Routes from Garforth or Micklefield?

[ColinJ]

I have just discovered that I can take my bike on the train from Hebden Bridge to Garforth or Micklefield for only £6.10 return which I think is a pretty reasonable price.

I fancy cycling somewhere different, flat and accessible and a 70 minute train journey makes it possible for me to ride in that area.

I have a non-cyclist friend who would probably join me on a shortish ride over there, and I could probably arrange for one or more of the Leeds CC members to join me for a longer ride, or maybe even organise a full-blown forum ride?

I don't like busy roads and would rather avoid large towns. I do like country lanes, small villages, and cafes.

I have OS maps so I can see some potentially nice-looking roads but I thought ask those of you with local knowledge for suggestions.

So ... I'd be grateful for suggestions for a 30 mile route from either Garforth or Micklefield, avoiding busy roads and towns where possible, with a nice cafe after about 15 miles. Ditto, but 100 kms with a cafe after 50-60 kms and maybe a couple of hills. While you're at it, a 100 mile ride which could take in some hills, with cafe stops after 35 miles and 70 miles?

I'll see what I can come up with, but sometimes the OS map doesn't tell you everything. For example - minor roads used as 'rat runs', high-crime areas best-avoided or even just awful road surfaces.

Thanks for your help!

 

[growingvegetables]

Sure I could come up with a couple - how are you on using old railway lines, towpaths, and pretty reasonable paths for bits of the route? Or would you prefer to stick to roads?

 

[growingvegetables]

Hi Colin – ideas I've come up with so far; almost all 30 miles +/-

No advantage at all that I can think of for starting at Micklefield – except for the simple pleasure of leaving it!

From Garforth – this is just stuff I know; others'll have more ideas.

South – squeezing between the thoroughly unpleasant A642 and the A656; use The Lines (old railway track, pretty good cycle path), or fairly quiet roads to Allerton Bywater and Castleford. And from there ...

a) cycle track and road to Methley, TPT (good cycle track/towpath) to Stanley Ferry & Heath Village (no cafe, but good country pubs), or on to Sandal. Either come back the same way, or (this bit I have NOT done) take the road (some busy) to Featherstone, B road to Castleford, and back along The Lines.

b) or carry on the TPT (some rougher bits here – fine for a hybrid, but roady?) to Walton, Sandal, Pugneys, and in to Wakefield; or almost to Royston, then through Notton, Woolley Edge, YSP, and back to Wakefield station?

c) aha, but if castles and small town museums grab your attention, it might be worth the haul through Castleford (it's not difficult to avoid the heavy trafficked main road) to Pontefract. The castle used to have a brilliant storyteller/guide on a Sunday – wonder if he's still there?). There'll be a cafe somewhere. Not 30 miles – but if you wanted to go further, the quietest route out is the one out through Carleton to Darrington to ...... nowhere, really. Years and years since I was out that way.

North – threading between the A1 and Leeds; mostly back roads through Barwick to Thorner,

a) on to Collingham, and then Wetherby (bound to be a cafe there). I'm guessing there'd be a way back through Boston Spa to Bramham, back almost to Thorner, and back to Garforth but it's not a corner I know.

b) hmmm – stuck for any more


East – Garforth towards Barwick, but at golf club take the farm road/bridleway (good surface) to Aberford, then roads to Lotherton Hall,

a) by road to the Crooked Billet; then bridleway and lanes almost to Hazlewood Castle, but turn right for Tadcaster (has cafes). Back by short stretch of busy road, then quiet country lanes to Ulleskelf, Church Fenton, Barkston Ash, Saxton, back to Aberford and Garforth.

b) carry on past the Crooked Billet and on to Towton (past the battlefield); short stretch of busy road, then quiet road through Ulleskelf to Cawood – no cafe afik, but there are a couple of pubs; back in direction of Sherburn, but turn off for Church Fenton (this side of Sherburn is pretty unpleasant cycling – too many big trucks), and again Barkston Ash, Saxton and Garforth.

c) or at Lotherton Hall take the road to Sherburn (the top end is much more pleasant!), then the B1222 and twisty country lanes to Ledsham, drop down to Fairburn Ings (the RSPB has a cafe there – that I DO know). The shorter way back is the road to Allerton Bywater, then The Lines back to Garforth. A bit longer, and nearer 30 miles, cross the river to Castleford, then cycle path and short stretch of reasonable road to Methley and Mickletown; drop down on to the TPT along canal towpath to Woodlesford; again a choice a couple of miles along the (very fast and busy) A642 to Swillington and turn right to take quiet lanes to The Lines and Garforth, or (my choice) up Bullerthorpe Lane, past Temple Newsam, and I know the way through the bridleways and lanes to take you back to Garforth.



Sooooooooo – take your pick! Where would you like your cafe stop? Give me a couple of best preferences, and I can work out the routes accurately on bikeroutetoaster or something.

 

[ColinJ]

That's very helpful gv - many thanks!

Sure I could come up with a couple - how are you on using old railway lines, towpaths, and pretty reasonable paths for bits of the route? Or would you prefer to stick to roads?

