LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Distance: !"! miles/#!#km Grade: Highest rating possible! Download: www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/2297151778

NEAREST STATION

The nearest train station to Buckden is 20 miles away in Skipton so arriving that way is not ideal unless you fancy adding another 40 miles to your day, although it’s possible if you split the loop across a weekend. The best way in is by car, leaving the A59 at Skipton and heading north through Wharfedale via Grassington and Kettlewell on the B6160. There’s a small car park in the north of the village and it’s £4.50 for the day. Oh, and the toilets are good.

FOOD AND DRINK

There are many places to pick up food along the way, starting with the post office in Buckden, which is open seven days a week but closes early on Wednesday. On the route you can stop in Hawes, Kirkby Stephen, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Alston, Barnard Castle and Reeth. All have convenience stores and cafés. In Reeth you also have the Dales Bike Centre, which has an excellent café and is obviously set up for cyclists, especially ones who are battering themselves across!

Back in Buckden try the Buck Inn for a good feed if you’re desperate to replenish your depleted stores before you hit the road. And if you’re too tired to drive home then you can always see if there’s room at the West Winds B+B westwindsinyorkshire.co.uk

THE PENNINES

The Pennines, the backbone of England, run from Ashbourne in Derbyshire all the way up to Hadrian’s wall in Cumbria. Home to the Peak District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, The North Pennines Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Nidderdale, they are among the most beautiful parts of the UK. High moorland and fertile valleys dominate, becoming wilder and wilder the further north you travel, while the towns and villages grow smaller.

TOURIST INFO

northpennines.org.uk yorkshiredales.org.uk