; its blue route (Ride 5: Challenging) does the Pocklington Big Skies Bike Ride in reverse. Maybe I’m just a bit set in my ways…

In Warter – watch out for the abrupt end to the road at the junction with the B1246 – it’s a right turn then uphill for a hundred yards or so before bearing left at the memorial and on to Back Lane (there’s also a car park which is suggested in the Millington Dale and Warter from Pocklington guide as an alternative start point).

Back Lane from Warter is a beautiful, undulating, twisting route but it’s fairly narrow so watch out – the school bus passes along it – which ends after a sudden drop at the base of Totterdown (Nunburnholme) Hill. Thankfully, we turn right here rather than going left and upwards as we make our way to Burnby. One day I’ll find out if the impressive two bells in the church tower still work.

This is a lovely ride I first did a decade ago when I picked up the excellent Big Skies Bike Rides guide. Millington Dale is a highlight of both the Way of the Roses and Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route and is well worth the effort of seeking out.

Millington Dale looking east

See also a Strava segment for this route.

Related post:

A wonderful 50-mile loop from Pocklington >>>

On subsequent undertakings of this route I have parked in Goodmanham and ridden from there. Crossing the busy B1248 – twice – and having to spring open the Dalton Park gate at the Pipe and Glass means that the route is not exactly suited to being a time trial course, but when time is short – or fitness levels low – I have used the gently undulating road to test my fitness – or confirm the lack of it. But the main purpose of this and the other Big Skies Bike Rides is to explore the wonderful Yorkshire Wolds by bike – and for the Market Weighton ride there is something of a pub theme going on…

From the car park in Goodmanham – the recommended alternative start point – I roll down the hill before taking the left turn at the outskirts of the village and cycling up and over the little bridge to the crossroads at the top. Market Weighton is to your right, but a left turn here puts you on the route proper and along the Kiplingcotes Valley.

It’s worth checking the weather forecast

Watch out for the pinch point as you pass underneath the impressive structure that once carried the now disused railway line through Lord Hotham’s land – the Hudson Way. A little further on is a crossroads – don’t turn left here yet. (There used to be a cafe to the right, that I can vaguely recollect, called ‘Granny’s Attic’. It is now a private dwelling and furniture store. Much of the old station building remains.)

Carry on along the valley floor and at the next crossroads take the sharp left uphill along the course of the Kiplingcotes Derby, reportedly the longest-running horse race still in existence. All the momentum gathered along the valley will have been lost on the tight bend – almost always sprinkled with gravel. A jab at the pedals gets you over the first few yards and you’ll soon be levelling to the starting point of this 500-year-old horse race.

Taking the next two right turns sends you downhill towards Dalton Park and over the cattle grid through the private estate road and the gate that opens at East Yorkshire’s premier gastro pub.

One day I’ll take up the offer – staked on to little posts around the village – and go inside St Mary’s church, its splendid steeple the inspiration for the Yorkshire Wolds logo.

Watch out for the ducks and their ducklings at Mere Lane, South Dalton when they spill out on to the road

Mere Lane takes you across the B1248 – there are good sight lines, but do take care – and on to Lockington, where you are invited to try fording the narrow waterway – and invitation I have always politely declined.

After Lockington a gentle uphill section brings the thirsty rider to the second of three pubs encountered – not including those in Market Weighton itself – in less than twenty miles. It’s a while since I’ve eaten there, but the Wellington Arms in Lund is particularly well regarded.

Wellington Inn, Lund

Follow the signs through Lund and take care again at your second crossing of the B1248, on to more gentle uphill capers past Lund House farm and up to the left-hand bend that signals a brief descent to the crossroads at the bottom of the hill. Try to stay on the big ring towards the next junction – I never can – and bear right back towards the starting point of your journey.

Once comfortably past the little dink at that last junction I’m back on the big ring and trying to get away with the chain deflection that comes with a 23T rear sprocket. Unless I surrender to a headwind I find that I’m engaged with a slightly unhealthy competition with myself to get to the top of the long and deceptive drag in as quick a time as possible. The summit or thereabouts is a crossing point for the Kiplingcotes Derby, but for us it’s a warm up for the long downhill stretch over Goodmanham Wold. Keep an eye out for the birds of prey often seen circling over the woods to your left and enjoy the views – but hover over your brakes – on the fast descent in to the village.

