Yorkshire Dales & Moors motorcycle routes Ride Yorkshire Dales & Moors.

Yorkshire motorcycle routes: dales, moors and farmland

Yorkshire motorcycle routes tend to come in three flavours, and this collection has all of them. There are narrow-feeling valley roads that follow a river between drystone walls, open moorland roads where the view runs away in every direction, and quieter farmland lanes that link one market town to the next. Most are ordinary A and B roads, so they suit a loaded tourer as happily as a sports bike.

Each GPX is a complete loop that starts and ends in the same place, usually a market town with somewhere to park and fuel up nearby. We plan them to avoid U-turns, dead ends, motorways and unpaved tracks, so you can load the file, follow the line and spend your attention on the road rather than the screen.

Motorbike routes in the Yorkshire Dales

If you are searching for motorbike routes in the Yorkshire Dales, the draw is the variety. The national park was designated in 1954 and covers a patchwork of limestone valleys, high fells and stone-built villages, with a good market town at the start of every loop. Valley floors are green and sheltered, while the roads over the tops are more exposed and change character quickly.

Expect plenty of drystone walls, farm traffic and the occasional stretch where the road narrows. Our Dales loops lean towards the wider, two-lane options wherever there is a choice, but this is working farmland, so ride to what you can see and keep something in reserve for blind crests.

North York Moors motorcycle routes

North York Moors motorcycle routes feel different again. The national park was designated in 1952, and a good part of it is heather moorland, with long, open roads that suit an unhurried, sweeping pace. The loops here take in the moors, wooded valleys and, for one or two, the edge of the coast. Heather usually flowers from mid to late August through September, which is a lovely time to be up there.

Some moorland roads are unfenced, so sheep can be on the tarmac or just beside it. Slow down on open stretches, especially around lambing season in spring, when lambs are more likely to dart across without warning.

When to go and what to plan for

Late spring to early autumn gives the longest days and the best chance of dry roads, though upland weather can turn quickly, so pack a waterproof layer whatever the forecast says. Sunny weekends bring the most traffic, particularly around well-known viewpoints, attractions and the busiest villages, so a weekday start or an early departure makes for a calmer ride. Slow-moving farm vehicles and cyclists are part of the landscape here, so be patient and pass only where you can see well ahead.

Fuel can be thin on the ground once you are out on the tops, so fill up before you leave your start town and check your range before you head for the high roads. Most of these Yorkshire motorcycle routes are best taken as a relaxed day out, with a stop for lunch built in rather than squeezed round the edges.

Yorkshire Dales & Moors rides start from Hawes, Helmsley, Kirkby Stephen, Leyburn, Malton, Pateley Bridge, Pickering, Settle, Skipton and Whitby.