"Oh man, not another one of those things!" Christoph frowns and tilts his head back slightly to follow the road uphill. Somewhere in Yorkshire, between Westerdale and Rosedale, right next to a sign announcing a 25 per cent gradient, the fun takes a break. The sheep, which had already trotted away from us and off the road, nibble their way back onto the tarmac. All-clear: the crazy tourists need to take a breather. Looks like we overdid it on the previous hills.
Yorkshire and the coastal North York Moors National Park in particular are incredibly steep. The ramps hit your legs like a punch to the thigh. If you don't humbly respect that, you have to suffer. Even now, at the end of a summer season with many thousands of metres of ascent, the ups and downs between the Moors above and the Dales below cannot simply be cranked away. Not with Christoph's 31/36 reduction, not with my 38 to 44 teeth. The Dales, the hollows in the highlands, are about 100 metres above sea level, the Moors above are rarely more than 300 metres high. Surely that shouldn't be a problem? Yes, it can be, and it will get even tougher: There are still several kilometres and a few degrees to go before you reach what is supposedly the steepest road in England, the "Rosedale Chimney" with a gradient of up to 33 per cent.
Time stopped
But pain aside. We didn't come here to compete against physics in a kind of mobile leg press. The kneading is an unavoidable part of the experience, but ultimately only the way to the goal. The National Park area is about travelling in a landscape so rare and special that the British government decided in 1952 to preserve it and - against the opposition of many large landowners - open it up to visitors. Nowhere else in England are there such large areas of heathland, and rarely have hamlets been preserved as timelessly as in the green hollows in between. It's as if the government ordered a loud "Freeze!" 70 years ago to halt the passage of time. Or, for friends of funny clay figures: it looks like a backdrop from the animated film "Shaun the Sheep".
Or like the perfect backdrop for a hunting fashion catalogue with stock boots, wax jackets and reed-green Land Rovers. Incidentally, no one who rolls through this beauty with their eyes and ears open will miss the hunting theme. Sometimes there is a line of shotgunners on the crest of a hill, sometimes there is a bang from afar, as if fireworks were being organised in broad daylight. Hunting tourism is the most important business here, more important than sheep farming. It is mainly fowl such as grouse and pheasant that are shot.
If you scroll through the countless results of the online search for local hunting in your hotel in the evening, your gaze inevitably penetrates the picturesque surface. Some things seem more than strange to us outsiders: hunting here is a pastime of the upper class and rich tourists, for which birds are fattened in breeding farms to make the most entertaining targets for shotgun shooters once they are released into the countryside. There are not just a few, but over 50 million farmed birds across England every year. We hear of €10,000 hunting weekends where participants are promised to shoot 300 birds a day - many times more than they could and would ever eat. Credible sources such as the newspaper "The Guardian" report on masses of buried prey. Even on the menus of regional restaurants, the animals killed for fun hardly appear.
Shooting party on living beings
Reading about shooting festivals on living creatures, where champagne is served during breaks in shooting and where paid helpers reload the shotguns of the huntsmen in favour of a higher rate of fire, makes me frown. Several thousand tonnes of toxic lead are legally dumped into the landscape. The native predators have already been decimated by the organisers, as they could threaten the artificially increased bird population (and a few protected species). The landscape in the North York Moors National Park also owes its special appearance in part to the hunting business. The open heathland and bracken are perfect grouse territory. If they were not deliberately grazed and burnt in places, bushes and later trees could reclaim the areas - at the beginning of the Iron Age around 8,000 years ago, deciduous trees still stood on the now bare ridges.
Bam! The pressurised refuelling with this background information briefly confuses me like a wet rag to the face, but on the way the route takes all my attention. Where it goes up steeply, it also goes down steeply. The fat tyres with a maximum pressure of three bar provide the reassuring extra grip on damp asphalt. Burnt hollows in the road surface are evidence of spinning tyres when starting uphill, and many steep sections are lined with piles of coarse sand and grit as a starting aid. If the winters here were as harsh as those in the Alps, the 25,000 or so inhabitants of the area would hardly be able to get out of their valleys, even with four-wheel drive.
The sky is as wide as in the American West
The climb out of one of the many "dales" is increasingly gentle after an initial struggle with gravity. At the very top, before the completely unmarked ribbon of rough tarmac plunges into the next dip, the sat nav unmistakably commands a bend to the right, away from the road. A roughly gravelled double track for off-road vehicles and quads stretches gently across the brown heathland to the horizon. The sky seems as wide as in the American West.
