October 2025
54°14'43.1"N 0°46'45.3"W
This month’s route is a chuffing brilliant pick and mix of the best XC / Gravel moorland and forestry riding out of the North Yorkshire town of Pickering. That means stunning views, natural and man-made singletrack, picture perfect villages and farms, a few places for food plus a world famous steam railway. That makes it a great day out for all sorts of riders and bikes to be in their exploring element, and while there are some steep climbs they’re relatively short.
The full route is 55km but if that sounds like too much it’s very easy to cut into two halves or just create a shorter loop through Dalby Forest. The MTB singletrack sections are totally optional too, so if you want a more conventional gravel experience it’s easy to stick to fire roads.
POLARIS PICKERING PICK AND MIX
54.4KM, 832M VERTICAL
Start and finish point - The route starts and finishes at the pretty market town of Pickering on the southern edge of the North York Moors. As well as a castle, historic church, local museum and steam railway it’s got a great bike shop, a Lidl supermarket and plenty of places to eat, drink or stay.
Alternatively, you can start and finish at Dalby Forest Village with its surrounding walks, GoApe adventures and bike hire from Dalby Forest Cycle Hub.
what3words ///apparatus.verve.intruding
This what3words address refers to a 3 metre square location. Tap the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find it.
For full navigation data download the GPX file and watch the Strava fly through. Then watch our ride video for a highlights preview of the route.
Stops & shops
Pickering has all sorts of places to get food and drink before and after the ride. Big Bear Bikes is in the centre of town if you need any last minute kit or spares and they also run Dalby Forest Cycle Hub.
Once you’re out of town, the next chance for a snack is the tea hut at Levisham station (12km) but that’s only open on weekends.
The Horseshoe Inn at Levisham (14km) is open from 12 at weekends too.
In summer there’s often an ice cream van at the Hole of Horcum car park (19.5km). Make sure you get a Flake if you don’t want to feel flakey though, as the next stop is 20km later at the Dalby Courtyard Cafe. This is a lovely spot but can get busy in summer and weekends so be prepared to wait.
There’s a tap and toilets here if you’re impatient though, and Dalby Forest Cycle Hub can sell you energy bars and spares.
The main visitor centre and cafe is just up the road at the other end of the car park too.
There’s a Tea Room and YHA at Lockton (44.5km) too but opening times are seasonal so check ahead.
Route information
Pickering - Levisham Station 0 - 12km
We literally get the ride under steam by riding out past the North Yorks Moors Heritage Railway underneath Pickering Castle bank. It’s a natural, easy warm up as you cross the level crossing and then start climbing on the road up to Lydds farm. The good surface, good going and views over to Cropton Forest continue up to 6km at Haugh Rigg where the first bit of off-road double track starts.
At the road junction opposite the Rawcliffe Howe prehistoric burial mount look for the bridleway heading into the woods at your 10 O’clock position. This is a really mellow descent with no nasty rocks, drops or surprises so should be fine on a gravel bike but if you’re unsure just follow the road north as they both get to the same place anyway.
As the road levels out, right turn onto the fire road into the woods and follow it past the pretty cottages until it continues as a singletrack straight ahead. At the gate (10km) carry straight on and take the rocky gulley option if you’re feeling brave or go left to the fire road for a more relaxing roll down. However you get to the bottom, turn left/south to roll down the fire road to Levisham station.
Levisham Station - Hole of Horcum 12 - 19.5km
Once you’ve done your trainspotting and/or tea drinking if the refreshment hut is open cross the tracks, get your pistons pumping up the steep road climb onto the moors. Don’t go huffing and puffing too hard on the first section though, as the second part of the climb is the steepest. The views down along Newton Dale back to Pickering are stunning and as you top out Dalby Forest fills the whole skyline. The superbly preserved medieval moors village of Levisham (14km) is a great picnic or pub stop, but again check the opening times of the Horseshoe Inn before relying on a pint at this point. This is the point where the 25km loop heads south towards Lockton, linking up via the bridleway that runs past the original pre plague site of Levisham where the church still stands.
If you’re doing the full route, it’s out onto the moors proper as you head north from Levisham up the ancient drove road of Limpsey Gate Lane. The moorland plateau gives panoramic views over the burial mounds, settlement lumps, and territory marking dykes of the ancient prehistoric and Romano British landscape towards the Hole of Horcum. Depending on who you believe, this huge scoop out of the landscape was formed by gradual erosion of the many streams and springs in the area or by pagan Giant Wade who scooped out the earth to throw at his wife.
Hole of Horcum - Dargate viewpoint 19.5 - 24.7km
Dropping down to the road, take the gravel multi use path climbing up the right-hand side, looking for the split at the top that takes you across to the bridlepath. If you fancy an ice cream though continue a bit further to the viewpoint car park. This can be busy in summer though, so be careful of pedestrians and traffic.
