A Yorkshire winter cycling stay works best when the bed comes with a bike store, a drying room and a hot meal, and these five places offer at least one of each.
A popular option for a winter cycling break is a hotel near a cycling route. A bed, a breakfast and a bike left in the hall. In Yorkshire that is the wrong plan. Winter days are short, and a wet bike needs somewhere to dry.
What most people miss is the small group of stays built around the ride. A pub on the highest road in the Dales with a bike wash and a drying room. A pod beside a trail centre. A bunkhouse in a dale few people have heard of. This guide covers five, with the facilities each has published and the points they leave out.
Quick Facts
Region: Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, North Yorkshire
Best for: Road, gravel and mountain bikers, couples on e-bikes, and groups looking for a base
Getting there: All five are reached by car; Reeth, Blakey Ridge and Lockton are remote, so plan fuel and food
Time needed: A weekend per stay; two nights suit most of them
Yorkshire winter cycling stay: what to look for
Before you book, ask four questions. Is there secure bike storage? Is there a drying room? Can you wash the bike? Is there a mechanic or a hire shop close by?
The North York Moors National Park runs a cycling-friendly scheme with these standards in mind. It requests accommodation to provide facilities such as a secure lock-up, kit storage with tools, and bike wash facilities, and to advise on the nearest bike shops, service centres, and hire centres. Hosts are also expected to point guests to good riding routes and cycle-friendly places to eat.
Not every stay below is on a scheme, and winter opening is not published for several of them. Ring before you travel.
Where to Stay: Tan Hill Inn lists a bike store, a bike wash and a drying room on its cycling page.
Worth Knowing: The park’s cycling hire page advises phoning first to check opening hours and availability.
Tan Hill Inn: the highest bed in Britain
Tan Hill Inn is Britain’s highest public house at 1,732 feet (528 metres) above sea level, at the head of Swaledale. The inn says it sits on several popular cycling routes, including the Tour de Yorkshire.
Its cycling page lists secure bike storage, a bike wash that removes mud and dirt after a ride, and a dedicated drying room for wet clothes and gear. It also sells packed lunches: a sandwich, crisps, fruit and a drink.
Bed and breakfast packages can include bike hire for a day or half-day, plus a helmet, a spares pack, and a route map. The inn lists front-suspension mountain bikes, road bikes and hybrids in a range of sizes. The example price is two adults staying two nights in a double en-suite room with bike hire for two days, at £270. Treat that as a guide, since it is an example and not a current tariff.
At that height, the weather decides the day. Ride in the shelter of the dale if the top is white. We cover the inn itself in our guide to Tan Hill Inn.
Where to Stay: Tan Hill Inn, Swaledale. Book a double en-suite with a cycling package.
Worth Knowing: The inn stands 1,732 feet (528 metres) above sea level, the highest public house in Britain.
Dales Bike Centre, Reeth: pods and a Bunk Loft
The Dales Bike Centre at Fremington, on the edge of Reeth (DL11 6AW), is built around the ride. The Yorkshire Dales National Park describes it as the core of trails and the hub of road cycling in the Dales. It offers e-bike, mountain bike, road bike and hybrid hire, and the centre bills itself as the largest bike hire centre in the Dales.
The stays are unusual. There are four wooden Mega-Pods, two of which have wood-fired hot tubs. The Cakery Loft is a self-contained first-floor apartment for four, with two bedrooms. The Bunk Loft is a three-bunk room in a converted stone barn.
On the 2025 tariff, the Cakery Loft cost £176 per night with a two-night minimum, including breakfast. Bunk Loft rooms ranged from £49 for single occupancy in a two-bed room to £156 for four in a four-bed room, and included breakfast. A Mega-Pod was £140 for one night, Sunday to Thursday, for two guests, self-catering. The 2026 tariff is not published, so ask.
A secure bike store is available. A drying room is available to Cakery Loft and Bunk Loft guests, but the page does not mention one for the pods. The pods were listed as available from July, so contact the centre for winter availability. The centre is open 9am to 5pm, seven days a week.
On site you will find a cafe serving homemade produce sourced from within the National Park, a resident mechanic, a bike wash and waterproof route maps. Staff advise on trails based on weather and ground conditions, which matters in December. The Swale Trail is the easy off-road route for beginners.
Where to Stay: Dales Bike Centre, Parks Barn, Fremington, Richmond, DL11 6AW. Ask about winter availability.
Worth Knowing: The centre lists Bridge Inn Grinton as about two minutes away.
The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge: 1553 on the moor top
The Lion Inn stands on Blakey Ridge in the North York Moors, Kirkbymoorside, YO62 7LQ. It describes itself as a 16th-century family-owned freehouse, established in 1553, at an elevation of 1,325 feet (about 404 metres). It has 13 bedrooms, each with a TV and tea- and coffee-making facilities, and prices include breakfast.
