From Selby a 150 mile scenic loop around East Yorkshire – but not without incident!
A four day leisurely tour along cycle tracks, bridleways, quiet roads and byways.
Staying in some great AirBnB accommodation, with excellent cafe stops and places for evening meals (can supply details privately)
From Selby following NCR 65 – after Riccall this becomes the York Solar Way (a 10.2 Km scale model of the solar system) – then east of York to pick up the Way of the Roses towards Pocklington and Bridlington. Finally, heading south to Hornsea and following the Trans-Pennine Trail to Hull and back to Selby
We leave Selby on the cycle route 66. The morning is a bit overcast with a few showers. Just north of Rickle, the cycle path becomes the York Solar Way. The dwarf planet Pluto marked the start of our journey to the sun. Over the next 10.2 km, we cycle through a scale model of our solar system. And so we arrive at Neptune, big and blue. And here is Uranus also blue and tilted on its axis. [Music] Saturn looms into view. A huge planet with icy rings. Crossing the river ooze, we meet the fisher of dreams. Celebrating York celebs Judy Dench and Dave Jackson, the cycle route builder. The giant Jupiter. Its rotating storm, the red spot, is bigger than the Earth. And this is Mars, the most explored planet outside our own. We reach Earth, our beautiful home, followed by the scorching planets of Venus and Mercury. Finally, we reach the sun at Bishop’s Thor. Light from the sun takes 5 hours to reach Pluto. We cycle from Pluto to the sun in 40 minutes, so many times faster than the speed of light. We’re cycling around the Naves Meer. Unfortunately, there’s no horse racing today. [Music] Crossing the Millennium Bridge, Route 66, takes us east. We head towards the Way of the Roses route. Here we stop for a picnic at a rocky outcrop along the track before continuing east along quiet roads. [Music] Roads give way to scenic tracks and bridal ways. [Music] A farmer is watering his crops. We pass by before the sprinkler soaks us. The cycle truck passes right through a cabbage field [Music] and a change of scenery. a repurposed railway station at Stamford Bridge, including a function room, bar, sports hall, and play park, and currently decorations commemorating the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Just keep us off the main roads. We’re now back on rural roads. and into Popington. We stay here in a lovely Victorian Airbnb and have an enormous meal at the local inn. Today we are following the official Way of the Roses cycle route to Bridlington. Some steady climbing into the rolling Yorkshire WS. [Music] Thankfully little traffic, but we still need to be alert. [Music] Lovely wide open landscapes [Music] up through Millington. Okay. [Music] 5.75. [Music] After hug it, it starts raining and the wind picks up. What a welcome sight. This farm and camping ground had a cafe in a spacious converted barn. And so we enjoyed fresh coffee and scones. [Music] Tip Thor. Watch out for the scarecrow policeman pointing a haird dryer at speeding motorist. The sign says road ahead closed, but is it? Foot paths are usually open so we can walk our bikes through. So we backtrack. After adding another four miles and follow some diversion signs, we come across a runner who runs alongside me for a quick chat. Now it’s only 25 more miles to Bridlington. Heading towards Drifffield. Time for a coffee break at this lovely garden center. [Music] on towards Napertton. The route meanders towards Lothor, then it’s Burton Agnes and the old Roman road to Bridlington. We’re informed that the next level crossing is closed for building work and there is no access to Lothor. Either we risk a very busy A614 with no cycle path or we catch a train for the last 12 mi. As you can see, we arrived at Brillington’s beautifully decorated station. We made our way to our great accommodation, caught some late sunshine before our evening meal out. After a lovely cooked breakfast, we feel set up for the day. So, we’re heading south to Horny and then the Trans Penine Trail to Hull. [Music] Leaving Bridlington, the weather looks good. [Music] A mixture of cycle paths and roads. I’m always glad when we’re off road. And I do believe that we we made a diversion to look around Farmstone. [Music] What I say [Music] I got. Then we go through Skipsy. Now listen what I say and motorcycle paths. All that I really can go to the well one small time to decide on when it’s killing me when I really see all that I need to look inside. We arrive in Horny. Time for a welcome lunch break by the sea with the obligatory ice cream of course. This is the official start or end of the Transpenine Trail, 215 meandering miles to Southport. The cycle path follows the former Horny Branch line to Hull. a lovely gravel track. We see plenty of people along the way all out enjoying the countryside. Hey, let’s do it again. Nature is reclaiming an old station platform easy to miss amongst the greenery. We’re greeted by colorful street art on the outskirts of Hull. We encountered lots of road works. It was not straightforward to cross the city. And we head down now to the waterfront to get our bearings. [Music] When I lay on my life through more construction works and we finally arrive at our accommodation, a lovely room and secure storage for our bikes. followed by homecooked food at a local pub. [Music] Today it’s all about the Transpenine Trail as we make our way back to Selby. First, we get some snacks for the journey and work out the best way through the numerous construction works in Hull. Some rough paths at first, but cycling provision improves as we leave home. through hustle and following the river Humba. A rough gravel track between river and railway stars. I think I saw you. and then into the woodland along a broad path. Near some riding stables, we come across a lovely cafe completely unexpected. So, a good excuse for a delicious green tea. [Music] Leaving the tracks, we take the road through North Ferby, then urban tracks as we draw near to the motorway. Feathers. Oh, but lovely dogs. Thankfully, we can cross the motorway on a switchback bridge designed for cyclists. Continuing west and following the Trans Penine Trail through villages and along narrow country roads, often with farm traffic crossing the main line between Hull and Liverpool. [Music] And now through broom fleet. Turn off the road onto a farm truck. At least the potholes have been filled. Wait and lock. We have to dismount for the exit gate. We’re on a double ruted track, one rut each. [Music] At Salt Marsh, we pass other cyclists also out enjoying the ride, including a tandem. on through Hen and continuing on to Balby. We have to dismount to cross the Bombay tidal barrage. There’s a caution notice for livestock. We’re now on a rough single file grass track. We notice a herd of cows and calves are blocking the exit gate. I counted 25 in total. As we approach, cows begin to stand, protecting their calves. We decide to climb over the embankment and circle around the herd, giving a wide birth and avoiding eye contact and confrontation. We can now see another gate. Unfortunately, it is padlocked, but alongside was a ramblers’s gate, a metal contraption that could be opened to a narrow V-shaped squeeze style. The cows were on a high alert, and some began to move closer. And this is where the official exit gate is. The approach blocked by cattle. To get the bikes through, the style had to be held open while the bikes were lifted up between us. A bit of a struggle because of the pedals and panas. What a relief to be on our way. As we continued through Hemingra, even the sun’s coming out, too. The impressive Drax Power Station is on the skyline. Some very well-defined tracks with good surfaces. Approaching Selby Bay, the track narrows, but you never resist this going under a bridge. [Music] Here we are at the bridge. And so we arrive close to where we began. Our tour of East Yorkshire is complete.