Cycling in Yorkshire
26th October 2025
Mayor of York & N Yorkshire David Skaith has published a prospectus for his Active Travel Fund, which will be open to applications by the end of the year.
Is he supported by the leaders of North Yorkshire and City of York Councils?
Read about the Mayor's Active Travel Fund Prospectus.
8th September 2025
The role of Independent Active Travel Consultant for York & North Yorkshire is being advertised.
What is the Mayor looking for in his active travel advisor?
Read about the YNYCA Independent Active Travel Consultant Post Advertised.
30th June 2025
Mayor of York & North Yorkshire David Skaith will today take a step towards appointing an Active Travel Commissioner at a Combined Authority meeting.
A Mayor's Active Travel Fund will also be set up.
Read about Mayor to Appoint Active Travel Commissioner.
15th June 2025
I visited Sheffield to see one of the wonders of the modern Yorkshire, the Dutch-style roundabout at West Bar.
Is it any good?
28th May 2025
North Yorkshire has published a Thirsk LCWIP.
What is in it, and what are the chances of the paper plans ever turning into on-the-ground improvements?
Read about Thirsk LCWIP.
11th March 2025
The York & North Yorkshire Mayor has published a Strategic Transport Framework, which is a precursor to a full Local Transport Plan.
What does the Framework say about cycling?
Read about the York & North Yorkshire Strategic Transport Framework.
6th October 2024
A fragment of the Scarborough to Whitby Cinder Track is being resurfaced.
Where is the work taking place, and what surface is being put in?
Read about Fragment of Scarborough to Whitby Cinder Track Being Resurfaced.
29th September 2024
The Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission has published an updated Climate Action Plan.
What does it say, and whom does it rely on for implementation?
Read about Yorkshire & Humber Climate Action Plan 2024.
15th August 2024
West Yorkshire has published its Vision Zero Strategy for the next 3 years.
What actions does the Combined Authority plan in order to start reducing KSIs to zero?
Read about West Yorkshire Vision Zero Strategy.
13th November 2023
Leeds City Council is consulting on exciting active travel plans around the city centre. Credit where it's due, this is a competent and ambitious council.
What are the plans, and how do they fit in with the council's transport strategy?
Read about Ambitious Leeds City Links Cycle Infrastructure.
5th October 2023
The anti-cycling Lib Dems are at it again, this time in Leeds.
The Lib Dem leader in Leeds has been trying to stop a brilliant £10 million cycle scheme on the A660 Otley Road/Headingley Lane. Did he succeed?
Read about Anti-Cycling Lib Dems at it Again.
25th September 2023
Final thoughts on the developing cycle infrastructure on the A660 in Leeds.
Can you get into Leeds city centre, and what is the cycle infrastructure like if you get there?
22nd September 2023
More thoughts on the developing cycle infrastructure on the A660 in Leeds.
This post includes comments on the kerb-protected cycle tracks and a signposted two-stage right turn.
21st September 2023
I wanted to see the developing cycle infrastructure on the A660 Leeds first hand, so I took my bike and rode from the Ring Road to the Town Hall and back.
What are the cycle facilities on the route like, and what more is still to come?
18th September 2023
An e-bike rental service has launched in Leeds. Leeds City Bikes is the first fully electric public bike hire service in the UK.
Where can you get in on the electric bike action, and how much does it cost?
Read about Beryl E-Bike Rental Service Launches in Leeds.
22nd May 2023
Leeds City Council has responded to objections to the latest active travel plans for the A660 by saying that doing nothing is not feasible.
Read about To Do Nothing Is Not Feasible - A660 Cycle Route, Leeds.
19th January 2023
Scarborough and Harrogate were among the North Yorkshire councils whose bids were rejected, but Catterick Garrison won funds for a town centre regeneration project.
Read about N Yorkshire's Levelling Up Bids Fail Except in Sunak's Constituency.
19th January 2023
Scarborough Borough Council has taken the decision to go ahead with the £700,000 restoration of the Cinder Track between Burniston and Cloughton. The surface will be Flexi-Pave.
Read about Cinder Track Restoration Burniston to Cloughton.
16th September 2022
There's some decent cycle infrastructure next to the East Leeds Orbital Route. The bigger issue is that West Yorkshire needs to dramatically reduce traffic volumes, but it has just opened a massive dual carriageway.
Read about the East Leeds Orbital Route.
7th September 2022
I went to have a look at the well-thought-out cycle facilities at two roundabouts in Moortown, Leeds, and cycled round them.
Read about Double Dutch Roundabout in Leeds.
31st August 2022
The Scarborough and Whitby Railway closed in 1965, and the trackbed is now used by the Cinder Track. I looked into the history of the railway.
