Eight-mile high
This forest road packs a lot into a short distance and is one of the Dales’ best
Sometimes a route is about the distance travelled and the sights seen. Occasionally, a single road is enough of an event. Since discovering Stang Lane a couple of years ago, I’ve been back several times, making the two-hour slog north just for the thrill of this eight-mile stretch of tarmac. Like hours-long theme park queues for two minutes on a rollercoaster, sometimes, it’s just worth it.
From Scotch Corner, the anticiaption builds along the A66. Turn left then burst out of the trees, try not to jump Rutherford Bridge, downhill left, uphill right, catch your breath while brushing the hedgerows on the short, narrow straight before the next sequence of bends through the trees as this incredible stretch of road climbs, drops and twists its way south into the Yorkshire Dales.
Steep gradients (17% at one point), tight, blind bends and a bumpy surface make Stang Lane a challenge of skill and your bike’s handling best suited to something small and nimble (a Ducati Monster was a riot, a Suzuki GSX-S1000GT a handful). Through the forest the road becomes Stang Top, a fantastic, uphill right/left S-bend will make you want to turn round for another go, before soaking in wide-open views across the Dales.
At the end of the lane, take your pick. The Dales are littered with great roads, but this ride offers lunch at Tan Hill – the UK’s highest pub (as long as the road is open), before an epic run down the fabulously-named Buttertubs Pass to Hawes before tracking the river Ure back towards the A1 and home again.