I’d had this planned in the diary for quite some time but it just so happened it fell on the same weekend as the Tour de Yorkshire, add some amazing sunshine and you have an incredible weekend of bike packing!
The last time I was on a bivy adventure was Torino Nice rally last year so it felt really good to get back out on the bike fully loaded.
I’d originally planned my route via Komoot with the intention of adapting it along the way depending on how I was feeling or how fast I was peddling. One of the great advantages of using Komoot is you can plan a route in advance and easily change it along the route using the app for smartphone. As far as route plotting apps go, this is at the top of the list!
Lanes, lanes and more lanes. The perfect ingredient for a weekend filled with bikepacking. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Yorkshire Dales in such beautiful sunshine before!
Heading out from my home in Leeds, I decided to take the more scenic route out of the city, heading over the tops of Ilkley Moore towards skipton before entering the Yorkshire Dales.
My overnight setup was perfect for this particular trip – you can see my general kit list here (It’s pretty much the same as my Torino Nice rally setup).
I wasn’t in any particular rush to get to Hawes, given the amazing weather and incredible scenery you can see why! I’d planned on meeting some friends later that evening too, I was due to arrive around 5 and them a bit later so the longer I stretched it out the less time I would need to wait.
Towards the end of the route, I couldn’t resist plotting in Fleet Moss, a notoriously difficult climb over that leads to Hawes.
One of those climbs I love to hate. The views always make it particularly worthwhile, especially on a day like this!
I arrived at the campsite at about 5:30 as planned. Admittedly, I was a little nervous of pitching as the majority of times I’d bivyed were in climates that didn’t need shelter in case of rain. The Yorkshire Dales can be so unpredictable so, despite the good weather, I wasn’t willing to chance it over night.
After a wee bit of tinkering, trying a few different methods, I figured using my wheels to hold up the shelter was the best way. Despite my concerns as for the wheels falling over, it was surprisinovernight over night!
There’s something so satisfying about being able to cycle to a destination with everything you need for a comfortable camp out. Emma and her pal joined me just before last orders, we grabbed some food and enjoyed a couple of beers before we hit the bivys.
I was surprisingly warm overnight which was a relief, there was a lot of condensation on the tarp in the morning and on the bivy but other than that, everything else was dry.
We had a relaxed start in the morning, got our stuff together, and on our way. Emma had suggested an alternative route up an old Roman road up the back of fleet moss. The surface was rough and rugged, a real test even for a bike with suspension! The road was as endless as it looks in the image!
Again, the views at the top made it all the more worth while!
Back on to the roads we made our way towards kettlewell where we decided to watch one of the sprint sections just before one of the main climbs in the Tour de Yorkshire. The whole atmosphere was absolutely incredible and it was amazing to see so many cyclists and supporters out spectating!
The peloton flew past within the space of 5/10 minutes. Not only was it incredible to see the pro’s but it was also amazing to see the organizers turnaround the event around, moving all the railings and ensuring all the riders are safe along the route. Phenomenal organising!
Over all it was an incredible weekend, particularly made so by the sunshine and the Tour de Yorkshire vibes!