Read about Scarborough and Whitby Railway.
7th August 2022
The Red Kite Mountain Bike Trail is a 20-mile mountain bike ride starting and finishing in Wetherby. It takes bridleways along field edges and through woods. Map, GPS, photos and route notes.
Read about the Red Kite Mountain Bike Trail.
25th July 2022
West Yorkshire Combined Authority's transport and buildings projects are not aligned with its own decarbonisation goals, according to a recently-published report. What does the report recommend WYCA does about it?
Read about WYCA Projects Not Aligned with Decarbonisation Goals.
11th June 2022
Dalby Forest is a mountain biking destination with good quality trails, and it's so extensive that you can easily spend all day exploring the forest.
Read about Mountain Biking at Dalby Forest.
18th May 2022
The Malton to Pickering Cycle route was only launched on 9th May 2022, so I may be one of the first people to test it out. It's a pleasant ride between two charming Yorkshire market towns.
Read about Malton to Pickering Cycle Route.
10th May 2022
It's quite terrifying cycling on the A170 near the White Horse, but since North Yorkshire haven't provided any cycle infrastructure, that's what you have to do.
Read more about in Abysmal Cycle Infrastructure Fail in North York Moors.
6th April 2022
Otley is consulting on plans to make the town safer for walking, wheeling and cycling, and to bring the streets to life.
Read about Otley Street Vision 2030.
1st April 2022
According to East Riding Council, the Hornsea Rail Trail is in an absolute state because it has to be in keeping with the rural area it passes through. When it comes to cars, though, the council is happy to boast about spending £6.5 million ploughing a massive new tarmac road through the countryside.
Read about Hornsea Rail Trail: East Riding Council in Cloud Cuckoo Land.
24th February 2022
Work is due to start in March on resurfacing the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath between Apperley Bridge and Shipley. A section of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal is also included in the £2.7 million programme.
Read about Towpath Resurfacing Apperley Bridge to Shipley.
1st January 2021
The Hebden Bridge to Brighouse bike ride is mainly on canal towpaths.
It's 24 miles there and back, but if you prefer you can ride one way and let the train take the strain on the way home.
Read about Hebden Bridge to Brighouse Bike Ride.
11th November 2021
The Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission yesterday published its Yorkshire & Humber Climate Action Plan. What does it say about active travel and housing developments?
Read about the Yorkshire & the Humber Climate Action Plan.
28th November 2020
This is a good Winter mountain bike ride, from Eccup Reservoir to the Muddy Boots café at Harewood, and back.
Read about Eccup & Harewood Mountain Bike Ride.
25th September 2020
Yorkshire & the Humber has seen big increases in traffic over the last 20 years, according to figures from the DfT.
Read about 32 billion miles travelled.
8th June 2019
A new edition of the Bradt Slow Travel guide to the Yorkshire Dales has been published, written by Mike Bagshaw and Caroline Mills.
It contains some pleasing nature notes, worth reading for new tips even if you know the Dales quite well. It's organised into six chapters, representing six areas of the Dales, loosely defined. The final chapter is Nidderdale, Harrogate & around.
This well-researched and logically-ordered book will help you discover more about the Dales. You can pop it in your pocket when you head off there, and it works even where there's no wifi coverage.
Read about the Bradt Slow Travel guide to the Yorkshire Dales.
At the time of the Tour de France in 2014, Sustrans put together 21 stages of a Slow Tour of Yorkshire.
They are family-friendly rides on routes which aren't too busy with traffic. My guide to the routes has map, notes, photos, and suggestions for improvements.
Read about the Sustrans Slow Tour of Yorkshire.
The UCI 2019 road World Championships take place in Yorkshire from 21st to 29th September, with Harrogate as the central hub.
The event kicks off with para-cycling road races on the first Saturday, and a mixed team time trial the next day. The final weekend sees the elite women race from Bradford to Harrogate via Nidderdale on Saturday, and the elite men take on a course from Leeds through the Yorkshire Dales to Harrogate on Sunday.
See the full UCI 2019 race programme.
1st July 2019
Bradford Council have linked Shipley to Bradford, by adding the Canal Road Cycleway onto the existing Greenway.
The result is a usable route. It's generally safe and convenient. The Cycleway has priority over drives and side roads, except in places where the route designers lost their nerve, and made it give way.
Read about the Canal Road Greenway & Cycleway.
25th June 2019
I joined a cycling tour of York, and found it was an excellent way to explore the city.
It's really a history tour, much like walking tours of York, but it's a more relaxing and enjoyable way of getting between the sights, and adds and extra element of fun.
Read about York Cycling Tours.
