Biking to work through hidden North Yorkshire

OK this isn't strictly fellwalking, but following a recent Bike To Work week initiative, I decided to take up the challenge and try this journey out myself. As the route I have chosen make this a 45-50 mile round trip I don't have the time or energy to do this every day, but I've been doing this ride once a week and really enjoyed it.

Seeing as my route to work takes in some nice spots in North Yorkshire just south of Darlington, I thought it is worth sharing. Sometimes I have the urge to hit the highlights of the region - in North Yorkshire this might be Reeth, Leyburn or Roseberry Topping - but there are also countless little villages, tracts of farmland and countryside that are host to a network of footpaths.

My ride to work takes in the scenic villages of Stapleton, Barton, Middleton Tyas, Moulton and Scorton. Each village has its own character, with pubs, village greens and other attractions. Barton has a ford to cross in the centre of the village, Moulton features a bus shelter with boxes of books for sale at 50 pence each and Scorton has a huge green in the centre of the village with a couple of pubs perched on its fringes.

Some of these places are probably off the radar for many walkers headed to the hot spots of the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales, but this corridor of countryside between the two National Parks holds many hidden gems and are well worth investigating.