# Way of The Roses



## Donmarcos (27 Mar 2011)

Hi all

Any advice on 'The Way of The Roses' ride coast to coast (W to E) would be appreciated.

Planning to do it with two mates in June over about 4 days, giving time for checking out any breweries, beauty-spots etc on the way.

Advice on B&B's, Hostals, Campsites & Real Ale Pubs / Pubs with good food etc would be most useful.

Cheers

Mark


----------



## Garz (27 Mar 2011)

Unfortunately I have not done this yet but is on my 'to do' list. I'm pretty sure a couple of CC's have scoped this out though.


----------



## vernon (27 Mar 2011)

There's a web site dedicated to the route which you can find by Googling.

I know that the Station Inn at Ribblehead is en route. It serves a decent range of real ales, pork and black pudding pies and decent food as well as having bunk barns and traditional B&B accommodation.


----------



## Soltydog (27 Mar 2011)

I'm doing it in May, so may be able to offer some feedback after


----------



## vernon (27 Mar 2011)

Soltydog said:


> I'm doing it in May, so may be able to offer some feedback after



Come to think of it I'm doing it in the first week of June. I've got the map somewhere but haven't looked at it since Christmas.


----------



## 400bhp (27 Mar 2011)

I did a version of it in September last year and am doing another version on 9th April.

We are on road bikes so after conversing with Sustrans (who were very helpful BTW and who put us in touch with the route planner) decided to alter the route slightly.

We also decided to go to Scarborough rather than Bridlington due to the ease and frequency of trains back to Manchester. 

This meant we followed the Sustrans route pretty much to Ripon and then went our own way from there.

It's a great route and is well signposted.

Couple of points that come to mind:
-Morecambe through Lancaster isn't particularly good- additionally the accomodation choices in Morecambe is pretty poor. So much so that this time we are starting in Canrforth.
-Have a break in Settle. There's plenty of cafes (We stopped at the Singing Kettle-nice scones and do the cyclists staple-beans on toast). You'll need a break as you immediately climb out of the town up what feels like a 1:3 gradient.
-Stop at Sun Parlour cafe in Ripon - very cycle friendly and we ran into the route organisers there last time!
-Don't be a slave to the Sustrans route. Plan in advance and use Google maps/bikeroutetoaster to take detours.

I am just finalising this years route to be downloaded onto my Garmin.

Any questions fire away.


----------



## crisscross (28 Mar 2011)

vernon said:


> .... I know that the Station Inn at Ribblehead is en route. It serves a decent range of real ales, pork and black pudding pies and decent food as well as having bunk barns and traditional B&B accommodation.




May be worth reading the reviews on Trip Adviser before booking

http://www.tripadvis...nd.html#REVIEWS


----------



## wormo (1 Apr 2011)

Hi there,

I'm doing route in May, I have booked premier inns for lancaster (night before, nothing nice in Morecambe) and York ( on west side right next to route). £56 each twin room, evening meal and breakfast. Others looked at route and then looked at Tripadviser. Emailed a number of B&Bs to check whether had secure strorage for bikes. Quite a few B&Bs knew about cycle route and were very accomodating, although best places all booked up even during the week.

I just need now to see if I can get an electronic version of the map which I can download into my Garmin. 

Also booked Virgin trains re the bikes as spaces limited. It looked to me that you really need to book a reasonable time in advance to get the accomodation you want.

Will feed back on accomodation when completed.


----------



## vernon (4 Apr 2011)

crisscross said:


> May be worth reading the reviews on Trip Adviser before booking
> 
> http://www.tripadvis...nd.html#REVIEWS



It all depends on one's expectations.

I organise beery overnight stays at the place and I have a waiting list of colleagues who want to join in. 

We use the 11 berth camping barn and at £10 per head per night it does the job of keeping the occupants warm and dry.

The pub caters for hikers, fell walkers and pot holers and the accommodation is basic in the barns. None of the folk that I have taken there have encountered any of the 'problems' listed.

The evening meals are well presented tasty and tremendous value for money.
The beer is well kept and served with a smile.
The landlord and his wife are friendly.
The cooked breakfast is brilliant value and filling.

