
The 25-mile Scarborough to Whitby railtrail (all pictures), part of National Cycle Route 1, is one of the best cycle experiences in Britain, yet it’s curiously overlooked.
It’s longer, more scenic, more varied, and more convenient than the much more feted Camel Trail for instance. But we know the world sometimes works like that: Avebury vs Stonehenge, Shackleton vs Apollo 13, Monro vs Sinatra.

You might see sheepdogs hard at work too, and compare them to your own dog that expects a choc drop just for fetching a stick, and wonder which is more intelligent.
The ride profile is M-shaped, centred on Robin Hood’s Bay, a vertically-laned Cornish fishing village miraculously teleported to the north Yorkshire coast. Whichever way you go, therefore, you end up with a long coast downhill. South to Scarborough that’s about ten miles of mostly-freewheeling.

This is a route with a leisurely 1960s feel, where you can take your time. No wonder so many period telly dramas are made here – TV crews are famous for taking their time too.

The people that run the pubs and teashops smilingly welcome cyclists blundering in spattered with mud and dripping all over the place after being caught by a thunderstorm, as we were, no doubt because they’ve had a lot of practice at it.

There are lots of other fish and chip places too, takeaway and eat-in, and you can tell the best ones because they have the longest lines waiting to be served. You’ll need patience, but if you’ve come from Scarborough up that long initial incline with little scenery for the first ten miles, you’ll know about patience.

I'm not sure that the Count was quite so keen on tragus piercings and labrets - perhaps he was a bit squeamish - but the spirit of Dracula lives on in Whitby town centre: we had a narrow escape with one car, whose driver clearly had no use for a mirror.
I rode it a few years ago with a couple of friends, one of whom went on to become a distinguished writer on cycling topics.
ReplyDeleteI agree it's a lovely route, though for me it was a bit spoiled by what I think is a rather poor surface. It's perfectly cycleable, and would be fine for a mile or two, but after 20 miles it got distinctly wearing and I was glad when I got to the end and back onto tarmac. (I was riding a Dawes Galaxy touring bike.)
I rode most of this route seven years ago with my wife and two young sons - I thought it was a fantastic cycle path which could be ridden by any cyclist, whatever their age, experience or type of bike. I returned this summer, and like Nigel, I was riding my Dawes Galaxy. I have to agree completely with his comments - in some sections, particularly south of Ravenscar, the path has deteriorated badly to become a cycle track which really needs a mountain bike for real enjoyment.
DeleteWe came upon a middle aged man who had recently bought an electric bike who skidded off the path and had badly cut his knee. It would be a shame if one of Britain's premiere traffic - free cycle routes became too difficult for all cyclists to enjoy, whatever their level of equipment or ability. Urgent maintenance is definitely needed.
I cycled this in July 2012 as part of a fully loaded cycle camping ride from Ipswich to Edinburgh. Just about doable on a loaded tourer (26'' Wheels) some pushing where the ground was churned up by horses after Ravenscar with ruts from where the sleepers from the old railway are visible. Fantastic views well worth effort. Very bumpy going down to Robin Hood Bay.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I love the Cinder Track. It really is a gem of a ride. Linked to you from my blog... http://thelangsett.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-cinder-track.html
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