Cycle friendly sites
We'd welcome any suggestions members may have for cycle friendly sites in the UK
We recently enjoyed a week at Clumber Park, nr Worksop, with its miles of quiet lanes & tracks.
Our next trip away in June will be around the Yorkshire Dales, South Yorkshire & possibly Lincolnshire area, so we'd be grateful for advice re cycling here too.
Comments
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The admirable Sustrans organisation has lists, descriptions and maps of off road cycle routes in that area of Yorkshire. Start with that and choose where want to ride.
Then use websites like Search for Sites, Pitch Up and UKCampsite.co.uk to choose a campsite conveniently placed for the cycle routes you have chosen.
Enjoy your planning.
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In the North of Yorkshire,
York Marina CL, right next to a Sustrans ex rail track right into York centre.
You could travel to Dalby Forest by car, £9 per vehicle but take a picnic and cycle your legs off! I'm a member, regular haunt of ours for walking.
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Stamford for both relatively gentle forest roads and across the main road more exacting off road routes. You can also cycle from there to Rutland Water and do the circuit of the res, but it would involve a 30 ml or so round trip.
For Yorkshire what about the N.Yorkshire Moor site, more forest roads to go at, or down to Whitby a d cycle the old line, which extends south to Scarborough.. From the Scarborough West Ayton site you can access the Moor to Sea route in either direction. From Rowantree site at York you can cycle the old railway line to Selby.
Those should give you something to think about.
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There are lots of links to the Trans Pennine Trail in South Yorkshire, with some great industrial archeology and places of interest. Be aware that Dales and South Yorkshire area do have some challenging cycling terrain, but you should find something for all abilities. We use a lovely CL at Alkborough, Lincolnshire, and have taken our bikes. You can use the Humber Estuary Cyclepath and actually go over the Humber Bridge if you want to do something a bit different.
Old Hartley Site up past Newcastle has cycling direct from site, in both directions along the coast, with dedicated cycle paths and great sea views. Yellowcraig Site up on Firth of Forth is also great for cycling.
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There are dedicated cycle paths from White Water Park along the Tees, to both Stockton and Middlesbrough, and beyond.If you are up to it there's a cracking route from the Hebden Bridge site up to Stoodley Pike Monument and liking up to the Pennine Bridleway.
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For the area you are going to then I suggest you call in at the Tourist Info centre found next to the Humber Bridge on the south side. We were there in November and picked up a lot of leaflets specifically for cycling. It was excellent and covered both Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire. I can't remember its name but try the following if you want info before you go.
They have issued the leaflets. Good luck.
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There has been a few threads opened in the past asking for this sort of information but I'll be blowed if I can find any of them and the clubs search engine is well......
Edit - Actually I did find a bit of info under What's On - Club news so try that
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In Lincolnshire there are gentle routes to be had from the C&CC's Woodall Spa site, in the woods near by and down at Woodall itself. If you use CL's try Skybarn nr Lincoln, cycle tracks at Whisby Nature Reserve or take the bikes to Skellingthorpe and cycle the old line to either Lincoln or Newark.
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Try the Peak District - there are 4 recognised cycle routes all constructed from former train lines - hence relatively flat! Have a look at https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/trails where you'll see them.
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That’ll really help the OP, especially as he’s going to Yorks and Lincs.🙄
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TW the OP asked for general suggestions as well as Yorks and Lincs. We enjoyed cycling in Lincs on the very long promenade near Sutton on Sea which covers several coastal places don't know whether the site has opened after the refurb.?
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Brue, that’s as maybe but DD telling him to ride around the Stover site is not what the OP wants to hear.
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And quite a long way from the Yorkshire Dales, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire too. Just goes to show how good DD's sense of direction or British Isles geography is.
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An obvious one for the future, a bit closer to home, Poolsbrook Country Park club site.
Apart from the country park it's self, there is a sustrans trail right outside the front gate.
Chesterfield in one direction, Rother Valley and beyond the other.
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As a local, and indeed someone who once managed the Watersport Centre, be very wary of Rotherham Valley Country Park. You need to pick your time of visit very carefully. Weekends and School holidays avoid like the plague. There are far nicer places to cycle in South York’s.
Cycle maps for local areas
https://www.cyclinguk.org/sites/default/files/documents/caw/cawyorkshiresouth.pdf
Doncaster area is flatest. You might need oxygen for some of the Sheffield/Rotherham/Barnsley hills, but a good OS map will be your best friend, shows links, bridlepaths and gradients. There are some cracking cafes and tea rooms that welcome cyclists, cycling is huge in SY.😁
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The site at Edinburgh has lockable individual bike sheds.
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There’s a few sites got some kind of lock up Corners. Clumber certainly has, sadly its a real target for bike thefts. We took ours to Ferry Meadows, which I think has its fair share of thefts, but ours are heavily padlocked. Some sites are honeypots for theft as well as visitors sadly.
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yes indeed, while we were there there was a review which said one pitch had their bikes stolen from it
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The weekend before Easter there was a review of Baltic Wharf recording theft of an electric bicycle, although the normal bicycle on the same pitch was not taken.
There was a notice on an information board saying thieves operated in the area.
However, with continued development in car free infrastructure, Bristol is becoming more attractive to cycling around. Summer before last my daughter learned to ride her 'big' bike, non handed whilst at BW and just the 2 of us explored the locale by bike. Just wot this caravanning lark is about, family time.
Its a sad reflection of the society we have created that the camping code no longer can be relied upon.
Back to the OP the New Forest has excellent cycling options and lots of sites and CLs to pitch up on.
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We’ve been cycling for years, never, ever leave our cycles in open view and definitely not unguarded without cycle locks. Only time we have had bikes stolen is from home. Spate of thefts in area of seriously expensive kit. Turns out the common denominator was a member of staff from retailer. All insured, but inconvenient.
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One does wonder why they post on here and then never bother to respond to any of the relies that they are given. Sheer ignorance I suppose.
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yes indeed, happens a lot.
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