Are you looking for an adventure or a challenge? Or are you looking for a fun day out in the fresh air with your family? Maybe you’re looking for both? You need to get yourself over to the North York Moors.

The North York Moors is the best kept secret in cycling, whether it’s road, mountain biking or leisure cycling. For an area so vast and varied it still flies under most cyclists’ radars. This despite being a National Park that has hosted world-class cycling events and is frequently the background star of movies and TV shows.

As well as miles of almost traffic-free roads through the iconic purple-heathered moortop plateau, the area also has forested trails and more than its fair share of steep sided valleys for those who like a challenge. The National Park is a fantastic place to ride no matter your level of fitness, skill or cycling persuasion.

The Moors and Shores event, which usually takes place in April each year, is one of the most popular in the Adventure Cross calendar. 

Perhaps the main quality of the North York Moors is that it makes you open your eyes. In every sense. Its terrain demands your attention, whether it’s hustling along a challenging off-road track, or when you’re faced with epic view after epic view on the road. It’s a place where you can’t fail to have your horizons expanded and your expectations exceeded.

To kick things off for first-timers, fanatics and families there is Dalby Forest. Its series of waymarked bikes routes has something for all abilities and it’s all laid out in an easy-to-follow format that allows you to concentrate on the experience rather than navigating.

Switching up a gear, there’s Sutton Bank. Situated on one of the most impressive geological tilts in the UK, it is a genuinely stunning place to ride. It has a perfect blend of scenery and singletrack, making it many riders’ favourite place to mountain bike. Find Sutton Bank Bikes at the Visitor Centre, a great starting point for wonderful road rides and trails which stride the span between waymarked routes and find-your-own-way off-road exploring.

For road purists there are miles of quiet moorland roads running like ribbons through undulating plateaus making you feel like you’re the only cyclist in the world, then dipping into fertile valleys with quaint honeypot villages like Hutton le Hole and Goathland, for those all-important cycle friendly café stops.

For more information on routes in the North York Moors National Park head over to northyorkmoors.org.uk/cycling