There is so much variety in Herriot Country for Mountain Bike enthusiasts and novices alike. From the routes along the Hambleton Hills to the demands of Dalby Forest, there is something for everyone. Steep sided valleys, moorland heather tracks and twisting tracks all add to the experiences.
With centres at Helmsley, Guisborough and Dalby Forest there’s plenty of action. Dalby Forest was voted as the world’s best XC venue in a recent poll with over 70km of single track. Find out more…
The Cleveland Way takes in Herriot Country with the Sutton Bank Visitor Centre along with the White Horse of Kilburn on route. It’s a great day out for all ages and with village fetes and local farmers markets and other happenings along the route there’s always something for everyone. Special trails happening in Summer 2016 include The Captain Cook Trail and the Long Three Peaks.
The Herriot Way is a 52 mile (84 km) long distance path that runs through some of the best scenery in the Yorkshire Dales; including the world famous Wensleydale and picturesque Swaledale.
Along its length walkers will visit beautiful valleys, high, open fells and rolling, heather-clad moorland. The route crosses one of the highest points in Yorkshire, visits historic monuments and passes through a barren industrial wilderness; laid bare through lead mining. Anyone walking the Herriot Way will have had a fantastic introduction to the Yorkshire Dales.
The walk is named after James Herriot; the fictional name given to the real-life veterinary surgeon who lived and worked in the Dales for many years. In life James Herriot was really Alf Wight and parts of this walk are first described in his book “James Herriot’s Yorkshire”, a coffee table book with stunning photographs by Derry Brabbs.
Herriot Country walks for families can start at the World of James Herriot with themed rooms, an interactive vets’ surgery and farm, special kids’ activities and a mock-up TV studio.
A short drive away and ideal for a walk with kids is to Big Sheep and Little Cow Attraction where they can feed calves and lambs, cuddle goats, give the pig a bath, ride ponies, take a farm quiz and buy home-made ice-cream to take home. There’s also the Falcons of Thorp Perrow, a birds-of-prey and mammals centre with flying displays, as well as an arboretum and woodland walks (including fungi hunts and Halloween trails).
© Herriot Country Tourism Group 2016
