Goat Rating 8/10

Day 1: Arrival and Warm Up Ride – 50km / 867m

Please arrive at the hotel by 2pm. After checking in, prepping your bike and meeting your fellow guests and the FTW team, we’ll head out for an easy spin to check both bike and legs are in good order for the two big days to come.

This first ride is a great introduction to the stunning roads of the Yorkshire Dales. Rolling out from the hotel the route heads east on steadily rolling roads as it follows the River Swale until we reach the charming village of Grinton and our first climb of the day – Greets Moss. This is a reasonably long climb at just over 4km with an average gradient of 7%, topping out at 16%, but we’ll take this one steady and get over it together.

Our reward is a long descent to Castle Bolton and a photo opportunity at the historic castle itself.

From there we begin to head back in the direction of HQ. There are a few kickers along the way but generally this is a nice fast bit of road which will take us back to Richmond, and a cold beverage on the FTW team to celebrate getting the first day in the bag.

Day 2: The Heart of the Dales – 119km / 2,365m

The first ‘proper’ ride of the weekend will see us discover the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, taking in three of Simon Warren’s Top 100 climbs!

Our route initially takes us through some typically picturesque Dales villages before we turn right at Reeth and begin the first climb of the day – Tan Hill. This is a gentle giant of a climb but must be treated with respect – very few climbs in the UK come anywhere close to its 9.9km length and has been known to catch riders out if they go too hard on the bottom! However with it’s average gradient of 2% this is great climb to warm up the legs ahead of what is to come later in the day. Tan Hill’s claim to fame is the famous pub at the summit – the highest in the UK.

Once we have regrouped we descend into the village of Thwaite where the second climb of the day awaits us – Buttertubs Pass. Buttertubs became globally famous after being used in the 2014 Tour de France where it was ascended from Hawes. Our approach is considered by many to be the more challenging way up it and is the “Top 100 Climbs” version, the views along the way are truly spectacular and very Instagram-worthy! Once conquered, we will enjoy a long descent into the market town of Hawes in Upper Wensleydale where we will stop for a well-earned lunch break. Cheese sandwich anyone?

It may be worth taking down an extra espresso before we leave, as our third climb begins 3km out of Hawes and up Fleet Moss. This is the highest road in Yorkshire and certainly challenging at a distance of 5.3km and an average gradient of 6%. As always, we will tackle this as a group with plenty of encouragement and we guarantee a massive feeling of accomplishment once at the top.

Descending to Beckermonds and the valley bottom, we pick up the meandering River Wharf and continue to the handsome village of Buckden and the final ‘categorised’ climb of the day, Kidstones Pass. This is a much gentler climb than Buttertubs or Fleet Moss, although save something in the legs for the steep hairpins through Cray. This is a 3.5km climb with an average gradient of 5%.

Our next point of interest and another fantastic photo opportunity is at Aysgarth, known for its breathtaking waterfalls which have served as inspiration to many including Wordsworth, Turner and even provided a dramatic setting for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (remember that?).

Photographs taken its then on to the last leg of today’s ride which picks up part of the Day One route back to Richmond and a very well deserved drink at HQ.

Day 3: The Southern Dales - 127km / 2,400m

After dinner in Richmond and a good night’s sleep, it’s time to remount for the final ride of the weekend. It’s another serious day in the saddle but one that promises to be full of big climbs and bigger smiles.

Heading out of Richmond via a slightly different approach crossing the River Swale and we’ll be quickly onto the quiet roads the Dales is famed for.

We soon begin to head in a southerly direction and our first photo opportunity of the day comes at Downholme Viewing Point, which provides a stunning view across the valley.

Passing through the market town of Leyburn we descend to the foot of the first climb of the day, the small-ish legwarmer Gale Bank (2.2km at 6.9% average gradient), although over the course of the next 18km we pack in an impressive 400m of elevation as we climb to the top of the fearsome Park Rash. The best news you will have all weekend is that this time we are descending – not ascending – this beast of a hill, but we still need to be very careful on the technical descent – especially around the twin 25% hairpin bends towards the bottom.

There is some respite to follow with around 20km of glorious rolling roads before the last climb pre-lunch and a descent into the picturesque Dales town of Pately Bridge in Nidderdale, famous for the world’s oldest sweet shop and award-winning pies!

Fully refreshed it’s time for one of the FTW team’s favorite climbs in the area and number 145 in Simon Warren’s Another 100 Climbs book, Trapping Hill. Or, as it was christened for the 2019 World Road Race Championships, Cote du Lofthouse. It’s a 3.2km climb with an average gradient of 8%, and the higher we get the better the views are back down the valley towards Gouthwaite Reservoir.

Once we have crested the summit, we drop down into Masham then head north back to Richmond via Catterick Garrison.

Day 4: Departure Day

There is no planned FTW ride on the departure day. This is a chance for a more relaxed morning to recover from the last three days or one last spin to enjoy the Dales before heading home.