Yorkshire Wolds Cycling Tour

Yorkshire Wolds Cycling Tour Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival in Beverley

Arrive in Beverley which in medieval times was in the top 10 most important towns in England, being the place of pilgrimage to Beverly Minster on the site of an early church built by John of Beverley, Archbishop of York. The town is named after the beavers that used to roam around the rivers here. Today you should have time to visit the Minster, a huge cathedral sized church dating back to 1404, on the site of the original church from the 700s. Also visit St Mary’s the 12th century daughter church of the Minster, built to serve Beverley’s trading community. There is a lively outdoor market and a surviving medieval town gatehouse. There are other interesting buildings as well including The Guild Hall.
Overnight Location: Hotel/BB in Beverley
Distance: None
Meals: None

Day 2 Cycle to Pocklington

Roll out of the suburbs of Beverley and then through the big sky agricultural landscape, punctuated with small strips of forest plantation, there is a good run into Market Weighton, perhaps for lunch. Once the location of Britain’s largest sheep market, it is also the birthplace of William Bradley, Britain’s tallest recorded man. Today the village is celebrated for its quintessentially English farmer’s market, duck pond and pretty red tile roofs. From here there are a few mild climbs and descents passing Londesborough Park and Gardens and the dry valley of Cleaving Coombe bring you into Pocklington – a historic market town. Peace and tranquility can be found in the renowned gardens at Burnby Hall. It is a town of charming, independent shops and boutiques. The beautiful church dates back to before the 15th century and the illustrious Pocklington School has produced luminaries such as William Wilberforce, the slave abolitionist who began his anti-slavery campaign whilst boarding here.

Accommodation: An old posting and market Inn dating back to Elizabethan times. The inn underwent extensive reconstruction in the early nineteenth century, whilst still retaining some of its original features and has been refurbished over the past couple of years. There is a friendly ghost called Charlotte, as featured on television’s Most Haunted. Rooms are ensuite with free wifi, television, hospitality tray and hairdryer.
Overnight Location: Hotel/BB in Pocklington
Distance: 42km
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 Cycle to Malton

A series of climbs and the valley of Pasturdale bring you up to Huggate, with its duck pond and small Inn where Hockney once stayed. In his youth Hockney spent two summers stacking corn, cycling and “falling in love with this part of the world.” Heading on you roll around on top of the Wolds before descending into Thixendale. Nearby is the Robert Fuller Gallery - the artist paints wildlife at his estate with cameras set up in several places. An undulating ride brings you to Kirkham on a point above the River Rye before heading north east into Malton. This is a market town that has provided a welcome for travellers from at least Roman times and is now claimed to be ‘Yorkshire’s food capital’ busy with local stores, bakeries, butchers, micro breweries and restaurants. If you have time, or if you want to take an extra day here, 11 km away is Castle Howard, the ornate, gilded 18th century stately home set in landscaped grounds with fountains, trails and lakes. Even closer to Malton is Eden Camp Museum, an ex-World War II prison camp, now a modern history museum.
Overnight Location: Hotel/BB in Malton
Distance: 51km
Meals: Breakfast

Day 4 Cycle to Hunmanby

The day soon gets underway with a steep climb up Fizgig Hill after Settring Village. The cycling then goes back to more gentle undulations through the fertile farmland and hills of the Wolds, by now a familiar pattern. Finally you descend into Cans Dale and over South Dale to arrive in Hunmanby. The village’s name is Danish, originally ‘Hundemanbi’ meaning ‘farmstead of the hounds men’, relating to the hunting down of wolves on the Yorkshire Wolds. A landslip occurred in 1907 revealing a British chariot burial site from the 1st or 2nd century BC, in which a chariot was buried horse and all. A tumulus on a local farm was opened up to reveal an ancient burial site containing 15 skeletons, Roman pottery, a flint axe and arrowheads. Stroll around the village and admire All Saints Church with its unusual Admirals Arch.
Overnight Location: Hotel/BB in Hunmanby
Distance: 50km
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 Cycle to Driffield

Quite a long day but generally gentle cycling. Although it adds a few kms, you can take a ride off route to the RSPB sanctuary of Bempton Cliffs famed for its breeding sea birds including puffins and razorbills (April to July). More than 200,000 sea birds live on these 100m high chalk precipices over the sea. The next place of note is the seaside at Bridlington, time for a paddle and an ice cream. Just before the town is Sewerby Hall a Grade I listed Georgian country house set in 50 acres of landscaped gardens, recently restored to it’s Edwardian elegance. Then its back inland, cycling along a gentle climb up Rudston Beacon, then a descent into Burton Agnes where you could visit local landmarks which include an Elizabethan manor house, with its haunted hall and a Norman manor house. You finally drift into Driffield (‘Dirty-Field’ in Anglo Saxon). It is named ‘The Capital of the Wolds’, due to its location sitting centrally within the region. It is another charming market town where Wolds produce was shipped down the canal to Hull and out to the rest of the world. There is a good range of pubs and restaurants here.

Accommodation: A class apart, our 18th century listed hotel just oozes style and good taste, with 16 individually styled bedrooms and suites. In keeping with the hotels rich history and quaint market town location, you’ll also find antiques and fine arts throughout. The hotel also boasts an oak panelled restaurant and bar with around 300 single malt whiskies and hand pulled real ales.
Overnight Location: Hotel/BB in Driffield
Distance: 62km
Meals: Breakfast

Day 6 Cycle to Beverley

From here the Yorkshire Wolds Cycle concludes with a shorter day in typical Wolds style, winding around the roads that connect the farms together with the little market villages. The old man-made medieval landscape arrangement still exists. You may notice Dutch influence in some of the buildings in this area. You pass through many farms and a couple of picturesque villages such as Eton and Cherry Burton. Arriving back in Beverley we trust the town will be as welcoming to you as it was to King Charles II, as he stayed in a guest house here for 3 weeks shortly before the start of the English Civil War after being refused entry to Hull.
Overnight Location: Hotel/BB in Beverley
Distance: 32km
Meals: Breakfast

Day 7 Depart

Today is the final day of your time in Isle of Wight, when you departure after your breakfast.
Overnight Location: None
Distance: None
Meals: Breakfast