A cycle ride in the Yorkshire Wolds

Yesterday Chris and I met up in Market Weighton and cycled a 38-mile loop in some of the best cycling country I've been to in the UK. My first ever visit to the Wolds in the East Riding of Yorkshire, although I've been to York many times. The Yorkshire Wolds lie east of York and are not particularly hilly but neither are they perfectly flat despite their association with big skies.

Empty English lanes – perfect cycling country

Chris planned the route as he knows the area well from his Big Skies Bike Rides (example here). What struck me most was the emptiness of the roads. Apart from the odd delivery van and farm tractor there was no traffic and we cycled side by side for most of the way.

From Market Weighton (pronounced Weeton) we cycled north to Nunburnholme then Kilnwick Percy and Millington before turning northeast through Millington Dale, a gorgeous valley that meanders between low lying hills towards Huggate. Just before Huggate we turned south to Warter then east for lunch at the Wellington Inn in Lund. Somewhere around here we fixed the first puncture I've had in about two years.

Dirty bike – the ride was worth it

My bike and me were now seriously dirty. I'd cleaned it the day before, ready for the forecast fine sunny weather but it had rained hard overnight and the sun came out only as afternoon approached. The lanes were still wet and covered in farm mud – liquid manure in fact. And (sorry Chris) I'd broken a rule of cycling with someone else: I'd no mudguards. Lancashire lanes are cleaner perhaps, as there are fewer to wash. Here, the myriad lanes are little more than tarmac farm tracks and too numerous or not worth keeping clean (that's my theory anyway).

But this network of minor roads and lanes offers a wide choice of routes, with very few main roads cutting through. After lunch in the sunshine we turned south to South Dalton and cycled through the grounds of a country estate near Kipling Cotes race course. A headwind was blowing and the roads now dry. Temperature about 12 degrees. Heading west from South Dalton we arrived back at Market Weighton at 3.15, the end of a fine bike ride of just less than 39 miles.

Chris, however, had already cycled 25 miles from his home to Market Weighton and now faced the same the other way – a round trip of nearly 90 miles. He set off home on his bike and we set off home in the car (Sandra had driven me over and been to York). As we approached Leeds on the M62 the traffic slowed to a crawl and remained so all the way to Walkden near Manchester where the M62 joins the M61. The return trip took from 3.45 till 7 o'clock.

Drivers of well-being in the policy cycle

The contrast between cycling on empty roads and driving amongst thousands of cars and trucks jammed together is absolute. Me and Sandra agreed (as we've often agreed before) that something is wrong with a society in which so many people spend so much time going nowhere in motor vehicles. By coincidence today I read how happiness questions are going to be asked by the Office for National Statistics: "Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?" Me: "Happy, thank you." Sandra (the driver): "Not too happy." Read more about the drivers of well-being in the policy cycle (44-page PDF):

New Economics Foundation (NEF) wrote: People experience the lowest level of positive emotions while commuting than during any other activity category studied ... cyclists find their mode of transport at least as flexible and convenient as those who use cars, with lower stress and greater feelings of freedom, relaxation and excitement [page 26].

NEF 'works with all sections of society in the UK and internationally – civil society, government, individuals, businesses and academia – to create more understanding and strategies for change.' Of course our ride in the Wolds wasn't a commute, but here's the route: