Imagine a badly drawn number 8, lay it on its side and you have the basic outline of the North York Moors Cycleway (NYMC).  This 171 mile route has been described as a "hidden gem" and has been named the best cycle route in the UK and Ireland by Big 7 Travel (no I've never heard of them either.)

Best route in the UK and Ireland, well that's a very difficult topic to agree on, but, hidden gem, I think that's a fair description!

Take a look at the North York Moors National Park and and there are almost no marked on-road cycle routes, they all seem to circle it.  But, the Moors are criss-crossed and intersected by a network of quiet lanes and byways which this route uses beautifully.

Add to that, high moorland with panoramic views, a coast which includes Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay, valleys with tucked away hamlets and villages, great tea rooms and pubs and I agree, you've got a 'hidden gem' of a route.

Being a figure of 8 you can start the route anywhere because you'll be circling back one way or the other.

We split the route into two loops, each loop being about 85 miles over two days. Loop one we started in Pickering and went east staying the night in Whitby.

Loop two we started in Carlton in Cleveland staying over in Helmsley.  So as not to repeat part of loop one we came along Blakey Ridge to Low Moor and Gillamoor then up to Cockayne.

Is it hilly?  Yes! 

12000 feet of climbing over the whole route, fairly evenly spread.

And, if you like a challenge then you can have a go at Rosedale Chimney at Rosedale Abbey, which is one of the toughest climbs in the UK, maxing out at a chain-breaking 30% gradient.

Being on ebikes hilliness wasn't such a factor and there are charging points at the National Park Centres of Sutton Bank and Danby plus there's an excellent tea room in Danby that let's you charge your battery for a small fee. Also, there's Dalby Forest MTB centre where it might be possible to charge up.

It's a lovely route, with a great variety of scenery and many options to modify.  Plus, it has the benefit of two railway lines out of Whitby.  The Esk Valley Line runs along the northern fringes to Middlesborough and the North York Moors Railway runs south to Pickering.

PS:  My last thought is about the Cinder Track that runs between Scarborough and Whitby which this route uses part of.  It's great to be traffic-free on gentle gradients with stunning views over the coast, but, we actually decided to leave it at Robin Hoods Bay and continue to Whitby by road because it was very rutted and rough in many places.