The story of Wade and his wife is preserved in the name of the ‘Old Wife’s Way’ track that takes you south east towards Newgate brow. Keep an eye out for Fylindales’ MOD radar to the north and a tiny airstrip with biplanes to the south. And if your eye is caught by the incongruous conical lump of Blakey Topping across the valley, then that’s the lump of earth thrown by Wade.
The double track across to Dalby Forest and then along its northern edge, is a proper fast blast but beware the slippery green limestone in the wet.
The viewpoint at Dargate (24.7km) presents you with multiple options for the next leg too. The full route carries on along the forest edge, following the red grade MTB trail. Alternatively, you can follow the green, blue, or orange trail options, or plot your own fire road route back to the Forest Road at Staindale. All of these will lead you back to the Visitor Centre at Dalby where you can rejoin the full route for the final 14km.
Dargate viewpoint - Dalby Village 24.7 - 40km
If you’ve taken the red pill then you’re in for a proper singletrack treat. Dive south into the forest at 25.5km onto a raised section of snaking singletrack through tight trees. This gets tighter and slightly more technical with a couple of small rock drops (think big kerb) and a weird little wooden S ramp after you cross the road but it’s still fine on a gravel bike. The next section after you cross the Forest Drive is smooth, fast and flowing again. Rejoining the Forest Drive you can jump to the singletrack on the far side of the road, but it’s bumpy, lumpy, and quite hard work so we opted to roll along the Tarmac and top up on drinks and snacks. Take the left fork off the road as it curves into the forest, following the fire road along to 31km.
Jump back onto the Red MTB Route here as it rises and falls through the forest, taking the optional ‘bomb hole’ lunge and launch lines if you’re feeling frisky. Cross the fire road at 32.2km straight onto a really fun bob sleigh run of berms and rollers back onto the fire road at 32.7km. Cross straight over again for a gradually climbing, but super fun, all-weather singletrack through the deciduous woodland of Hawdale Rigg, emerging onto the fire road at 34km.
Here you’ll see a sign naming the next section of trail as ‘Oblivion’ which is definitely scare mongering if you’re on an MTB, as the only mild peril are a couple of steep dips and some rough switchback berms on the final descent. If you’re being sensible on a gravel bike though, you should probably just turn left down the fire road at this point.
Either way you’ll end up on same fire road rolling down to Thornton Dale at 37.5km. At the T junction here, turn north (right) towards the visitor centre. Expect a lot of walkers and family riders along this section, particularly at weekends or holidays, and ride appropriately politely.
Dalby Village - Lockton 40 - 44.5km
Dalby village was set up in the 1920s when the forest was created, but the old farm courtyard complex now houses Dalby Forest Cycle Hub and the Courtyard Cafe for repairs and refuelling respectively. There’s also a toilet and drinking water tap if you just want to splash and dash. Walk past the shop (because the sign says so), and mountain bikers can take the opening section of the Red Route switchbacking into the forest before dropping back into Sieve Dale. Gravel riders and those still digesting their lunch stop will probably prefer just to roll up the road past the Visitor Centre and GoApe site. Again, be careful of meandering motorists and free-range urchins on busy days.
At 42km turn left onto the bridleway at High Dalby House, admiring their Japanese style gravel contemplation garden before potentially contemplating that you ate too much at the cafe as you haul up the far side of the valley. At 43km take the impressively overbuilt (it’s got road markings and everything) cycle path gate that rolls you down the side of the main road, crossing carefully half way along to the cycle path on the far side and then taking the back lane to Lockton.
According to our local guide Dom the best food stop is saved till last at the Lockton Tea Rooms, but we’ll have to take his word for it as its currently only open from Thursday to Sunday 10am while 3pm in winter, and we rode through on Wednesday. There is a small Youth Hostel here too though so you could always stay there until it opens.
Lockton - Pickering 44.5 - 55km
Head north out of the village at the central cross roads, dropping down Mill Bank on the road, but make sure you take the uptick bridleway on the left as the road curves right. This takes you along a beautiful woodland flanked valley that’s so secret it doesn’t even have a name however much you zoom in on the map. After a few gates you’ll drop down through the woods to the appropriately named hamlet of Farwath. Not only will you cross the railway line again here, but it’s also the end of the line for all sorts of vehicles that are gradually being absorbed into the surrounding woodland. The rough road out of the valley might be the final resting place of your legs too, as it kicks up painfully at the top.
From here you’ve got the option to head straight on at the crossroads, joining the Pickering road just above Lydd’s Farm where you turned off it a few hours before. To max out your off road though, our route goes through the farm gate, up across the field, and then into the woods on a gradually descending singletrack to High Blansby Farm. From here it’s field side track, and then hardback farm road past a couple more farms to a wood. At this point the official bridleway goes around the edge of the wood and across a field before dropping down to Park Gate. However, according to locals this is pretty chewed up most of the time, so we just continued downhill through the wood on the farm access road instead.
Whichever way you take, once you’re at Park Gate it’s a gentle rise and fall track through woodland back to the Hornby perfect level crossing and signal box at Newbridge. From here it’s just a case of retracing your ride back to the start, hopefully with big grins from a great day out.