I recall reading a complaint about the mattresses being covered in plastic. I think that the complaint reflects an ignorance of the extreme weather that can be encountered in the area. Not all hikers and potholers are scrupulous at scraping off mud and grime from their bodies before going to bed. I'd rather sleep on an easily cleaned plastic covered mattress than coping with a grubby fabric covered one.

My only complaint is the lack of headroom between the bunks - I find them rather claustrophobic but the beer is a suitable sedative.

I have no commercial or private relationship with the place other than as a satisfied customer.


----------



## Paladin - York (5 Apr 2011)

Hi,

I started the Way of the Roses just a day or two after your posting. I did it in four days. I arrived in Morecambe by train @ 1239 and started from the sea front @ 1300. My first night was at Dalesbridge in Austwick, the second in Pately Bridge, the third night near York, ie at home, the fourth I spent night in Bridlington. On reflection I could have made it home to York, by train, on the last day as I arrived in Bridlington at 1520 having done 60 miles, partly due to the prevailing wind.

For once I was fortunate with the prevailing wind. I did the ride on a mountain bike with off road tyres and I was clocking 18-22 mph from near Ripon to Boroughbridge.

Where do I start with your questions? The first day was not too hilly but it did give a hint of what was to come on day two. Day two, Settle to Airton - WOW! Clocked just over 40 mph on the way down into Pately Bridge later on, with the brakes on! - make sure your brakes are in working order and don't "drift" around the bends. Exhilerating. Day three, After Brimham Rocks the route levels out and is relatively flat across the Vale of York. Day four is the flattest part of the trip so I made it the longest in distance of all the days.

There are cafes, tea-rooms & pubs all over the place but it will depend on your timing as to whether they are open when you arrive. I missed out on a main meal at the Croft Cottage, Austwick because I arrived too late in the afternoon, but there was the hotel.

I could rattle on forever.

You'll have a great trip.


----------



## oldredeyes (5 Apr 2011)

Nine of us did the WotR last weekend. Friday was Morecambe to Bishop Thornton (just off mile 72) and was hard going; Saturday to Pocklington (40 odd miles) was easy with plenty of pub stops (we had a birthday in the group); Sunday saw a "sprint" to Bridlington. My thoughts are that we did too many miles on the first day; the climbs out of Settle and Appletreewick were taxing, then we had another slog out of Pately Bridge (which may have been relatively OK starting fresh on the Saturday morning) and didn't take the turn off at Brimham Rocks, adding five miles. Paladin mentioned the descent into Pateley Brdige - an hour before we got there on Friday afternoon, the air ambulance had just taken another WotR cyclist to Leeds with serious injuries - heading down the hill at 50mph and overtaking a car (according to his mates) is not to be recommended.

We stayed at the Berkeley B&B in Morecambe, which was good for Morecambe; Duke's Place Courtyard in Bishop Thornton which was lovely; and three different places in Pocklington. There were too many upsides to mention; the downsides were that the WotR signs seemed to disappear at points (I'm sure this will be corrected in time with feedback) and the massive dog from the gypsy camp a couple of miles outside of Brid (boy, he was fast!). As I write this with sore knees, we're already planning next year's ride. Have fun!


----------



## vernon (5 Apr 2011)

oldredeyes said:


> Paladin mentioned the descent into Pateley Brdige - an hour before we got there on Friday afternoon, the air ambulance had just taken another WotR cyclist to Leeds with serious injuries - heading down the hill at 50mph and overtaking a car (according to his mates) is not to be recommended.



It's Greenhow Bank I had a close scrape descending it when I was resting on the hoods of my drop barred bike, hit a bum and had the handlebars rotate forwards leaving me resting on my forearms on the tops. I managed to contort enough to be able to brake and come to a halt but it was a close thing. I lost my appetite for fast descents after that.


----------



## Soltydog (5 Apr 2011)

vernon said:


> It's Greenhow Bank I had a close scrape descending it when I was resting on the hoods of my drop barred bike, hit a *bum* and had the handlebars rotate forwards leaving me resting on my forearms on the tops. I managed to contort enough to be able to brake and come to a halt but it was a close thing. I lost my appetite for fast descents after that.


I'll watch for them when I'm that way


----------



## Paul_L (23 Apr 2011)

400bhp said:


> *We are on road bikes so after conversing with Sustrans (who were very helpful BTW and who put us in touch with the route planner) decided to alter the route slightly.*



Would you mind me asking which bits of the route aren't suitable for road bikes so i can make sure our route takes this into account.

