Hello From York Cyclist

[BirdOnnaBike]

Well not quite York, just 8 miles away.

I want to return to cycling (which I last did seriously in the 1980s!) so I can go on the cycle tracks etc round here with my youngest kids, who have just learned to ride their bikes. They're not safe enough to go on the roads yet, and so my old Raleigh Venture Endeavour is going to be joined by a Raleigh Venture ladies MTB, for a while so I can go on the tracks and bike paths round here with the kids. I ran 3 times a week til a couple of years back and have put on weight since stopped running. I think the running's too much strain on my ageing knee joints so I decided to cycle for weight loss too.

Last time I cycled I lived in a hilly place. Looking forward to being able to do it round here where it's flat as the proverbial pancake.

Been lurking on the forums ad enjoying so thought I'd join!

 

[summerdays]

Welcome BirdOnnaBike ... glad you have popped out of lurking! Wish I lived in pancake land sometimes!!

 

[Arch]

Welcome, from someone who is most definitely right in the middle of York. What direction are you in? There are a few of us Yorkies, or Yorkie-ish people, so if you need any ideas for routes or destinations, ask away!

 

[Tsharman]

Well not quite York, just 8 miles away.

I want to return to cycling (which I last did seriously in the 1980s!) so I can go on the cycle tracks etc round here with my youngest kids, who have just learned to ride their bikes. They're not safe enough to go on the roads yet, and so my old Raleigh Venture Endeavour is going to be joined by a Raleigh Venture ladies MTB, for a while so I can go on the tracks and bike paths round here with the kids. I ran 3 times a week til a couple of years back and have put on weight since stopped running. I think the running's too much strain on my ageing knee joints so I decided to cycle for weight loss too.

Last time I cycled I lived in a hilly place. Looking forward to being able to do it round here where it's flat as the proverbial pancake.

Been lurking on the forums ad enjoying so thought I'd join!

 

[BirdOnnaBike]

Welcome, from someone who is most definitely right in the middle of York. What direction are you in? There are a few of us Yorkies, or Yorkie-ish people, so if you need any ideas for routes or destinations, ask away!

Hi Queen of Cake and thanks for the welcomes! I'm due South! I can get onto the cycle track at Riccall, coming off at Naburn for Fulford. I haven't done it for about 5 years! Any good maps for York cyclists you'd recommend?

 

[arallsopp]

Welcome aboard. See you've found Arch. Job done

 

[BirdOnnaBike]

Welcome aboard. See you've found Arch. Job done

Oops! That's 'Arch' not 'Queen of Cake' - I just see the word 'cake' and everything else vanishes from my mind....

 

[bauldbairn]

I just see the word 'cake' and everything else vanishes from my mind....

You'll fit in well here then.

Hello B.O.B and welcome to the Cycle Chat forums.

 

[BirdOnnaBike]

You'll fit in well here then.

Hello B.O.B and welcome to the Cycle Chat forums.

Thanks! Just went out for the first time in about 5 years, tonight. My bum is killing me.

 

[Arch]

Hi Queen of Cake and thanks for the welcomes! I'm due South! I can get onto the cycle track at Riccall, coming off at Naburn for Fulford. I haven't done it for about 5 years! Any good maps for York cyclists you'd recommend?

Hello! Ah, you can do the solar system backwards...

Get hold of a copy of the City of York cycling map, it's free, and has colour coded roads according to being off-road, lightly trafficced etc. There's also info on bike shops and other useful stuff. The city's bike shops should all have them, or the Tourist info, or council offices.

I do most of my navigating around the countryside outside York with the OS landranger map for York and Selby - number 105.

You can get pretty much right into the centre of York off-road if you want to. Instead of coming off at Naburn (where there is a cafe now, at the old station house/hostel - it tends to be a bit intermittant opening - weekends and sunny days etc. There's also a big model of the Cassini probe, 'orbiting' Saturn), carry on along the path, and over the river where there is a big sculpture sitting on the bridge, the Fisher of Dreams. He has a huge bike too. Follow the path through Bishopthorpe (passing Jupiter on the way). There's a short section on very minor residential roads (a couple of hundred yards) and then you dodge left and right to pick up the path again to bring you past Mars, the Earth, Venus and Mercury and the Sun. Turn right at the sun (still on cycle track), and follow the path (alongside the A64, but separated from it by a fence) to get to the racecourse (turn right at the T junction for the race course direction).

Follow the path to and across the racecourse (watch out for the soft surface on the actual track), and up to the side of the old Terry's factory. Cross the road to the shared path on the other side, and go down the little lane to the right (beware, steep slope and chicane barriers at the bottom, don't get carried away!) and you're on the riverside path. This will take you all the way to Skeldergate.

If you're on your own and happy with roads of course, you can get in on the Fulford Road, or when you get to Bishopthorpe, get onto the Bishopthorpe road instead.

BTW, if you are looking for a Sunday lunch/pub stop, the Blacksmiths Arms in Naburn is good - they normally have a sign out on the path, and you turn down a little bridleway to take you into the village.

And I feel much the same about cake as you do! Hence my 'title'.

 

[BirdOnnaBike]

Hello! Ah, you can do the solar system backwards...

Get hold of a copy of the City of York cycling map, it's free, and has colour coded roads according to being off-road, lightly trafficced etc. There's also info on bike shops and other useful stuff. The city's bike shops should all have them, or the Tourist info, or council offices.

