Harrogate Road Cycling Routes
This page has road cycling routes around Harrogate. These rides and others feature in the paperback Bike Rides in Harrogate and Nidderdale. The book comes with GPS files for all the rides.
Cycling in Yorkshire
This page has road cycling routes around Harrogate. These rides and others feature in the paperback Bike Rides in Harrogate and Nidderdale. The book comes with GPS files for all the rides.
This is a 17-mile route into the countryside west of Harrogate, going via Beckwithshaw, Norwood Lane to Stainburn Moor, Broad Dubb Road to Bland Hill, then on to Swinsty reservoir. The return to Harrogate is via Penny Pot Lane. It makes a satisfying run. There's lovely countryside, and the prevailing west wind should be on your back on the way home.
Read about the Harrogate, Beckwithshaw, Bland Hill, Swinsty reservoir, Penny Pot Lane road cycling route.
This 20-mile route, a loop north of Harrogate, uses the Nidderdale Greenway to get out of town to Ripley. It takes in Clint, Burnt Yates, Shaw Mills, and Bishop Thornton. The countryside is lovely, and there's as little hassle from motorised traffic as is possible.
Read Hedgehog's guide to the Harrogate, Burnt Yates, & Shaw Mills road cycling route.
This 36-mile route heads north from Harrogate to Ripley. It continues to Sawley and High Grantley, before going up onto Dallow Moor, then back via Brimham Rocks and Burnt Yates to Ripley, then Harrogate. (This is an earlier, and slightly shorter, version of the Brimham Rocks, Dallow Moor, Galphay, & Studley Royal ride below).
Read Hedgehog's guide to the Sawley, High Grantley, & Brimham road cycling route.
This 43-mile route north of Harrogate is on quiet roads, and takes in some stunning countryside along the way. It heads past Brimham Rocks, up onto Dallow Moor, and through the village of Galphay (where the Galphay Inn makes an ideal stop). It then continues through Studley Royal Deer Park, before returning to Ripley and Harrogate. Highly recommended.
Read Hedgehog's guide to the Harrogate, Ripley, Brimham Rocks, Dallow Moor, Galphay, & Studley Royal road cycling route.
This circular road cycling route starts in Harrogate, and heads up to Pateley Bridge then Lofthouse. It climbs the Côte de Lofthouse, which featured on the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire, then returns via Grewelthorpe, Kirkby Malzeard, Galphay, Studley Royal and Ripley to Harrogate. It's on quiet, country roads, features beautiful scenery, and there's the challenge of a steep ascent.
Read about this Côte de Lofthouse road cycling route.
This circular road cycling route starts in Grassington, and heads north up Wharfedale then Littondale to Halton Gill. It climbs to Malham Tarn, then returns via Malham, Kirkby Malham, Airton, Hetton, and Cracoe to Malham. The roads are quiet, and the ride takes in lanes lined with dry stone walls, open fells, and villages of limestone-built houses, as well as views of Malham Cove.
Read about this Yorkshire Dales road cycling route.