10 of us are doing it over 2 days in July, stopping in Boroughbridge at the half way point.

Most of us are experienced, regular cyclists but a couple of the group are under the impression it's mroe a work social!!!


----------



## vernon (23 Apr 2011)

Paul_L said:


> Would you mind me asking which bits of the route aren't suitable for road bikes so i can make sure our route takes this into account.
> 
> 10 of us are doing it over 2 days in July, stopping in Boroughbridge at the half way point.
> 
> Most of us are experienced, regular cyclists but a couple of the group are under the impression it's mroe a work social!!!



Have a look at the Sustrans map and there's two stretches that appear to be 'off road':

The first seven miles from Morcambe and a 3 mile stretch from Skelton into York.

To be honest, I'd not worry too much about suitability. Ridden with care nearly all surfaces can be cycled on with a road bike - there's no compulsion to do a time trial on the off road sections.


----------



## Paladin - York (23 Apr 2011)

Hi Paul L

I did this ride in March and "reccies" before that.

The Morecambe to Lancaster bit - absolutely fine it's an old railway track bed. You'll make good progress on this section. 

The Skelton to York Route 65 is a dedicated cycle/pedestrian path going down by the River Ouse, it's bit twisty in places but road bikes are doing this all the time. It'll be single file mostly, flat, but watch out for "deaf" pedestrians & dog walkers.

The only stretch I'd avoid with a road bike is the Clapham to Wharfe part. I decided, even with an offroad bike and with me wanting a meal badly, to cycle BRIEFLY down the A65 from Clapham to Austwick. This took me approx 3 or 4 minutes only (offroad bike remember).

Have a good trip.

ps You will all start out with new brake blocks won't you?
pps I've put a few photos in the gallery & a few on The Way of the Roses website if these are of any interest to you.




Paul_L said:


> Would you mind me asking which bits of the route aren't suitable for road bikes so i can make sure our route takes this into account.
> 
> 10 of us are doing it over 2 days in July, stopping in Boroughbridge at the half way point.
> 
> Most of us are experienced, regular cyclists but a couple of the group are under the impression it's mroe a work social!!!


----------



## 400bhp (23 Apr 2011)

Paul_L said:


> Would you mind me asking which bits of the route aren't suitable for road bikes so i can make sure our route takes this into account.
> 
> 10 of us are doing it over 2 days in July, stopping in Boroughbridge at the half way point.
> 
> Most of us are experienced, regular cyclists but a couple of the group are under the impression it's mroe a work social!!!



I'll see if I can dig out the emails I received. You'll have to wait until Tue when I am back in work.


----------



## 400bhp (23 Apr 2011)

You don't happen to work for KPMG do you?


----------



## Paul_L (23 Apr 2011)

Paladin - York said:


> Hi Paul L
> 
> 
> The only stretch I'd avoid with a road bike is the Clapham to Wharfe part. I decided, even with an offroad bike and with me wanting a meal badly, to cycle BRIEFLY down the A65 from Clapham to Austwick. This took me approx 3 or 4 minutes only (offroad bike remember).
> ...



cheers, i take it this is for drop into Pateley? Brakes will be adjusted before hand and i'll make sure all our group's are too.



400bhp said:


> I'll see if I can dig out the emails I received. You'll have to wait until Tue when I am back in work.



Nice one. thanks.



400bhp said:


> You don't happen to work for KPMG do you?



'fraid not, sorry.


----------



## Paladin - York (23 Apr 2011)

Hi Paul_L

Yes, you are correct. It's Greenhow Hill into Pately Bridge that could be a bit scary. If it was a straight road down then it wouldn't be so bad but the bends had me drifting wider than I wanted to go. There are lots of other hills of course but not quite as potent as this one?

Hope the weather's good - all the best.

ps When I bike to York (It's local for me) I usually go Route 65 by the river, as marked on The Way of the Roses. However, my son has a road bike and he prefers the A19 cycle track from Skelton which goes under York By-Pass and into town that way - it's much quicker he says.




