Danger spots

A CTC survey showed York to be the safest place to cycle in Britain, and just a few minutes in the town will demonstrate that it’s much less stressful than London. There’s a courtesy in car/bike interactions that doesn’t exist in many other cities. But that’s not to say it’s all easy.

The one-way system around Fishergate and Fawcett Street, aka the ‘Fishergate Gyratory’, is a notorious junction. New crossing improvements have eased the situation a little, but we’d still suggest finding an alternative route if possible. South of here, Fulford Road (the A19) is busy and difficult, despite on-road cycle lanes, and you may prefer to travel a little further to use the riverside path. 

On the opposite side of town, Bootham Bar (west of the Minster) may be picturesque but also has a poor safety record, with cars regularly running the red lights.

You’ll need to keep your wits around you either side of the railway station – that is, from Queen Street, over Lendal Bridge, up to Museum Street. The narrow road is invariably full of traffic, not least buses turning and pulling out. 

York to Stamford Bridge

Stamford Bridge is a pleasant village just 10 miles east of York, best known for the battle in 1066 that saw the Vikings expelled from British soil – only to be defeated by the Normans three weeks later. The best route from York follows the Way of the Roses, the popular National Cycle Network ride that extends all the way from Morecambe to Bridlington. This is just a taster of it!

Leaving York on the Foss Islands route, minor roads continue to Dunnington. Here a gravelly but solid farm track crosses fields towards Stamford Bridge, where there are cafés and pubs. The cycle route crosses the River Derwent on an imposing viaduct.

York to Selby railway path

When the East Coast Main Line was routed away from Selby in the early 1980s, the old trackbed was kept – partly for a road, but mostly as a cycle path. It became an early project for the embryonic Sustrans, branching out from its Bristol heartland for the first time.

It’s 15 flat, tarmaced miles to Selby, starting on the west bank of the river and continuing through Bishopthorpe and Riccall. This is far from dramatic countryside, of course, but apart from the one mile beside the A19, it’s always a pleasant ride. Selby’s abbey and river swing-bridge are worth a visit. There are regular trains back to York, or you could head back on country lanes via the river bridge at Cawood.

Look out for the scale model of the solar system along the way. We haven’t established which came first: this one or Somerset’s equivalent (beside the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal)!

Ben Swift to launch York’s Sky Ride

York’s traffic-free Sky Ride takes place on 14th September – and Yorkshire cyclist Ben Swift will be among those taking part.

Swift, from Rotherham, will be among over 1,300 cyclists taking to a special closed-road circuit on Saturday. The route follows riverside roads south to the Millennium Bridge, before returning to the city centre on the west bank. It crosses Lendal Bridge, which will be specially closed to cars for the occasion, then passes in front of York Minster.

He said: “Coming from Yorkshire, I am thrilled to be part of Sky Ride York this weekend. It’s a great opportunity to cycle around the city on traffic-free streets and should be a really fun event. There’s so much going on in Yorkshire and with Le Grand Depart in 2014, there’s never been a better time to be on your bike. Look forward to seeing you all there!”

You can register for the Sky Ride at the event’s website.

Cross-town: north-south

The River Ouse path provides an easy, largely traffic-free, cross-town route. A dedicated cycle path starts at Skelton and crosses the meadows, meeting the east bank of the river at Clifton. Crossing the river, Scarborough Bridge has recently been improved and is now a comfortable, wide cycleway. There’s no riverside path in the very centre (south of Lendal Bridge), but you can cycle along Skeldergate until rejoining the river.

The route finally swings away from the river after the Millennium Bridge, where you can swap banks again for Fulford, or continue south towards the railway path and Bishopthorpe.