If, like me, you start in Goodmanham the ride could be over in not much more than an hour, but it’s not a race and you’ve got another potential pit stop in the Goodmanham Arms. If you don’t fancy refreshments in the pub – it has its own microbrewery, apparently – and haven’t tried it yet I recommend the Fiddle Drill – just within the village near the top of the hill and on your right – for a range of delicious food in a very pleasant and spacious barn conversion.

Big Skies Bike Rides: South Dalton, Lockington and Lund from Market Weighton .pdf map, an activity in Garmin Connect and as a Strava segment

Related post:

A 30-mile loop from Goodmanham >>>

Writing in Cycling Active, Maria David rode a variation of the original route that avoided backtracking on Middlehow Road to Walkington instead returning to Beverley along Walkington Heads to make a loop of it.

So, that’s three versions of a ride from Beverley to North Newbald and back. Here’s a fourth – with a twist…

During the summer I rode to Beverley and set off from the street behind Café Velo and went out towards the Westwood. (The official route favours the minster as a start point, but I was feeling a little fragile and needed a caffeinated pick-me-up first.) Cars are usually packed tightly in to the available spaces along these narrow residential streets, although there are gaps to nip in to on the way to the Westwood. Once over the cattle grid at the old gatekeeper’s cottage the road widens and the speed limit increases to 40mph, a rate at which I rarely drive here, especially when there are cyclists about – and cows – as the road is not particularly wide.

A right turn follows at the T junction where there is the option of taking the shared use cycle path (just watch the cattle grid as you leave the Westwood) in to and partly through Walkington where another right turn at the Dog and Duck pub takes you north before a left turn and a back road broadly parallel to the B1230. Middlehowe Road is normally a very pleasant, smoothly surfaced road that rises gradually to the crossroads at Wold Road. (At this stage I should probably mention that the Garmin Connect link at the bottom of this post allows you to press a Start button and follow the route via online mapping in conjunction with my directions.)

Now, the official Big Skies Bike Rides route has you cycling on over the crossroads, but I prefer a right turn – either way caution: the sightlines to the left are not great – then a quick tap to the next T junction. Turn left and enjoy pleasant riding – mostly downhill – and views on the way in to North Newbald along Walkington Heads. Whether or not you can resist either of the pubs here – the route takes you between both – there is a left turn just before the church and on through South Newbald.

Trundlegate is rather hidden away – a left turn on a right-hand bend – and before the houses at the bottom of this hill are behind me I’m dropping down through the gears – hopefully reserving two or three for the steeper bit – as I try, though usually fail, to keep the momentum going on the way to the gradual right-hand bend on this locally infamous ascent.

With Trundlegate – and Whin Lane – now behind I go over the crossroads on to Little Wood Lane and make my way back along the lumpy road to that crossroads with Wold Road again. I’m not normally one for retracing my route, but here I turn left along this occasionally busy road and then when I reach that T junction for the second time turn right towards Beverley along Walkington Heads.

This is another road that carries a fair bit of traffic at the busier times I try to avoid, but I enjoy the swift downhill ride – which I personally prefer to the option of riding the same road uphill – to the crossroads at Coppleflat Lane and on towards Beverley along Newbald Road that takes you over the other side of the Westwood. Nearly back now and a right turn on to the A1174 towards the traffic lights at North Bar Without which I pass through on the way back to the centre of Beverley, specifically Café Velo again in my case for post-ride sustenance.

NB – if you didn’t fancy the sometimes busy roads travelled after reaching the Wolds Road crossroads as you headed east earlier, you could return along Middlehow Road to Walkington picking up that quiet outbound lane and ultimately retracing the original route. But if you feel confident I think my offering is an enjoyable and rewarding figure 8 variation of the ‘Big Skies Bike Rides: North Newbald and back from Beverley’ – with a twist.

Key features of this figure 8-on-its-side variation:

One passing of the gentle uphill, normally quiet road out of Walkington
(and the short-cut option of a right turn at the T junction with Wold Road and Walkington Heads)
Enjoyable descent west in to North Newbald along Walkington Heads
The ascent of Trundlegate
Downhill back in the direction of Walkington along Little Wood Lane
Downhill east along (the occasionally busy) Walkington Heads back to Beverley
Did I mention Café Velo at the end?

Check out this ride on Garmin Connect or Strava.