It would be negligent not to stop here for a few photos. And then it gets draughty. The wind, which had been pushing us uphill so strongly as a tailwind, forces us to put on an extra layer of clothing when we come to a standstill. There is no forest, not even a bush to protect us from the strong sea breeze. Combined with rain, this would make things extremely uncomfortable - it's not just grouse that are very exposed on the bare surfaces. Although the area has no more rainfall than an average square metre in Germany, we've stuffed solid rain jackets and even rain shorts into our bikepacking bags.
The four-wheel drive track is as rough as a track bed in places. Sometimes on grass, sometimes on gravel, it heads towards a flat hump. The free-roaming sheep are gone faster than the frantically dragged camera can focus on them, but a bizarre sound can be heard from the carpet of herbs.
When animals talk to each other in cartoons with a human speech melody but without real words, it sounds similar. Don't move ... A bird's head with two red beads and white spectacles around its eyes appears between the dry heather bushes, with a kind of white fur boot around its feet - a grouse that cleverly flies off as soon as it sees humans.
Three fried eggs for the monster climb
The next morning is windless. The early haze smells of autumn leaves and brown coal, but the beast better known as "Rosedale Chimney" or "Chimney Banks" lurks outside the peaceful country hotel. Immediately to the left behind the hotel exit begins what is said to be the steepest country road in England. It warns aspirants with a sign that announces the gradient as "1 in 3" rather than a percentage. With a "full English breakfast" including three fried eggs in your belly and no run-up, that sounds a bit daunting. However, as there are only 150 metres of elevation gain in total, pushing would also be an option.
As soon as the climb gets even noticeably steeper, I push the chain onto the 44 sprocket. That's all I can do, and the first few metres don't feel bad at all. A few hikers come towards me at the side of the road and greet me with a friendly "good luck". Good luck? With what? Well, I guess so: after a right-left combination, the road simply goes straight as an arrow up the slope. That's probably what it looks like when you ski jump from the bottom. The front wheel starts to lift off with every kick, time to get up. Is it dishonourable to ride serpentines? Okay, just very briefly, nobody can see ... The rear wheel creaks, your back tenses up, but the really nasty section is manageable in the end.
Accessible museum
The rest of the day feels strangely easy. Almost museum-like villages like Hutton-le-Hole pass by, tiny roads lie across the landscape like draped soft ribbon noodles, drivers wait patiently for an opportunity to overtake. A green valley is followed by a brown moor and a "Wow!", again and again.
The fact that we have found this magnificent route is no coincidence, but the work of a professional: Dominic Barry is around thirty, looks fit and develops cycle tourism as an employee of the national park. He drops by our hotel briefly after work. "A national park like this is always a tourism product," he says. "It's not about locking people out, but about a sustainable economy." He then traces our big eight on the map with his finger, explaining special features, views and the trail park, where mountain bikers crank up easy trails and roll downhill again on more challenging paths. Dominic has a whole list of events of all cycling disciplines in his head that incorporate the park as a highlight. Last question before we part company: And yourself? Yes, there is also an event on his personal list. In three days' time, the Ryedale Cycling Club will be reviving a classic after a long break - the mountain time trial up Rosedale Chimney Bank ...
Information about the Yorkshire Gravel Tour
Journey
Train and ship: The journey as an experience: Our starting point and destination Scarborough is located midway between the ferry ports of Kingston upon Hull (which is served from Rotterdam) and Newcastle, where ferries from Ijmuiden near Amsterdam dock. Both ferry services depart daily in the afternoon, travel overnight and land in England in the morning. Tickets cost from around 120 euros in a twin cabin. Hull is connected to Scarborough by train every hour without changing trains. The railway line from Newcastle ends in Whitby, which is also on the route.
Rotterdam - Hull: www.poferries.com Amsterdam - Newcastle: www.dfds.com
Flight and train: The connection from Manchester Airport is relatively favourable. From there, take the train (Transpennine Express) via York to Scarborough in just over two hours. Book a bike parking space.
Best time to travel
End of April to end of October. Even though it rarely snows inland, the winter half-year is more likely to pass as an endurance test. It definitely doesn't get too hot in summer. The flowering of the heather in September is a visual highlight. Statistically speaking, the hill country has 700 to 1,000 millimetres of annual precipitation, which is around the German average.
Food & Drink
A gravel tour of this kind offers little opportunity for practical culinary tests. The hotel restaurants in the "Owl at Hawnby" and the "Horseshoe Inn" in Levisham scored with unusually good cuisine, at slightly higher prices than in Germany. Inexpensive snacks are available in the coastal towns. The "Yorkshire pudding", a regional speciality, is neither meaty nor sweet, but a tasty side dish made from choux pastry, usually shaped like a small bowl. The pastry is dipped into the sauce (usually with meat dishes) one piece at a time.
The Indian restaurant in Scarborough provides a tasty vegetarian alternative
Royal Tondoori
10 Queen Street
Scarborough
Tel. +44 1723 354324
tandooriscarborough.co.uk
Bike service
Richardsons Cycles Scarborough
Castle Road 38-40
Scarborough YO11 1XE
Tel +44 1723 352 682
www.richardsonscyclesscarborough.co.uk
Large Cube dealer with workshop, in the centre of Scarborough
Radevents
Yorkshire is a cycling region. Even though the first two stages of the 2014 Tour de France took place further inland, there are various traditional cycling events in the area - including the irregular mountain time trial up Chimney Bank near Rosedale with a dreaded 33 per cent maximum gradient.
The 160-kilometre long and 2,800-metre altitude climb is a timed racing bike event. "Struggle Moors" in June. Reports via ridethestruggle.com At the less competitive end of the gravel bike scene is the two-day bikepacking event "Yorkshire Coast Dirt Dash" with overnight camping. Here, gravel enthusiasts take on two stages under the tyres at the end of June. dirtdash.cc/yorkshire
Info
The extensive website of the North York Moors National Park (northyorkmoors.org.uk) contains well-prepared information about the park and its nature as well as route tips for cyclists of all disciplines - unfortunately only in English.
You can also find mapped out gravel routes on the website routeyc.co.uk/cycling
Accommodation
Hotels are not cheap, especially in this region, which is characterised by high-priced hunting tourism. Double rooms with breakfast can easily cost 140 to 180 euros. Due to the sparse population, a hotel with its own restaurant is recommended. We stayed in these hotels and were very satisfied:
SCARBOROUGH: Bike + Boat Hotel
1 - 6 Cliff Bridge Terrace, Scarborough, YO11 2HA
Tel. +44/1723/655555
Double room/ F from 130 euros Modern and originally styled, casual hotel with - depending on the room - top views towards the sea. Own bike cellar, restaurant in the building. Advertised as "dog-friendly" and booked accordingly, so no room for dog allergy sufferers.
www.bikeandboot.com/scarborough
ROSEDALE ABBEY: White Horse Farm Inn
Gill Lane, Rosedale Abbey, North Yorkshire, YO18 8SE, United Kingdom
Tel. +44/1751/ 417239
Double room from 145 euros, breakfast extra Traditional, cosy country inn with views and beautiful terrace at the foot of Rosedale Chimney.
www.whitehorserosedale.co.uk
HAWNBY: The Owl
Tel: +44 1439 330180
DZ/F from 170 Euro Small, stylish and dignified hotel in the hamlet of Hawnby. A spot for upmarket country life could be filmed here without any conversion work. Very good, regional cuisine (with little choice for vegetarians).
www.theowlhawnby.co.uk
LEVISHAM: The Horseshoe Inn
Tel. +44 1751 460240
Double room/F from 135 euros Family-run country inn with style and charm at the quiet end of the already remote village of Levisham.
www.horseshoelevisham.co.uk
Orientation
The 1,400 square kilometre North York Moors National Park is the centre of the eight-shaped loop. It lies roughly halfway between England's southern tip and Scotland's northern end on the east coast of England, north-east of Leeds. The almost treeless uplands reach up to around 400 metres in height, while the main valleys are around 100 metres high.
Route character
Despite the manageable distances and metres in altitude, the daily stages are no walk in the park. Wind and extreme, often short climbs require strength - a gear reduction is strongly recommended to conquer gradients of between 20 and 30 per cent. The overall low proportion of gravel (less than a fifth of the total route) varies in grain size between "castle park" and "track bed plus". Standard gravel tyres, 40 or 45 millimetres wide, are sufficient. Car traffic is mostly very light outside the summer season. Some roads are too narrow for overtaking. If necessary, courtesy dictates that patient drivers should be allowed to pass. Parts of the route lead through open pastureland. Caution: Sheep grazing at the roadside can be frightened and jump into the line of traffic. There are hardly any supermarkets or bakeries, so always pack provisions in your luggage or jersey.
