Bike Route: Welcome return to Wolds way

I love a free car park and the one on Eastgate in Driffield once again proved the perfect base for my travels. The Tour de Yorkshire bunting was still flying proudly as I exited to the south of town and no sooner had I crossed the railway tracks than I was out in open countryside and heading towards Skerne. From there I continued on to Hutton Cranswick and I was heartened to see the small butchers doing a roaring trade as I pedalled alongside its gigantic village green. Once I’d crossed Beverley Road I was surrounded by wheat fields and although it was pretty flat out there, the wind slowed my progress as I was battling head and side winds for the next seven miles or so.

The next village I reached was South Dalton and the spire of St Mary’s Church emerged impressively from the trees as I approached it. I was surprised to see such a tall steeple and later learned it is Grade I listed and stands over 200 feet tall. The houses in South Dalton were equally striking with their Tudor-style fronts and the pond I passed (which is technically a mere) was another charming feature.

The quaint locales came thick and fast after that, with Etton, Bishop Burton and Walkington all special in their own right and places I’d happily visit again in the future. The only real ascents of note came either side of Little Weighton, and while both had me shifting into my small chainring, they would have barely warranted a mention in more mountainous parts of the county. From there it was downhill pretty much all the way into Hull and I particularly liked the fast but gradual descent into Skidby.

When I reached the roundabout just before Cottingham signs were warning me that the road into town was closed but I decided to risk it and was fortunate to find that while the route was indeed blocked outside the High School, the pavement was not and I could easily pass through. I skipped the town centre via South Street and hung a right at the roundabout on to Hull Road. If you don’t fancy venturing into the centre of Hull on your bike, you could make a detour at this point and catch a train back to Driffield from Cottingham station, but I pressed on.

Not surprisingly, the traffic became progressively busier as I headed into the city but it never became overbearing and there were cycle lanes for much of the way. I picked up signs for the railway station (Hull Paragon Interchange) on Park Street and after I’d crossed the bridge over the tracks I took a left turn on to Anlaby Road and followed the bus lane all the way to the station itself. From there I hopped on a train and was back in Driffield 35 minutes later and only a short pedal back to my car.