The Way of the Roses - Everything You Need to Know
The Way of the Roses
This epic route developed by Sustrans, has got to be one of England’s most scenic and rewarding long-distance cycling routes, stretching 170 miles from Morecambe on the west coast to Bridlington on the east. The journey is a feast for the senses, winding through picturesque villages, historic sites, and rolling countryside. The route offers the perfect bikepacking adventure for both novice and experienced cyclists.
Here’s everything you need to know about cycling the Way of the Roses, from preparation to what you can expect along the way…
The Way of the Roses at a glance …
Start/finish: Morecambe Bay in Lancashire to Bridlington in Yorkshire. Both locations are served by the rail network.
Maps/guides: Sustrans Long-distance cycle map for the Way of the Roses
The route: view this here and download the GPX file here
Ride length: 274km/170 miles
Climbing: 2,235m/7,332 feet
Bike type: Tourer, hybrid, gravel, or mountain bike
Ride level: Novice
When to ride: spring and autumn will be the best seasons, outside of the school holiday season. If the weather’s right, this could also be a brilliant undertaking for a winter break too!
For the want of a relaxing ride (or holiday) …
I know this may sound like blasphemy, and maybe something only to be revealed within the private confines of therapy, but here we go … Every now and then, I have a love/hate relationship with adventure. In particular, I’m thinking back to a moment whilst riding the Badger Divide in October 2023 when I was gibbering with hypothermia in a tent and thinking “why not just do a ride with accommodation!? A ride that also comes with pubs and hot showers, cafes and clean clothes …”
Aged the wrong side of fifty, I find that this is how most (all?) of my mates feel these days. On the condition we wouldn’t be camping, and that there would be plenty of coffee and cake stops, it wasn’t hard to find a buddy for my next bike-packing adventure… A mate of old, Paddy had the time, the ability and the bike, and so was up for joining me in my next endeavour.
Initially we rather fancied creating a route that toured some of the best pubs of the South West, maybe around the Cotswolds. But instead of reinventing the wheel, Paddy and I decided to choose an off-the-peg route that already existed and one that ticked all the boxes: the Way of the Roses. Not too far: tick! Accessible by train: tick! The promise of superb scenery: tick! Littered with cafes and pubs all the way: tick! Historic sites: tick! Abundance of accommodation to choose from: tick! Hypothermic nights in a tent: No! (Tick!)
It seemed strange only taking maybe 30 minutes to pack and prepare the bike for this one. One saddle bag, a frame bag and cockpit pouch. One set of clothes to ride in, and then one set for the evening, plus a lightweight coat. It was a strange feeling. On the one hand refreshing that I didn’t need to overly think about it all or worry I’d left anything behind, and on the other hand feeling as if I was missing out on the best bit of any adventurous journey: the packing, excitement and anticipation.
And so, one bleak September morning, Paddy and I found ourselves on the train to embark upon our adventure together. First things first, we knew there was a statue of the late Eric Morecambe (famous British comedian from the 1970s), and we’d need our picture taking with it – as you do. And it was there that we chanced upon two more cyclists, clad in lycra with their skinny-packed bicycles looking as if they had intent.
Being possibly the two least-shy men in Britain, it didn’t take much for us to ask them if they too would be riding the Way of the Roses? It turned out they were. Faye and Norman were riding this route as part of a supported trip through a cycling holiday company called Saddle Skedaddle who would be transporting their luggage forward and also organising all their accommodation.
Later when we arrived at the official start point of the route we chanced upon two more riders who were also embracing wholly, the whole concept of cycling as a holiday. With rear view mirrors attached to the left side of their helmets I could tell they weren’t locals. Indeed, Lo and Andy were from Utah, USA, but are not Mormons, we later found out. (Apparently, everyone asks).
Lo and Andy, welcomed our offer of assistance with the route finding out of Morecambe. Seconds after setting off, we almost lost them at the first roundabout, and then moments later Paddy and I had our first marital tiff where we disagreed on which way to go. (I never manage my sat-nav navigation well at the start of a ride). He was right, and once more: we were off!
Within the hour the sun had started to shine and slowly we broke out of the city of Lancaster. Just as we were getting into our stride, we entered the first of many idyllic villages: Gressingham. Conscious that we were in no particular hurry it seemed only right that we should explore the church there, St John the Evangelist’s Church. Maybe it’s because my dad used to like to look around old churches when I was a kid, it seemed natural to stop and have a look at this one. Lo and Andy seemed suitably impressed with this ancient place of worship which dates back to the 12th Century. It was nice to show them a bit of what we have here in the UK, and free of charge too!
