Mountain biking near Staithes

While Britain has been covered in blizzards, Staithes and our corner of the North Yorkshire coast has had its own weather window. Duncan and I took the chance to go mountain biking from Dunsley holiday cottage (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk), heading inland to explore for a change. We started a couple of kilometres from Staithes at Loftus. A well-kept bridleway took us past the cemetery, over fields and alongside a beck, to Warren Wood (parallel with Grinkle Lane). Then on a farm track via Handale, crossing a steep-sided beck (good descent! Hard little climb!) up to Liverton. On the far side of the beck the bridleway had been diverted around a farmyard but on our old map it showed straight across a field, which was full of very curious horses... we had a good chat with the farmer, who says walkers who are rude get sent back around the diversion! Into Moorsholm, then turned left up the road., The plan was to ride up to the main A171 but the wind was strong and the mud was deep, so we cut across to Mill Beck, along a bridleway that had been used by offroad motorbikes. What a mess. I ended up pushing most of the way through Spring Wood because the mud was just too deep. The hawthorn woods had been flailed and by the time we crossed the stream and climbed up to farmland, we had six punctures between us... finally made it to Moorsholm and rode the tarmac back to Loftus. If we’d done the full route, and escaped the mud and punctures, it would be a great route, so we’ll have another crack at it if summer ever comes. I'll post more routes once the ground dries out...

Duncan is an expert at puncture repair... after Spring Wood

Mud, glorious mud! approaching Moorsholm