The Way of the Roses is one of the UK’s great coast to coast cycle routes. Best cycled from west to east to take advantage of the prevailing winds and favourable gradients, traditionally you start by dipping your back wheel in the Irish Sea at Morecambe and finish when your front wheel splashes in the North Sea at Bridlington.
The Way of the Roses
The 171 mile route is part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) and was completed in 2010. It takes in some stunning countryside including the Lune Valley, Forest of Bowland, Yorkshire Dales, Nidderdale, the Vale of York and the Yorkshire Wolds as well as the historic cathedral city of York and beautiful market town of Ripon. There’s a mix of car-free dedicated paths as well as cycle lanes and quieter roads – almost every surface including road, cinder track, tarmac, earth and stone. Expect to peddle hard, particularly near Settle where you climb to just over 400 m (1,300 ft). The route can take anything from 2 days for the keen cyclist to a week for those who prefer a more sedate cycle.
Cycling your way to a longer life
It is a fantastic time to take up cycling as a sport. With over 14,700 miles of signed cycle routes to NCN standards in the UK, the choice of scenery and difficulty rating is varied and multitudinous. There are many good and researched reasons for cycling including losing weight, doing your bit to save the planet, sleeping better, boosting your brain power. It has also been shown that taking up the sport will, statistically, increase your life span. King’s College London compared over 2,400 identical twins and found those who did the equivalent of just three 45-minute cycle rides a week were nine years ‘biologically younger’ even after discounting other influences, such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking.
Those who exercise regularly are at significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, all types of cancer, high blood pressure and obesity,” says Dr Lynn Cherkas, who conducted the research. “The body becomes much more efficient at defending itself and regenerating new cells.
Many companies, including English Lakes have signed up to the Cycle to Work scheme, a government backed scheme which enables employees to save on average about 50% of the cost of a bike. So all in all, there are many reasons to consider this as your sport of choice!
Make The Midland part of the Adventure
There’s plenty of accommodation along the Way of the Roses but whether you are doing it west to east or east to west, why not start or finish your trip at the iconic Midland Hotel in Morecambe where we are happy to provide secure storage for your bike and a little relaxed luxury before or after your cycling adventure.