Paul_L said:


> cheers, i take it this is for drop into Pateley? Brakes will be adjusted before hand and i'll make sure all our group's are too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## 400bhp (23 Apr 2011)

Paladin - York said:


> Hi Paul_L
> 
> Yes, you are correct. It's Greenhow Hill into Pately Bridge that could be a bit scary. If it was a straight road down then it wouldn't be so bad but the bends had me drifting wider than I wanted to go. There are lots of other hills of course but not quite as potent as this one?



B6265?

Topped out at 49mph down there. The opposite way is in the "100 greatest cycle climbs" book.

Now that I have done the route twice, I prefer to avoid the centre of Pately Bridge and turn right onto Peat Lane, through Glasshouses. The climb out of Glasshouses to re-join the B6265 is pretty tough too.


----------



## Donmarcos (24 Apr 2011)

400bhp said:


> I did a version of it in September last year and am doing another version on 9th April.
> 
> We are on road bikes so after conversing with Sustrans (who were very helpful BTW and who put us in touch with the route planner) decided to alter the route slightly.
> 
> ...


----------



## Donmarcos (24 Apr 2011)

Great advice, thanks. 
Having done some planning, we've decided to head for the Humber Bridge and stay the night just outside Hull after we leave York. This will give us a better start for heading back fast to London then Canterbury. Need to sort out a good route for that.
Have limited cycling to 30 miles a day average up to Rippon so that we can spend plenty of time in cafes and pubs, then have arranged a tour of Black Sheep Brewery in Masham before stepping up the pace to get to York.
Cheers
Don Marcos


----------



## HelenD123 (24 Apr 2011)

Donmarcos said:


> Having done some planning, we've decided to head for the Humber Bridge and stay the night just outside Hull after we leave York. Need to sort out a good route for that.



If you want an easy route from York to the Humber Bridge you can just follow the Trans Pennine Trail. It heads south to Selby then along the Humber.

Depending on where you are staying near Hull, it may be closer for you to get the train from Brough. All the London trains stop there.


----------



## Paul_L (25 Apr 2011)

oldredeyes said:


> Paladin mentioned the descent into Pateley Brdige - an hour before we got there on Friday afternoon, the air ambulance had just taken another WotR cyclist to Leeds with serious injuries - heading down the hill at 50mph and overtaking a car (according to his mates) is not to be recommended.



Link to the above story.


----------



## Donmarcos (26 Apr 2011)

HelenD123 said:


> If you want an easy route from York to the Humber Bridge you can just follow the Trans Pennine Trail. It heads south to Selby then along the Humber.
> 
> Depending on where you are staying near Hull, it may be closer for you to get the train from Brough. All the London trains stop there.


----------



## Donmarcos (26 Apr 2011)

Hi Helen
Yes we are in fact staying at The Green Dragon - (Marsdons Inn) at Cowgate, Welton Brough so that sounds perfect.
Trans Pennine Trail sounds good. I presume that's suitable for road bikes?
Cheers
Don Marcos


----------



## Paul_L (13 May 2011)

We're doing the whole route in 8 weeks time. Last night a group of us went on a training ride taking the hill out of Settle into our route. 

It was bloody hard! The hardest hill i've tackled before. Managed to get up without walking but it was a real struggle. It's out the saddle most of the way up. Sit back in the saddle and you grind to a halt.

We'd only done 15miles last night before we hit Settle. Hopefully it won't be much harder with another 20miles in the legs.

Still the descent into Airton made up for it. That is fast!


----------



## Donmarcos (14 May 2011)

Paul
Sounds awesome. Can't wait to tackle that hill.

Important note for Virgin Train users with bikes. Only problem at the moment is that Virgin Trains (booked via 'The Train Line) would only let me book on one bike (there are two of us travelling). They seemed to hint that they only release one space at a time but it's all very vague. When I booked on line it said you have to phone to book the bike on but when I did they said it was too far ahead and I had to phone one month before or less. All very nerve-wracking. Hope we get the other one on or I will have to take one apart, put it in a bag and take it on as luggage which would be a pain.

BR
Mark


----------



## Paul_L (10 Jul 2011)

A group of 10 of us completed the WoTR over 2 days this weekend. We all work together and are probably split into half of us being regular cyclists and the other half having trained up for the event.

We were lucky to be supported by a colleague in a van who sorted all the logistics transferring bags between overnight stops, so the ride was road bikes with no luggage.