Its page says secure storage is available for cycles. It does not say “cyclists are welcome” in many words, and it does not offer a drying room or bike wash, so ask when you book.
Dogs are allowed in some rooms on request. Well-behaved dogs are allowed in the bar area, but not in the dining rooms. If you ride with a dog in the car, that is useful to know.
The inn is remote. The park’s hire-and-repair listings include Rosedale Abbey, Hutton le Hole, and Helmsley, so bring spares.
Where to Stay: The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, YO62 7LQ. Ask about drying facilities.
Worth Knowing: The inn lists its altitude as 1,325 feet and its founding as 1553.
Yorkshire Cycle Hub, Great Fryup Dale
The Yorkshire Cycle Hub is set in the valley of Great Fryup Dale, in the heart of the North York Moors. Visit North Yorkshire lists camping pods and bunkhouse rooms, all with en-suite bathrooms.
Bicycles can be rented on site. The hub has a cafe, a bike shop, a bike wash and a drying room. A classroom and a larger room with vaulted ceilings are available to hire, which suits a club weekend.
The listing does not give an address or winter opening, so confirm both before you travel.
Where to Stay: Yorkshire Cycle Hub, Great Fryup Dale. See the listing and confirm availability.
Worth Knowing: The hub offers pods and bunkhouse rooms, all en-suite.
YHA Dalby Forest, Lockton: the whole hostel to yourself
The YHA hostel is in the village of Lockton and is available only for exclusive hire, so a group gets the entire place to itself. That suits a club ride or a family weekend.
The YHA says Cropton Forest and Dalby Forest will keep walking and cycling holiday enthusiasts happy. Its cycling page lists over 40 miles of man-made mountain bike trails and states that the National Park has over 1,400 miles of cycleways. It does not mention bike storage or a drying room at the hostel, so ask.
The YHA’s address for Dalby Forest cycling is Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7PY. Dalby Forest also has a hire centre, and the park lists Dalby Bike Barn at Thornton le Dale on the edge of the forest.
Where to Stay: YHA Dalby Forest, Lockton. Exclusive hire only.
Worth Knowing: The park has over 1,400 miles of cycle ways, and Dalby Forest alone has over 40 miles of man-made trails.
Practical Tips
- Ring ahead. Winter opening and pod availability are not published for several of these stays.
- Ask three questions at booking: where does the bike sleep, where do wet clothes dry, and is there a wash?
- Use the AllTrails app to plan a route with a shorter fall-back loop.
- Carry spares. Hire and repair outlets in the park are listed by town, including Helmsley, Pickering and Great Ayton.
- Pack lights. Dusk comes early in December.
- Check the pricing basis. The Dales Bike Centre’s 2025 pod price of £140 applies to Sunday to Thursday nights.
Responsible Visiting
Stick to the trails and bridleways, clean the bike before you leave a stay, and shut gates. Take your rubbish home, and give walkers and livestock space on narrow tracks.
Reader Q&A
Which Yorkshire stay has a drying room for cyclists?
Tan Hill Inn, the Dales Bike Centre loft rooms and the Yorkshire Cycle Hub all list one.
How much does a cycling package cost at Tan Hill Inn?
The example price is £270 for two adults for two nights in a double en-suite with bike hire for two days.
Can I hire a bike near the North York Moors?
Yes. The National Park lists outlets at Scarborough, Pickering, Helmsley, Great Ayton, Robin Hood’s Bay, Thornton-le-Dale, Dalby Forest, Rosedale Abbey, and Sutton Bank.
Is the Dales Bike Centre open in winter?
The centre is open 9am to 5pm, seven days a week. Pod availability in winter is not published, so contact the centre.
Can I take a dog to the Lion Inn?
Dogs are allowed in some rooms upon request and in the bar area, but not in the dining rooms.
What is the cheapest stay?
On the 2025 tariff, a single-occupancy two-bed room in the Dales Bike Centre’s Bunk Loft was £49 per night including breakfast. The 2026 tariff is not published, so ask.
Is there a beginner trail?
The Swale Trail near Reeth is billed as an easy off-road route for beginners.
Where to Stay
Tan Hill Inn, Swaledale. Bike store, wash and drying room, with cycling packages.
Dales Bike Centre, Reeth. Pods, a Cakery Loft and a Bunk Loft beside the trails.
The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge. A 13-bedroom moor-top inn established in 1553, with secure cycle storage.
Yorkshire Cycle Hub, Great Fryup Dale. Pods and en-suite bunkhouse rooms.
YHA Dalby Forest, Lockton. An exclusive-hire hostel beside the forest trails.
For more places to sleep in the Dales and Moors, read our guide to Yorkshire stargazing stays.
When the ride is over, and the bike is washed and stored, the moor goes dark outside the window.