Indeed, as the days unfolded we were blessed with many such opportunities, and certainly not just village churches but National Trust properties including Fountains Abbey and in York the Minster too.
We crossed the county boundary that is shared by Yorkshire and Lancashire and quickly the iconic hills of the Yorkshire Three Peaks came into view beckoning us forward, with a glimpse of the climbs ahead.
At lunch, we met up once again with Faye and Norman, and our four became a six. Our merry band weaved along the quiet country lanes, revelling in the sun and the wonderful scenery about us.
We were all staying in Settle that night, and so together we finished our day’s ride with some beers at the pub before parting company for our respective accommodation.
Paddy rose at 0852 and put the kettle on, asking me if I wanted a cup of tea? I pointed out that breakfast was in just ten minutes, but he insisted he wanted a brew first! (It was a glimpse into Paddy’s perpetually unpunctual life!) But it didn’t matter, for this ride is not about rushing. Even with what was to be our toughest day, (70Km and three BIG climbs), we still had plenty of time to enjoy a relaxed start to our day.
The day’s ride out of Settle begins immediately with a climb. I defy anyone to manage that hill without looking back and down at least once, to check if there’s any more gears left to drop into… Five kilometres later, despite our relaxed start to the day, we caught up with the four silhouettes on the horizon: our riding buddies Lo, Andy, Faye and Norman. They weren’t resting … just admiring the view. And what a view!
We’d been blessed with autumnal sun for our ride to Settle, and today it looked as if we would have more of the same for the road to Ripon. I’ve ridden this section of the ride before, and remember feeling so elated to be in such a great place on such a great day. Today was more of the same! (Paddy on the other hand was telling us how he’d only ever been up here in pea soup).
And the joy of climbing BIG hills, is the reward of big flowy descents! And right now, we had a good 10Km descent ahead of us. And then following the big flowy, never-ending, disc-melting descent, we stopped in Airton for some coffee and cake, because we could! (Town End Farm Shop was the place, and highly recommend it is too!) We stopped almost long enough to consider staying for lunch too, but that would have been madness.
Our journey continued along roads bounded by centuries old drystone walls with limestone escarpments and bright green grassy pastures beyond. It was like riding through the pages of a James Herriot novel. Lo was over-awed with the scene and must have been stopping to take pictures every half mile – and why not!?
The road descended to Burnsall, where a beautiful village-green is ringed with the U-bend of the River Wharfe. The Red Lion, a grade 2 listed building, clad in ivy, looked just too inviting not to be stopped at, and so we decided to have lunch here. The food was good as were the ales and the service.
One final hill, and a shortish ride to Pately Bridge was all that remained of the day’s journey for our companions. This is the only section of the whole route that goes along some busier roads. Following the big hill was the big descent. Even the road signs warned us to check our brakes as gravity accelerated us downwards. And once we were at the bottom of this white knuckle descent, I poured water onto by brake discs to marvel at its hissing evaporation into a puff of steam.
Accommodation along the Way of the Roses
There’s no shortage of accommodation options along this route. Accommodation ranges from the usual bed-and-breakfasts and historic inns to youth hostels and campsites. You could look for wild camping spots, but somehow on this ride it would feel churlish to seek them out. There is already so much ready accommodation available, wild camping would feel a bit too close to trespass.
At this point we said our final goodbyes to our four friends and headed on for our destination at Ripon. Another hill, just for good measure, awaited. We were hoping that maybe the National Trust’s Fountains Abbey would still be open for us, but our relaxed approach to timings that day wouldn’t afford us every wish and whim. Still, it’s always good to have an excuse to return!
And into the market town of Ripon we rode, seeking our accommodation where we would be staying that night with a mate of Paddy’s.
How long does it take to ride the Way of the Roses?
Depending on your fitness level and how much time you want to spend exploring along the way, this ride can be completed in as little as two days or as long as a leisurely five. (We completed it in three and a half days). It’s suitable for most cyclists, though some sections—particularly in the Yorkshire Dales—are more challenging, with steep climbs and rapid descents. Any bike will work – but good brakes will be needed. (Especially for the descent to Pately Bridge!)
Riding out of Ripon, we knew we were in for a day of relatively flat riding, through the Vale of York and onto Pocklington. Ten miles into the ride and we came upon Boroughbridge, which looked pleasant enough for a morning coffee and cake. A couple of miles later cycling through Aldborough, Paddy dipped into his encyclopaedic depths of trivia and explained the derivation of the name Aldborough. Ald, meaning old and burh meaning fortification. It was about then, that I realised I’d left my helmet back at the cafe!