We arrived in Morecambe on Thursday evening and stayed at the Balmoral Guest House. Firstly, what a shoot-hole Morecambe is! The town is mostly boarded up and looks awful. Still the B&B was very nice and Viv and Dusty are pleased to store bikes in their garage. I’d definitely recommend staying here. Fish and Chips and a couple of pints saw out Thursday.

We set off from the official start with the obligatory group photo just before 9am on Friday with the weather forecast being a Met Office weather warning of heavy thunder showers for the north of England along with swirling southerly and easterly winds. Great!! That said, the weather as we set off was fine.

Our first day took us to Boroughbridge after 89miles. This was a tough day with several climbs. The main climbs (out of Settle, Appletreewick to Greenhow and Brimham rocks) are all tough, with the climb out of Settle being a real nasty bugger with 25% sections on it. 3 of our party had to walk up the steep sections. But what made day 1 hard were the shorter and less steep climbs that make the route very undulating along the way. 

The route is however, stunning. I’m not a massive fan of cycle lanes but the ones between Morecambe and Lancaster at least get you off the main road and get you 5 or 6 miles in before you turn onto country lanes. We avoided the off road section between Clapham and Austwick by dropping back onto the A65. This is ok as it’s only a quarter of a mile.

We stopped at the Red Lion pub in Burnsall 51 miles in for lunch which was cracking. Decent sandwiches, proper chips and several pots of tea, all consumed sat outside as the forecast downpours had not yet materialised.

The descent into Pateley is definitely not one to attempt a speed PB. 

By the time we got to Ripon the bad weather finally arrived, so the last hour was in torrential rain.

We managed to store our bikes in a local factory who we know through our work, and then walked the half mile into Boroughbridge.

We stayed in the Crown which is part of the Best Western chain. After a long day we took advantage of the pool, steam room and sauna facilities, before taking on board a cyclist’s tea of curry, naan bread and a few pints of lager (a few too many if the truth be told!).

With a few rough heads, we set off for Bridlington about 9am on the Saturday. The hard work on the Friday would now be rewarded by a pretty flat second day, but still 83 miles to do.

We managed to start with a decent speed and made good time to York, although the average speed dropped off in the cycle path sections before York. The weather was lovely so we took advantage and had a café stop in York just after the Minster.

The rough tracks between Dunnington and Stamford Bridge should be avoided if possible. We had planned to avoid it but missed our detour turning.

We stopped for lunch in Pocklington, some using the Deli style sandwich shop and some using the Chip shop at the bottom of the market square.

The climb out of Pocklington isn’t much of a climb, certainly nothing compared to anything on the first day. It was around here that we were rewarded with a special treat. A car of 4 women pulled up alongside us and the women in the front passenger seat decided we needed perking up a bit so she showed us her breasts. It worked. Thank you whoever you are – although I suspect you’re not a cycle chat contributor!

By the time we got to Driffield we realised we were nearly home and with plenty of time left in the day we decided we were to stop for a pint on the way at the next pub we saw with a beer garden. We had to wait until Burton Agnes at the Bluebell. A cold pint of cider sat in the sun barely touched the sides and could easily have been followed by a few more, but we thought better of it and left it at just the one. Just as well, as there is a short climb out of Burton Agnes before the last few miles into Bridlington.

Bosh. Job done. Day 2 was easy, and our concerns that we should have spread it out over 3 days were put aside.

We’d had problems finding places to stay in Bridlington, so our party was split into two groups, half in the Ivanhoe and half in the Sea Shells. Both were excellent and offered secured bike storage and were run by very friendly families.

Bridlington is a good night out and was very lively on a Saturday night, and is a completely different world compared to Morecambe. Anyone who does the route east to west must be utterly depressed when they arrive in Morecambe.

In summary, a great route, excellently signed all the way, a good mix of flat paths, testing climbs, rolling descents and flat and fast roads.

We’re now planning on doing the route again, but attempting to do it in just one day. We’d estimate you’d need 15hrs of daylight in the day allowing for stops, so in reality it’ll probably be next year, but I’d welcome any comments on the feasibility of doing it in a single day?


----------



## 400bhp (11 Jul 2011)

Excellent. It can be done in a single day in daylight. The trick is to set off as early as possible, no later than 6am.


----------

