Way of the Roses - Day 2

The Way of the Roses is a three-day 'coast-to-coast' linear road cycling event. 

The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars in the 15th Century fought for control of the throne of England between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the House of Lancaster, represented by a red rose, and the House of York, represented by a white rose.

The 280km / 175 mile Way of the Roses cycle route is almost entirely on quiet roads and tarmac paths, from the Irish Sea through the valleys of Lancashire, the Yorkshire Dales and the lovely, but little-visited Yorkshire Wolds, to the North Sea coast at Bridlington.

Tradition dictates that you start the ride by dipping your back wheel in the Irish Sea and only ends when your front wheel gets a dip in the North Sea at the finish.

• Way of the Roses Day 1 -  Morecambe to Grassington - 84km (52 miles)
• Way of the Roses Day 2 - Grassington to York - 98km (61 miles)
• Way of the Roses Day 3 - York to Bridlington / Flamborough - 94km (58 miles) / 102km (63 miles)

Our journey today starts in Grassington in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. We head out of town along the Wharfe River past Burnsall before a tough climb up from Appletreewick to Greenhow Hill. 

The cycle route down to Pateley Bridge from there on the B-Road is twisty and steep, with traffic. An alternative is to bypass the section on a quieter and less-trafficked, but still steep (down) in places country lane.  We can decide on the day what we'd prefer.

Pateley Bridge is the perfect place to stop for a cream tea, and to refuel for the next climb. It's also the home of the Oldest Sweet Shop in the World - super sour fizz balls, anyone?  The road out of town leads to Brimham Rocks, a National Trust-owned property with weird and wonderful rock formations we may briefly cycle through.

8km further on we cycle through the grounds of the stunning Fountains Abbey World Heritage Site - a stunning assembly of history: the ruined Cistercian abbey, the landscape gardens, the medieval deer park before reaching Ripon, where we'll stop for lunch. (A 10km shorter route bypasses Fountains Abbey and Ripon, with lunch in Bishop Monkton instead - we'll decide before we set off which route to take). 

After lunch the Way of the Roses meanders down the Ouse River valley, along quiet country lanes before crossing the Ouse on the rickety Aldwark Toll Bridge, which is free for cyclists.  The route is almost entirely flat between Ripon and York, where we spend the night. 

The cycle will be challenging: 98km (61 miles) with 890m (2,919ft) of elevation.  You'll need to be a confident road cyclist, as the whole distance is on-road (albeit mostly relatively quiet country roads).  The proposed route can be viewed and the GPX downloaded from Cycle.travel here (Shorter route on Cycle.Travel here).  

** You will need to book your own accommodation in York, to suit your own tastes and budget, with a variety of options to choose from in York.  Skip plans to stay at the Premier Inn City Centre (Layerthorpe). **

Please check that your bike is roadworthy before the ride, as you will be responsible for dealing with your own mechanical issues, should they arise.

If you have any questions about the event or the route please contact Skip.

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete the Cycling Participation Statement in addition to booking your event space before attending a cycling event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each cycling event you attend. 

Image Credits: Image 3: provided by ODL member and permission for its use and reuse is granted to ODL; Image 6: Aldwark Toll Bridge © Andrew Whale and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence; all other images Pixabay Public Domain.