Promote and encourage responsible cycling by supporting world class events that showcase the National Park, enabling the development of four ‘cycle hubs’, and creating at least one further family-friendly cycling route by 2023.
Progress: 2 ‘cycle hubs’ have been developed – at Reeth and Settle. UCI World Championship events and a stage of the Tour de Yorkshire were held in the National Park in 2019. YDNPA and Richmondshire District Council commissioned a feasibility study for a new family-friendly cycle route in Wensleydale.
Rationale: The 2014 Tour de France dramatically raised the profile of cycling as a way of enjoying the National Park. The Tour de Yorkshire and 2019 Cycling World Championships will continue to showcase the area. Facilitating the development of cycle hubs – places with cycle hire, good routes and supporting businesses – should be encouraged, along with more family-friendly and off-road routes for the benefit of visitors and residents
Lead partners: North Yorkshire County Council; Cumbria County Council
Supporting partners: Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority; Craven District Council; Eden District Council; Richmondshire District Council; South Lakeland District Council; Welcome to Yorkshire
Further information: Cycle the Dales;
Cost over 5 years: £700,000
Funding shortfall: £600,000
Related objectives: B2; B8, E2; E3
Ecosystem services: Recreation
Trade-offs: Cycling events and heavily-used routes have the potential to have impacts on tranquility (A2); priority habitats (C1) and species (C2). Management and mitigation of these are guided by principles set out in the Special Qualities, Special Experience.
Baseline: No cycle hubs; 3 ‘family-friendly’ cycle routes