I'd generally prefer quiet roads but I like converted railway lines if they are done properly e.g. the Padiham Greenway which is superb.

I'd be on a skinny-tyred road bike so I'd prefer to avoid long stretches of gravel-covered cycle paths or those with lots of mud and/or potholes. I can stand a few hundred yards of such surfaces here and there, but not miles of them!

Your comment about Micklefield confirmed something I'd read elsewhere about depressing former mining communities and run-down housing estates so I'll give that a miss!

I can get off the train at Garforth or East Garforth. I'll be wanting to start and finish there to take advantage of the cheap return ticket which is only about 20p more than a single. The prices suddenly double beyond Micklefield which is why I don't want to go further on the train.

I can clearly see non-urban roads on the OS mapping, but information on quality cycle paths and bridleways is very useful because I probably wouldn't spot those and even if I did, I wouldn't know how good they are for a road bike. When they mean I can avoid busy roads I take them, as a group of us did on the forum ride pictured above.

My mapping software dates back to 2005 so any changes to roads since then or new housing estates etc. are not shown. For instance, the A1(M) extension is shown as a dotted line but I assume that it has now been extended down to the M62?

The Landranger mapping is not great for plotting the best route in to/out of/through any towns I do have to go to so advice is really useful there. I've plotted routes through towns before and found myself caught out by one-way systems etc.

I'll fire up Memory Map and look at the OS map while referring to your suggestions ...

I don't really fancy heading SW towards Wakefield so let's rule that out.

I think the most promising territory is to the north and east. I like the idea of The Lines out of Garforth so I'd need to know how to get onto that path from one or other of the stations. I also like the sound of the route to Lotherton Hall so that gives me a couple of routes in and out of Garforth.

I think perhaps a route heading north and east and passing through or close to Tadcaster, eventually back down to the cafe at Fairburn Ings and back up The Lines into Garforth? (I've learned a new word - Ings!)

I'll spend some time looking at the map and get back to you!. Thanks again for your help!

 

[growingvegetables]

Ah no worries - a pleasure! It was kind of strange trying to put down in order lots of bits and pieces I usually just follow by nose

Neither Parlington Lanes (Garf-Aberford) nor the Lines are asphalted. There's 2-3 muddy patches - but all very short; there's about a third of a mile pot holy and a bit rough - worth enduring because the rest of the bridleway is so pleasant. Otherwise both those are pretty dry, hardpacked surface.

Get the ticket for East Garforth - and you can still get off in Garforth

Aye - and the M1 now runs all the way through to the A1M.

And I've just found out something - I knew I could make files from bikehike to see the routes in GoogleEarth; but apparently if I pop them on to a web page, GoogleMaps can also read them. Or, if your software can read the tcx, gpx, kml, txt files that Bikehike produces, I can e-mail them to you

Edited 30 minutes later - doesn't take long!

Open Google maps, copy this link http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/colinj/Gfth-Tad-Sher-F.kmz , and paste it into the Googlemaps search box ---- and it's there! With map, satellite, streetview, the lot. Hey, your very own virtual cycle ride! Don't bother going now - it was sunny when the google van passed through

 

[Steve H]

I fancy cycling somewhere ......., flat and ..........

Sorry, I must have entered a parallel universe. ColinJ saying he fancies cycling somewhere flat!

 

[ColinJ]

Get the ticket for East Garforth - and you can still get off in Garforth

Aye - and the M1 now runs all the way through to the A1M.

And I've just found out something - I knew I could make files from bikehike to see the routes in GoogleEarth; but apparently if I pop them on to a web page, GoogleMaps can also read them. Or, if your software can read the tcx, gpx, kml, txt files that Bikehike produces, I can e-mail them to you

Edited 30 minutes later - doesn't take long!

Open Google maps, copy this link http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/colinj/Gfth-Tad-Sher-F.kmz , and paste it into the Googlemaps search box ---- and it's there! With map, satellite, streetview, the lot. Hey, your very own virtual cycle ride! Don't bother going now - it was sunny when the google van passed through

It seems a bit odd a small place like Garforth having two stations and the trains stopping at both of them!

Surely if you have routes on BikeHike, you could just post links to them and then anybody could look at them?

I took some of your ideas, plus bits of the West Yorkshire Cycle Route plus some other suggestions online and came up with a 32 mile route which includes a few off road sections:

North from Garforth through Barwick to Kiddal Lane End. Then about 1.1 miles of bridleway north past Whittle Car. That should be okay because it is part of the WYCR. Over the A1 to Bramham then head for Tadcaster but turn right and head towards Stutton over the A64. From Stutton take a bridleway southwest nearly to Hazlewood Castle but then turn south to the B1217 and Saxton. What is that bridleway like for a road bike? From Saxton to Mile Hill and on to Sherburn. Your route along the B1222 (how busy is that road?). At that point, my map is out of date but Google maps shows what is it like now. After Ledsham turn left down Back Newton Lane to the RSPB cafe at Fairburn Ings. After the cafe, west to Allerton Bywater and back to Garforth on The Lines.

What do you reckon to that? We might nip into Tadcaster for a quick look around and a snack before going on to Stutton.

That would probably feel like a tough ride for my non-cyclist pal so we'll catch the first off-peak train and take all day.

