Buy the OS Route Map and instructions for this route

Famous for its acres of heather and wonderful moorland singletrack, there’s actually a lot more to the North York Moors than most mtb’ers think, and this little gem has it all: rough, rocky and eroded gullies; broad, open, well-surfaced jeep tracks; steep ups; even steeper downs; and of course, mile after mile of North Yorkshire scenery.
The opening climb is the toughest, and the jumbled stones of the man-made path onto Round Hill make a clean sheet impossible. But the descent into Bransdale makes it all seem worthwhile, and if you can clean the whole caboodle, you can really consider yourself in the elite category. The climb onto Urra Moor is long rather than steep, but there’s a wonderful distraction at half distance, with a great switchback drop to Tripsdale Beck.
The ever-encroaching shooter’s tracks have swallowed some of the final section of singletrack, but what’s left is still big fun; and that pitched path that made life so difficult at the start, is definitely a whole lot more enjoyable in descent.