I do most of my navigating around the countryside outside York with the OS landranger map for York and Selby - number 105.

You can get pretty much right into the centre of York off-road if you want to. Instead of coming off at Naburn (where there is a cafe now, at the old station house/hostel - it tends to be a bit intermittant opening - weekends and sunny days etc. There's also a big model of the Cassini probe, 'orbiting' Saturn), carry on along the path, and over the river where there is a big sculpture sitting on the bridge, the Fisher of Dreams. He has a huge bike too. Follow the path through Bishopthorpe (passing Jupiter on the way). There's a short section on very minor residential roads (a couple of hundred yards) and then you dodge left and right to pick up the path again to bring you past Mars, the Earth, Venus and Mercury and the Sun. Turn right at the sun (still on cycle track), and follow the path (alongside the A64, but separated from it by a fence) to get to the racecourse (turn right at the T junction for the race course direction).

Follow the path to and across the racecourse (watch out for the soft surface on the actual track), and up to the side of the old Terry's factory. Cross the road to the shared path on the other side, and go down the little lane to the right (beware, steep slope and chicane barriers at the bottom, don't get carried away!) and you're on the riverside path. This will take you all the way to Skeldergate.

If you're on your own and happy with roads of course, you can get in on the Fulford Road, or when you get to Bishopthorpe, get onto the Bishopthorpe road instead.

BTW, if you are looking for a Sunday lunch/pub stop, the Blacksmiths Arms in Naburn is good - they normally have a sign out on the path, and you turn down a little bridleway to take you into the village.

And I feel much the same about cake as you do! Hence my 'title'.

Arch, you're a star. We were just trying to figure this out the other day - if there was a better way of doing that. I went to school in the 70s when education consisted of me pruning the teacher's roses, etc so I had no idea I was doing the solar system backwards!

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Mind if I butt in for a second?...don't want to thread hijack but you've given me an idea with talk of cake and solar system...

Heard of the solar system ride but never bothered with it as I'm not really up to cycling from Sheffield to York yet, but it's too far to drive up for a short ride

However I'm running the Jane Tomlinson 10K on Sunday and was thinking of maybe slinging the bike in the back of the car and then after recharging from the run (that's where cake suddenly seems like a good idea) taking a leisurely ride later to make a day of it

Is it a real easy going, go at your own pace sort of route that might suit somebody already knackered from a run? (I did a 9 mile walk after a previous 10k so I know I'm not all-in given some recovery time)

 

[Chrisc]

Welcome! Rode over your way from hilly Huddersfield the other weekend to sample the flats for a change. Went through Naburn and Fulford into York for some lunch before riding home again. Damp windy day but a great ride out. Might spot you when I do it again.

 

[BirdOnnaBike]

Mind if I butt in for a second?...don't want to thread hijack but you've given me an idea with talk of cake and solar system...

Heard of the solar system ride but never bothered with it as I'm not really up to cycling from Sheffield to York yet, but it's too far to drive up for a short ride

However I'm running the Jane Tomlinson 10K on Sunday and was thinking of maybe slinging the bike in the back of the car and then after recharging from the run (that's where cake suddenly seems like a good idea) taking a leisurely ride later to make a day of it

Is it a real easy going, go at your own pace sort of route that might suit somebody already knackered from a run? (I did a 9 mile walk after a previous 10k so I know I'm not all-in given some recovery time)

If you're used to cycling around Sheffield, I suspect you'd find it a doddle even if tired - as it's pretty flat! The cafe at Naburn looks really nice (it was always shut when I used to go past it but it is open weekends!) So there's a good place to stop if you need a rest!

Good luck with the 10K!

 

[Arch]

Mind if I butt in for a second?...don't want to thread hijack but you've given me an idea with talk of cake and solar system...

Heard of the solar system ride but never bothered with it as I'm not really up to cycling from Sheffield to York yet, but it's too far to drive up for a short ride

However I'm running the Jane Tomlinson 10K on Sunday and was thinking of maybe slinging the bike in the back of the car and then after recharging from the run (that's where cake suddenly seems like a good idea) taking a leisurely ride later to make a day of it

Is it a real easy going, go at your own pace sort of route that might suit somebody already knackered from a run? (I did a 9 mile walk after a previous 10k so I know I'm not all-in given some recovery time)

It's very easy, and if you're at the racecourse (I think that's where the run starts and ends, yes?) then you're very near the start (or Sun!)

Naburn, where the cafe is (it should be open on a summer sunday, it's basically a kiosk and seats outside) is only a mile or so down the track.

If you can cycle in Sheffield, you can do it. It's basically dead flat.

From the Sun to Pluto is about 10km I think. So you'd do there and back, 20km. Easily done in an afternoon/couple of hours. Pluto, BTW, is actually just off the track, up a little slope, if you want to actually go and touch it.

The last mile or so is not tarmac, but hard packed clay/gravel. I've ridden it on 25mm tyres no problem, it's just not as smooth as the rest. The scenery is flat as well of course, some open fields, some wooded bits, very pleasant for a pootle. If you're lucky (and interested), the model aeroplane club will be meeting at Deighton, and flying the scale model jet, if they are, you might see it from the path.

If you want to 'tick off' the planets, you have to remember that they come thick and fast to start with (and are very tiny, although mounted on plinths, with signposts), and that further out, you can ride a mile or more between them... It's actually a good way to appreciate the vaster distances of the solar system.