Moors mooch

MY walking boots still gathering dust, I was missing the Moors so decided to explore them by bike instead. I chose a road that loops into and out of Bransdale in the heart of the National Park and is also essentially a road-to-nowhere, just the sort we cyclists seek.

My start point, Helmsley, soon seemed like a distant metropolis as I passed through Carlton, the final village for many miles. Enlivened only by the great view at Cowhouse Bank, this initial stretch of route was a bit of a slog, I have to admit. Seen one patch of heather, seen them all, I guess. Every time I scaled a hill top I was convinced that my lunch stop lay in the next hollow but it didn't. At the end of an exhilarating 1 in 6 hill, I shot up and down and around hidden bends as if I was on a bobsleigh run before rapidly slowing down on the flat as I entered a field of black-faced lambs. Oblivious to their visitor, they continued to jab away at their mother's underside.

A few, more gentle turns later and I could at last open my sandwich box, beside the yard of St Nicholas Church in the hamlet of Cockayne. The splendour of the dale was spread before me. All I could hear were the birds, a stream and the distant ba-ahing of those sheep. Bliss. Not a single vehicle passed; in fact, only five had overtaken me all morning. The church was built in 1886 to replace a chapel which had connections with a priory at Keldholme. Despite being so remote, it holds services on the first Sunday of each month at 2.30pm.

I was sad to leave the head of the valley behind and kept turning for a final look but at least now the cycling was easier with the wind behind me and the gradients more tolerable.

I had one more treat in store - the so-called "surprise view" at Gillamoor. A plaque in the adjacent wall features these lines, attributed to a 'Keble': "Thou who hast given me eyes to see and love this sight so fair, Give me a heart to find out thee, And read thee everywhere." Had I been a religious man, I think I would have been heading back to that church. Inspirational.

I wouldn't apply the same adjective to Kirkbymoorside. It wasn't the Little Helmsley I'd expected and, moreover, didn't have a single tea room that was open. The edge of a field in Wombleton and the last dregs of my waterbottle had to do for refreshment purposes. My legs were tiring as I passed through Harome, several of its houses seemingly seeking to emulate the pristine thatch of the renowned Star Inn restaurant.

I returned to Helmsley to mingle with a melee of menacing motorbikers. In appearance at least, I suspect they were more fearsome and better helmeted than the Parliamentarians that laid siege to the town's castle in the Civil War. One leather-clad group belonged to The Chopper Club, according to the backs of their jackets. I won't be applying for membership. A vehicle more akin to the Seventies' bike of the same name is how I like to mooch around the Moors.

Directions:

Distance: 28 miles.

Time: 3 hours plus stops.

Pub: The refurbished Royal Oak in Gillamoor looks a good bet.

Directions: Leave Helmsley on the A170 travelling east. On the edge of the town turn left to Carlton. Follow this road all the way around Bransdale, through Gillamoor and to Kirkbymoorside. Take the A170 west to Helmsley but, to avoid the main road, turn left after 1 miles, to follow a minor road linking Welburn, Wombleton and Harome before reaching the start.

This route is featured in the North York Moors Cycling Map published by Golden Eye.

Click here to view a map of the ride