Grinton, North Yorkshire.

The first weekend in October was an opportunity for a trip to North Yorkshire with an overnight stop at Grinton youth hostel. When booked the weather forecast was less than ideal however, the outlook improved, and the weekend was bright if cool. 

The journey started with a trek up the A1, before turning off to go cross-country. Within a few miles the roads and scenery improved dramatically. The route passed through Otley before a coffee stop at Skipton both lovely towns but both with multiple roadwork and horrendous traffic. The cars must have been stuck for an age, but it didn't take too long to filter to past the standing traffic. Leaving Skipton on the A65 I Travelled for another few miles before heading north on minor roads passing through Bell Busk and Airton before stopping again at Settle.

It looked like every biker in the north of England had had similar ideas and Settle marketplace was packed with bikes and the roads over the next few miles was similarly busy with motorcycles. Over the next hour, it became clear why there were so many bikes. The roads in the area are spectacular as are the views. Miles of sweeping curves and views over the moorlands made for great riding. A photo stop at Horton in Ribblesdale for the obligatory picture of the viaduct before pressing onto Grinton. Pictures also came from the road side with a photographer who was selling his images online. 

I had planned to take the Buttertubs Pass and then Tan Hill before heading to the overnight stop. However, I clearly need to reread the instructions for the Garmin as it missed this leg and directed me straight to Grinton. The Garmin XT is fairly new and has a lot of different options, if you're following a preset route the auto-reroute option needs setting to off. 

After a bit of  fiddling with the Garmin I diverted to Tan Hill the Inn being England's highest. For those of a certain age the Tan Hill inn brings to mind Ted Moult and his feather (see link below). Having just watched the YouTube clip it seems clear that motorhomes were not common in Ted's time, whereas now the area around the Inn is full of them. I managed to arrive at the precise moment the kitchen closed so got to see the food coming out but not to eat any. I had a quick pint of Black Sheep before heading down the hill to Grinton lodge.  This was once a shooting lodge for the wealthy now one of the YHA's hostels and a listed building making a good night stop.  

The following morning started with one of the YHA's unlimited breakfasts.  The ride back again passed over a rather misty and wet Buttertubs Pass eventually getting back to Skipton for Coffee before heading home.  

The roads and views in this area of North Yorkshire are superb and well worth a trip, great biking roads and good cafes, and apart from a few spots little traffic.  

Unfortunately on getting home I managed to lose most the pictures I had taken  and only a few could be recovered with some file recovery software. 









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