Fanylion Mountain Bike Team
Official site of the Fanylion Mountain Bike Team. Includes mountain bike ride guides, gear reviews, bike maintenance, team reports and rider profiles of the Fanylion Racing Team.
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Bingley Bash
Click on image above for complete route map
Distance: 15 miles
Time: 2hrs (unless more time spent in Brown Cow).
How to get there: Bingley is located on the A650 between Bradford and Keighley, approximately 12 miles west of Leeds.
Terrain: farm tracks, fireroads, some technical singletrack.
Fany rating: *easy. Ideal for a springtime tootle with the missus (I’ve done it; she loved it!)
1. Start in Brown Cow pub car park, Bingley. This is a wicked pub. Not sure if they’ll let you park there whilst you ride, but make sure you have a pint and a sarnie in there afterwards.
Turn left out of car park, start to climb hill and take first BW right, signed Altar Lane.
Continue up steep fire road to fork. Take left fork. Continue along track to junction at end, turn left to main road.
Go straight over tarmac road, following double track until it narrows and becomes rutted and rocky. Climb up to stile and cross.
2. The field you are now in sometimes has a bull in it (not sure if the farmer is aware of the legalities of this), so be careful. Cross field to gate and turn left then right to follow well made fire road alongside a dry stone wall, down to main road at Guide Inn.
3. At cross roads go straight across (signed Haworth) and take left fork after 200m and descend on tarmac towards village.
4. Just before entering village take BW left signed Sugden House Farm. Pass in front of farmhouse, through gate and follow wall round to right before cutting across field towards gate in far corner. Pass through gate and continue on walled track, crossing two gravel roads before descending to a lamp post marking narrow trail on the right. Climb on narrow track, under railway arch to meet road.
5. Continue on rough road passing poultry slaughter house (nice) on left to meet main road. Turn right along road for 500m then left to Cold Spring Mill café: tea and scones optional. Wicked little singletrack descent and rocky climb over water bars and to another tarmac road.
6. Cross over road and take BW alongside landfill site. Try and ignore the landfill site for sore eyes to your left as you rail it down a rock-strewn stepped gully of the highest order, then come to another tarmac road. Go straight over on heavily potholed estate road and follow track down to picturesque bridge at bottom, climb away from stream and past houses up to another road. Turn right.
7. Climb on tarmac road (note view of viaduct to right) for 300m and turn left onto Nab Lane BW. More singletrack trickery spits you out at another road. Follow to T-junction, turn left and descend to main road.
8. Turn left then right into Smithy Lane. Follow road round to right at end of cul-de-sac and take super technical rocky BW. Can you ride it without dabbing? Maybe even turn round at the top and have a blast back down and try and clean it again! Turn left on tarmac to barn by red metal gate on left.
9. Through gate and another short fast rocky section to farmyard with another (well maintained) red metal gate. Through gate and follow track to road. Turn right than left at end and follow estate road, through ‘no access’ for cars and to main road.
10. Turn left at traffic lights and descend fast on tarmac back towards Bingley, ready for the finale of the ride. Turn left just before bridge onto Beckfoot Lane. Follow road to ford and ride ford without dabbing (difficult in spring when it flows full and fast!). Climb from stream to T-junction, turn right and tarmac blast back to Brown Cow for pint of Timothy Taylor’s, a steak sandwich and portion of chips please.
As Bingley is located on the Leeds-Liverpool canal, this ride can be extended to Leeds to give an
easy ‘epic’. I have ridden it wi' t’Wife from Calverley and back, total ride distance 35miles. Very
nice.
Fany fact
I don't care if it's raining, snowing or hailing... it's Sunday and on Sunday we go biking.