Iโm off on my summer travelsโฆ but without the bike and initially on the train. Or, rather, quite a few trains. My plan is to get as far as Chamonix by Saturday afternoon where I will meet up with a group of people for a guided hiking holiday – the Tour de Mont Blanc – and I am current awaiting the departure of my next train from one of Parisโ lesser-known stations, Bercy.
The weather may be more reminiscent of winter but it is August 1st and that means it’s Yorkshire Day. What better an opportunity (especially bearing in mind that it’s chucking it down outside) to sit back and watch three Yorkshire-themed cycling videos from recent years. If you happy to live in Lancashire, you’ll also benefit from a few minutes of your county at the start of the Way of the Roses film. Happy Yorkshire Day!
If youโre thinking of booking a cycling holiday, thereโs no better place than North Yorkshire.ย Given itโs the UKโs largest county by area, itโs no surprise that there are some incredible cycle routes just waiting to be explored. Travelling with a bike is also very easy. If you have enough space in the boot of your car, you wonโt have to find a suitable transportation rack. If you do need one, just make sure to follow the general driving laws. Alternatively, you can travel by train. Most operators allow bikes in designated areas, so ensure you reserve a space in advance. Whether youโre looking for a trip down quiet country roads, a tour through historical cities, or a visit to seaside resorts, weโve got you covered. In no particular order, here are our favourite cycle routes in North Yorkshire.
The holidays are here! Well, half term. Just a week but the sun is shining and my bicycle – the one I use when I’m pottering around and about the area where I live – will be back from its impromptu service tomorrow morning. On my commute to work earlier in the week I got a puncture. Not in itself a reason for giving the bike a service but since I purchased the Ribble hybrid bike about 18 months ago, I’ve been keen to replace the Schwalbe G-One tyres with Schwalbe Marathon Plus, and here was my opportunity. It made sense to give the bike a service at the same time and the mobile mechanic that I use will be delivering the bike back to me in the morning. I hope the weather continues to be nice for the rest of the week and, indeed for the rest of the summer (that’s perhaps hoping for too much) as I continue my daily commutes to and from work.
Mark Wedgwood had always been a lover of maps. In 2022, newly liberated from the constraints of a full-time job, he decided to cycle across every Ordnance Survey Landranger map of Britain. He spoke to The Cycling Europe Podcast about the challenge that took him from the northernmost point of Shetland (map 1) to Fowey in Cornwall (map 204)โฆ the long way.
Mark Wedgwood had always been a lover of maps. In 2022, newly liberated from the constraints of a full-time job, he decided to cycle across every Ordnance Survey Landranger map of Britain. He spoke to The Cycling Europe Podcast about the challenge that took him from the northernmost point of Shetland (map 1) to Fowey in Cornwall (map 204)โฆ the long way
I’ve just made a return trip to The Lake District and the National Trust campsite in Wasdale. I stayed there for a couple of nights back in 2018 when I climbed Scafell Pike (see the film at the foot of this post). Last week I was there with a friend to do some hiking in and around the valley. I wasn’t on the bike so this is one for HikingEurope.org rather than CyclingEurope.org although we did drive up the Hardknott Pass, one of Britain’s more challenging cycling climbs. It was hard work in a car never mind on a bike but perhaps one to add to the list of future two-wheeled challenges…
Matthew Sturgeon is an architect and cyclist from Ilkley in Yorkshire and heโs onย a mission to visit every one of mainland Britainโs 186 lighthouses. Inspired by his late late wife Angela, who raised ยฃ40,000 for cancer research, Matthew is raising money for his A Bit Of A Break charity. It funds visits for cancer patients and their families to holiday properties around the UK. He started collecting his lighthouses with a ride along the Northumbrian coast and has now visited 100. But why lighthouses? Whatโs his favourite lighthouse? What has been the most disappointing lighthouse? What has been the most difficult to cycle to? And what will be lighthouse number 186? Matthew tells his story to The Cycling Europe Podcastโฆ