I can see plenty of scope for extending the ride to 100 km or 100 miles for a forum ride at a later date. The most obvious thing being to loop round York.

Sorry, I must have entered a parallel universe. ColinJ saying he fancies cycling somewhere flat!

I'd prefer Hebden Bridge to have flatter terrain in at least one direction so I could go out for gentler rides from time to time - I don't like torturing myself every ride! That was the whole idea of riding to Waddington so often - it is easier than the hilly rides that we do.

 

[ColinJ]

My non-cyclist friend has declared 32 miles to be too far for her first ride so we'll do a shorter ride north of Garforth and come back via Fairburn Ings and The Lines.

I might nip over solo on Monday or Tuesday and do some exploring in the sunshine!

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

have a look towards rothwell colin, i used to work there and it has some nice surroundings and quiet roads. it's pretty flat that way as well.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

then there's route 67 not too far way.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

and the canal from lock 1 in the city centre is absolutely brilliantly done and really cyclist friendly and dead pan flat.

 

[DCLane]

Colin, if you don't fancy SW of Wakfield (and frankly, given since it's towards me I'd not go that way either) what about SE?

There's some lovely routes along and across the Trans-Pennine Trail. They aren't too hilly either.

 

[growingvegetables]

North from Garforth through Barwick to Kiddal Lane End. Then about 1.1 miles of bridleway north past Whittle Car. That should be okay because it is part of the WYCR. Over the A1 to Bramham then head for Tadcaster but turn right and head towards Stutton over the A64.

Neat - nice ride

From Stutton take a bridleway southwest nearly to Hazlewood Castle but then turn south to the B1217 and Saxton. What is that bridleway like for a road bike?

Another nice ride - but on a road bike? Your call - The camera shake tells the story - up to 03:25 is exactly that bridleway.

From Saxton to Mile Hill and on to Sherburn. Your route along the B1222 (how busy is that road?).

Not much traffic as it doesn't connect directly with the A1 - what traffic there is tends to be fast, but leaves lots of space.

After Ledsham turn left down Back Newton Lane to the RSPB cafe at Fairburn Ings. After the cafe, west to Allerton Bywater and back to Garforth on The Lines.

Nice riding.
Keep your ears open for motor bikes on Claypit Lane and Back Newton Lane - it's a favourite for high speed bikers looking for winding country lanes to show off on, on their way to the bikers' caff at Sherburn. But you will hear the *******s long before you see them

I can see plenty of scope for extending the ride to 100 km or 100 miles for a forum ride at a later date. The most obvious thing being to loop round York.

Another one - on up to Boroughbridge and round by Knaresborough
- goes through Aldborough (worth a visit any time)
- and it's fairly easy to slip round avoiding both Harrogate and Leeds
- you wanted hills? Knaresborough - the good lord made some hills to be walked up

My non-cyclist friend has declared 32 miles to be too far for her first ride so we'll do a shorter ride north of Garforth and come back via Fairburn Ings and The Lines.

Yup - that'll work, it's easy enough to avoid the A642 and A656 (both fast and busy - cars and commercial traffic).

 

[growingvegetables]

From Stutton take a bridleway southwest nearly to Hazlewood Castle but then turn south to the B1217 and Saxton. What is that bridleway like for a road bike?

Ooops - forgot; if you take this, take the short cut to The Crooked Billet (marked on the OS as a PH, below Lead Hall Farm) - off to the side is this 14th century chapel. A wee corner of peace and connection, whatever one's belief/lack of.

 

[ColinJ]

Thanks bfb and DCL but when I look at the OS map for the Garforth area, what appeals to me is to get as far away from Leeds, Wakefield and Castleford as possible and head for those wide open spaces in the Vale of York!

I don't like cities and big towns and I don't like traffic. I do like quiet roads, footpaths, bridleways, fields, trees, mountains and the sea!

I don't know how the Rothwell area can possibly be quiet when the M1, M62, A61, A654, A639 and A642 surround it! (It isn't possible to get more than 1 km from a main road or motorway, and in most places you'd be within 500 metres of one).

I went for a mountain biking holiday in Snowdonia once, expecting the peace and quiet of the Welsh countryside, but it turned out that my log cabin was only about 600 metres from the A470. From dawn to dusk and often into the night, I could hear the constant drone of traffic speeding past; not good!

I have shortened my route to take gv's suggested bridleway to Aberford from the golf course north of Garforth, then past Lotherton Hall to rejoin my original route on the way to Sherburn. That's about 20 miles. I think I'll take my MTB to slow me down a bit and give us the chance to explore the bridleways a bit more if we feel like it. (My friend will be on a rigid MTB with big slick tyres.) We can do the 32 miler later if the shorter ride goes well.

I'm going to work out a 100 km route for me to ride in the sunshine in the coming few days. It doesn't look like that can go round York without going close to York itself because the Ouse needs to be crossed and the only other crossing within a reasonable distance is Aldwark toll bridge and my routes are coming out at about 140 km heading that way. I think the loop around York will get extended to be my 100 miler, and I'll work out a loop south of York towards Pocklington for my metric century.