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Routes
Day 1 (red): Surf and Peat | Scarborough - Rosedale Abbey
85 kilometres | 1,300 vertical metres | max. gradient approx. 22%
Depending on the state of the tide, a few metres on the firm sandy beach are possible at the beginning, then the route turns inland and keeps its distance from the sea. The route to Whitby is mainly undulating on the "Cinder Track", a former railway line that is rough in places. The route near the village of Ravenscar offers the best views of the cliffs and the sea. A few kilometres after Whitby, we leave the railway line, and a steep hollow path forces us to push. The gravel track to the "Danby Beacon" monument could be bypassed on tarmac, but you would miss out on a scenic highlight. This is followed by some of the typical ramps around the small settlements on the valley floor. A few kilometres before Rosedale, there is a final, long and crisp climb - apart from the very last, manageable metres in altitude to the hotel. A high proportion of gravel in the first half of the route, then predominantly tarmac.
Refreshments: Numerous options in Whitby, difficult afterwards.
Day 2 (violet): Torture yourself, you ramp sow! | Rosedale Abbey - Hawnby | 81 kilometres | 1,400 vertical metres | max. gradient 33%
After the "Rosedale Chimney", which is advertised as having an incredible 33 per cent maximum gradient, and a few kilometres of undulating plateau, the roughly tarmacked road emerges into the picturesque hamlet of Hutton-le-Hole with a pretty café at the crossroads. If the weather is bad, this is a good place to wait it out, as it's steep and breezy up to Helmsley. After Helmsley, the hills initially flatten out to an undulating road bike level, only to build up again after the National Park boundary behind the ruins of Byland Abbey on a single-lane road. At the top, on the southern edge of a small airfield, the 100 metre long land art work "White Horse of Kilburn", which looks like a quarry from below, can be visited with a short detour. A drone would provide a better view - or simply an online satellite map. The final ramp of the completely tarmac stage leads to the accommodation, "The Owl at Hawnby".
Refreshment stop: Helmsley petrol station shop. The route crosses the wide A 170 east of Helmsley, where there is a large petrol station. We pragmatically set up shop with snacks in a bus shelter. The better-stocked town centre is a little to the west.
Day 3 (yellow): Across, up and down | Hawnby - Levisham
95 kilometres | 1,700 vertical metres | max. gradient 30%
The four stages form a horizontal "figure of eight" whose lines intersect at Danby Beacon, the torch-shaped monument known from the first stage. If you still have excess energy after the first two stages, you can get rid of it on this one. After beautiful mini-roads behind Hawnby, the route leaves the moors and national park, runs pleasantly undulating past Stokesley - and climbs the barren plateaus a second time, up to the torch-shaped monument. There are a few nasties lurking in this second half of the stage. There is a tarmac "chicken way" as an alternative to the gravel section between Lealholm and Egton Bridge: you cross the river in Lealholm on the road and continue via Glaisdale to Egton Bridge. The longest steep climb of the day starts there. The toughest climb, however, is probably the 100 metres in altitude from Levisham railway station up to the village: a 25% gradient awaits for the finale.
Refreshments: Egton Bridge, Horseshoe Hotel; with a nice, rustic inn on the outskirts of Egton Bridge. Tables in the garden. Toast and tea during the day. Or beer.
Day 4 (blue): Down to the beach | Levisham - Scarborough
70 kilometres | 700 vertical metres | max. gradient 25%
A few kilometres after the start, the route swings through a family-friendly "trail park", where mountain bikers whizz around on trails, some of which could also be fun on a gravel bike. The mountains gradually peter out and there is comparatively heavy car traffic on the plain. Nevertheless, the southernmost point of the tour is worth the extra loop: Filey is a relaxed seaside resort with a beach promenade and various options for a snack. The rest of the route to Scarborough oscillates around the unpleasant car roads wherever possible - and then swings up another 100 rewarding metres to the panoramic Oliver's Mount above Scarborough with its monument and café just before the finish. The stage doesn't quite have the charm of the previous sections, but adds new impressions to the picture.
Refreshments: Angela's Tea Room in Filey, The Crescent; classic tearoom on the steep slope to the beach promenade, snacks and drinks with a view. Only open during the day.
