Yorkshire Dales by Motorcycle: Buttertubs, Fleet Moss and Swaledale

The Yorkshire Dales are what English moorland riding should be: narrow roads over the tops between green valleys, stone walls on both sides, barns in every field and a pub in every village. The roads are short and slow by Alpine standards, but they come one after another, and a day here leaves you more tired and happier than many longer rides. This loop from Hawes covers about 100km (62 mi) and takes in the two best passes, Buttertubs and Fleet Moss, plus Swaledale and the Kidstones Pass.

The route

Hawes to Thwaite over the Buttertubs (about 10km / 6 mi). Leave Hawes north through Simonstone and climb onto the open fell. The Buttertubs Pass tops out at about 526m (1,726ft) and is named after the deep limestone pits beside the road near the summit, worth a stop to look into. The descent to Thwaite runs along the edge of a steep drop with a low wall, with views straight down Swaledale. The Tour de France climbed it in 2014, and you will still meet cyclists on it every dry day.

Swaledale: Thwaite to Reeth (about 16km / 10 mi). The B6270 follows the River Swale down through Muker, Gunnerside and Low Row to Reeth. It is a narrow, winding valley road through hay meadows and stone villages, best ridden slowly. Reeth has a big village green and is a good coffee stop.

Reeth to Leyburn over Grinton Moor (about 16km / 10 mi). From Grinton, just east of Reeth, the moor road climbs south over open heather and drops into Wensleydale above Leyburn, with a long view across the valley at the top.

Wensleydale to Buckden over Kidstones (about 32km / 20 mi). Head west along the A684 to Aysgarth, where the falls are a short walk from the road. Turn south on the B6160 through West Burton and over the Kidstones Pass into Wharfedale at Buckden. The climb from Bishopdale is fast and open, the descent into Wharfedale tighter.

Buckden to Hawes over Fleet Moss (about 20km / 12 mi). From Buckden, follow the narrow road up Langstrothdale past Hubberholme and Yockenthwaite. The road climbs gently for a long way along the river, then turns north over Fleet Moss, the highest road in Yorkshire at roughly 590m (1,935ft). The descent into Wensleydale is the steep side, with gradients near 1 in 5 and a long straight drop towards Hawes. Take it in a low gear and keep your speed down: there is a bend at the bottom.

Fleet Moss and Buttertubs: what to expect

Both passes are open moorland roads, unfenced in places, with sheep that lie on the warm tarmac and lambs that run across in spring. Cattle grids mark the start and end of the open fell. The surface is generally sound but can carry gravel washed down from the verges after rain, and the edges break up on the narrower sections. Neither road is single-track throughout, but both are narrow enough that you need to slow right down to pass a car or a tractor. In fog, which is common on the tops, visibility can fall to a few metres. Both passes can be blocked by snow and ice in winter.

Extensions

• Tan Hill. From Keld at the head of Swaledale, a narrow moor road climbs north to the Tan Hill Inn, at about 528m (1,732ft) the highest pub in Britain, and drops on towards the A66.
• Ribblehead and Ingleton. From Hawes, the B6255 crosses the moor to the Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle railway, with Whernside and Ingleborough on either side, then runs down to Ingleton.
• The A684 to Sedbergh. West of Hawes, the A684 through Garsdale to Sedbergh is a fast valley road, and the easy way across to the Lake District.
• Park Rash. From Kettlewell in Wharfedale, the road over Park Rash to Coverdale is one of the steepest climbs in the Dales. Only for confident riders on lighter bikes.

Riding tips for the Dales

The roads are narrow and walled, so a car or a tractor coming the other way leaves little room. Keep well left on blind bends and expect farm traffic and mud on the road near gateways. Many lanes have grass in the middle. Parking for bikes is easy in most villages, but the honeypots (Hawes, Aysgarth, Malham, Grassington) fill up on sunny weekends. Fuel is in the bigger villages only, such as Hawes, Leyburn and Grassington, so fill up before heading over the tops.

A suggested day

From Hawes, ride the Buttertubs first while the roads are quiet and the light falls into Swaledale. Take a coffee in Reeth, cross Grinton Moor to Leyburn and follow Wensleydale west to Aysgarth for an early lunch near the falls. Ride the Kidstones Pass into Wharfedale in the afternoon, then take Langstrothdale and Fleet Moss back to Hawes. The loop takes four to five hours with stops, which leaves time for one of the extensions: Tan Hill if you want the highest pub in Britain, or Ribblehead if you want the viaduct in the evening light. If you are staying two nights, save Park Rash and the Wharfedale lanes around Kettlewell and Grassington for a second day.

Bikes and two-up riding

The main loop works on any bike, but the steep descent off Fleet Moss into Wensleydale and the narrow lanes over Park Rash are hard work on a heavy tourer ridden two-up. If that is you, ride Fleet Moss from Hawes towards Buckden instead, so the steep side is a climb, and leave Park Rash out. Low-speed control matters more than power on every road in the Dales.

When to go

April to October. May and June bring the hay meadows into flower; September is often settled and quiet once the school holidays end. Summer weekends and bank holidays are busy around Hawes and Aysgarth. In winter the passes are often closed or icy, and the short days leave little time.

Where to stay

Hawes is the obvious base, right between the passes. Reeth, Leyburn and Askrigg are quieter, and Kirkby Stephen and Sedbergh work if you want to combine the Dales with the Lakes. See all Yorkshire Dales biker-friendly stays. The Lake District passes are about an hour west, the North York Moors about an hour and a half east, and the Peak District about two hours south.