Whilst I peddled back to the cafe, Paddy perused about the local church – St Andrew’s Church, which dates back to the 14th Century. I returned maybe 15 minutes later and joined him there and was reminded once more how lucky we are to have this ready available history free of charge.
By around lunch time we got to the National Trust property of Beningbrough Park. We’re both National Trust members and so we agreed to pay the place a visit and have lunch there. The highlight of this property, unexpectedly for the pair of us were the two jolly washer-women, cleaning the Victorian lace dresses. (Safe to say – it’s a long process and doesn’t involve a machine).
From Beningbrough it was a relatively short ride through to the ancient city of York. Really, to do this great city justice, we should have spent at least 24 hours here, but it just didn’t seem to fit with our cycling plans, and so it was to be a fleeting visit instead. Since it was turning into a day with a theme for history, we explored the price of an entry ticket to the Minster … And at £25 a pop, we decided that maybe time was too short, or something like that, and settled for an ice cream in the sunshine instead.
Navigating the Way of the Roses
Personally, for long distance routes I would always recommend having and using a bike computer/GPS. That said, Paddy who has done this ride before (with his father-in-law) managed perfectly well without this tech. (My wife also managed to navigate this route without any tech). And it’s true, largely speaking you will see that this route is well sign-posted, and if you also have the Sustrans Way of the Roses Route Map, you should be perfectly fine. You can also download the Way of the Roses Route GPX file here.
We now had 30Km remaining to ride, this day. I think by now I was wearing of the flatness: I like the swooping descents that are earned from big hill climbs. And it was with some relief that we arrived in Pocklington. For us, Pocklington will be remembered as the night we stayed in the worst B&B (think ‘Little Britain’ with a small bowl of cornflakes, and you won’t go far wrong), but also for the night we made friends with the locals and won the pub quiz! The Black Bull turned out to be an excellent venue for a cheap dinner, good ale, and a great night!
Our final day which would lead us to Bridlington on the East coast of Yorkshire, and then home on the train, still had 70Km of riding for us. We knew there would be a few hills too, and so we agreed that for the first time this trip, we’d actually need an early start.
As you escape the domestic rituals and routines of the town, seeing kids walking to school and walkers setting out to walk their dogs, you quickly break out to the countryside once more. I had no idea what to expect, but the contours on my map told me to expect something … That something turned out to be Millington Dale: it was beautiful. Beside us were English Longhorn cattle happily munching away, and ahead the open road. One car passed us to break our peace and solitude, and other than that we had this magical and peaceful valley to ourselves.
And from this vale of tranquillity we passed into the Yorkshire Wolds. The cycling here neither flat nor hilly, just undulating, felt like a forgotten corner of England. There was nobody there! We pressed on at pace, and in good order arrived in Driffield, and on market day too! Before we descended upon a local cafe (no patisseries in Driffield) we looked through the stalls where we purchased some locally made pork pies, and chutney.
With calories on board it was time to see this ride out and we made our final dash, for the coast. Bridlington, as everyone remarks, has seen better days. The old-town it has some of it’s rustic charm, like so many villages and towns before, but then with the weight of gravity, you quickly descend to its underbelly of arcades and theme rides.
Nevertheless, we touched the sea to mark the official end of our super journey, shook hands like gentlemen, and made our way to the chippy for the last prize on our grand tick list – a fish and chip dinner! Thus we enjoyed one last meal, overlooking the harbour, before embarking a train, bound for home.
An unforgettable journey
The Way of the Roses is more than just a cycling route; it proved to be an unforgettable journey across some of England’s most beautiful and historic landscapes. Whether you’re looking for a weekend adventure or a week-long exploration, bikepacking the Way of the Rose will leave you with lasting memories of England’s northern heartlands. So, pack your gear, saddle up, and get ready for an epic coast-to-coast ride!
Where’s next?
For me, it’ll be back to more hypothermia in a tent, hauling my bike up and down the hills of Wales, cycling the Trans Cambrian and Traus Eyri in one go! Watch this space!
My bike …
I ride a Planet X Tempest, a titanium gravel bike. It’s the only gravel bike I have ever owned and I LOVE it. This bike cruised through this ride without any problems whatsoever.
Fitted to the wheels I rode Pirelli Cinturato Mixed 700 x 45 Gravel Tyres, which worked a treat. I have also now fitted a Redshift Suspension Stem – though the jury are still out with that one!
And since Planet X offer lots of kit direct to the public at good prices, I also went equipped with a load of Pod Sacs which they sell.