Introduction
The route is in the eastern coastal of the National Park, around the valley occupied by the villages of Robin Hoods Bay, Fylingdale and Ravenscar. The route is a mixture of quiet roads, cycle tracks and offroad bridleways. Despite being a short route, easily ridden in a morning or afternoon, it's actually hard work due to the amount of climbing. The route is very hilly, even so the relatively short length makes this a good route for less experienced riders, but fit riders (at in summer conditions), as there is lots of places of interest, lots of places to stop and great views to savour on the way.
Conditions
The quiet roads and the cycle track be rideable all year, but the offroad sections can be pretty muddy in winter. There's usually a rocky base to most of the offroad stuff, so despite the mud, it is rarely too muddy to ride. The route is not recommended for beginners in winter conditions.
Alternatives
There are lots of options to miss out bits if you want to make a shorter ride. If you fancy a longer route, you can use part of the longer Robin Hoods Bay loop. The route can be started from several different places, such as Robin Hoods Bay, Fylingdales or Boggle Hole. If the tide is out, you can ride along the beach between Robin Hoods Bay and Boogle Hole, or even Stoupe Brow Farm. Just allow plenty of time before high tide, and remember that riding along a shingle and rocky beach can be quite slow at times. And watch out for green seaweed, which is very very slippery!
The route
Park on the road near to the National Trust visitor's centre. Head up the road past most of the village until you see a dead end road on the right, called Robin Hood Road. Carry on down the road, until the surface turns from tarmac to become rougher. After passing a bench you will see a BW waymark pointing to a path on the left of the track. Follow the flowing moorland singletrack along the edge of the hill until you reach a minor road. Make sure you keep to the lower of the two tracks when the path fork just by the road. Turn right on the road and head down the hill, taking care to watch out for other traffic and walkers. After 3/4 of a mile, just before the road turns right to cross the old railway line, look for a track, with a BW waymark on the left. Turn left on this concrete track and pass by several isolated houses. After half a mile, there the BW turns right, down the hill to Stoupe Brow Farm. At the time of writing there is no waymark to mark the turn. Pass through the farm, and across the old railway line. On the opposite side of the track, there is a gate, where the BW continues. Go through the gate and head down a grassy and rough track, until you arrive at a stream. There is a footbridge, or you can ford the stream. After crossing the stream, head up the muddy and rocky track between two hedges. This track is just about rideable, and makes a good technical climb. At the top of the track, where it meets a road, turn left, and then right at the fork 100 yards from where you joined the road. Head downhill, and then uphill. Cross the old railway line and carry on up the hill. Just after the road turns right, look for a track on the left between the house and the barn at Fyling Old Hall Farm. The track is marked with a sign saying 'Unsuitable for Motors'.
Turn left onto the farm track which heads up hill steeply. Carry on up the well surfaced track, until Swallow Head farm where the track becomes muddier and rougher. Carry on past the farm, following the waymarks and onto a much rougher dirt track. Carry on along the track which runs along the edge of the fields until the track turns abruptly right. Shortly after this, at the junction at NZ 931 027 make sure you carry on along the track heading west across a rutted field. At the opposite end of the field, pass through a gate, and go into the wood. After 200 yards in the wood, look for a track on the right at NZ 927 027. Turn right onto this track and head down hill through the small wooded valley. Ignore the track which turns right, and uphill inside the wood. The descent carries on down past the edge of a wood, until you reach a gravel track by Ramsdale Mill Farm. Cross the bridge by the waterwheel and climb as you follow the farm track along the side of the valley. The track carries on up along the top edge of a wood, until after coming out of the wood, it starts to descend again. Eventually the track will take you to the road by Fyling Hall school.
Turn left onto the road, and climb up sharply, until you you reach a fork in the road. Take the steeply downhill right hand fork, and carry on for a further few hundred yards until you reach a larger road. Turn right and head down the steep hill towards the village, taking care to watch out for traffic, as this road can be busy in summer.
At the bottom of the hill is the village of Fylingdales, which is well supplied with shops and pubs. Carry on past the school and firestation, towards Robin Hoods Bay (you can also turn right in the village to go straight to the cycle track), until just after the road turns sharply right, you will see a gate on the right where the cycle track meets the road. Turn right and carry on along the flat, easy riding offered by the cycle track. When the cycle track drops onto the minor road, turn left onto the minor road and follow it gently downhill. Although the next section is marked as a green lane, it's still well surfaced tarmac. Follow the road past the gate and then steeply downhill (you may want to try riding over the stone slabs of the old pannier way, if you fancy some technical interest), until you reach a long gravel ford. Most of the time the stream is very shallow, but if the water level is high, there is a footbridge. Climb up the brutally steep tarmac road, and then pass by two farms before you reach a junction with a road. Immediately on the other side is a BW which carries on parallel to the coast. Follow this bridleway along the edge of a field, until it turns left across a field, and descends very steeply into the woods, over some steeps, to reach a footbridge over the stream, just above the beach. Watch out for walkers and this part can be busy in summer. Pass over the bridge, and climb the steep cobbled path up the other side. The step and rough surface make this nearly impossible to ride. At the top of the hill you will reach small car park at the end of a road.
Carry on along the road, which is initally flat, but starts to climb steadily after passing Stoupebrow Cottage Farm. The climb becomes very steep just as the road zig zags. At the top of the zig zags, there is a bridge over the old railway. Just before the bridge, look for a track which goes left onto the old railway. At the old railway, you need to turn left and begin the steady, but still big climb towards Ravenscar. Follow the well surfaced cycle track until you eventually reach Ravenscar and the start of the route.