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Ralph Cox•Follow
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September 22, 2022

Corner to Corner, Day 53: York to Scunthorpe

https;//www.cycling4charity.org.uk Report on the day: Adjusted route last night replacing unpaved sections. Alas with some busy B roads and missed a bit down a National Byway south of the Humber . As with all days, we recheck and remove all unpaved/cycleways. Otherwise, a great day, e.g. Trans Pennine Trail, straight as a die from near York to Selby, and the Humber Bridge. A few drops of rain near the end only. Added at a later date: Why go east to the Humber Bridge, (HB) then west to Scunthorpe? Most of Corner to Corner was planned before booking overnight stops. Our route south touched the west of Scunthorpe, but a hotel on its east was booked, making HB a possibility. The next day was south of the town. For the future, retain the glorious route to and HB and overnight in Brigg, and a quiet route south 800+ft flatter than Route 1 from HB. To improve in York: re-join Route 65 at Skeldergate Bridge and be beside River Ouse via Terry Avenue with Rowntree Park on our right, seeing York's Millennium Bridge and re-joining Bishopthorpe Road at Chocolate Works, crossing it to cycle beside York's Knavesmire Racecourse to the northern end of the Solar System Greenway to Selby. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHWFCzQGhHI&t=180s With tools now used, Wikipedia's and Cycle.Travel's descriptions of Route 65, OS maps with NCN overlay, Google Maps' Streeview, YouTube as well as Komoot, the original plan to follow Route 65 could have worked - 3.8miles longer, quieter, though with 3 unpaved sections: 1.01m, Hemingbrough-Barmby beside River Ouse, 0.44m, Faxfleet-Weighton Lock, 1.01m Weighton Lock-Broomfleet, with views of the ever widening River Ouse as it becomes the Humber Estuary and of the Humber Bridge. The revised route re-joined the planned just north of Ellerker. Check Humber Bridge weather: https://www.humberbridge.co.uk/new-walking-and-cycling/ A National Byway from Barton-upon-Humber to New River Ancholme. The night before, I replaced Saxby Bridge over this with the 1836 Horkstow Bridge, which OS Maps suggest leads to less unpaved track; Komoot had the route from Saxby Bridge as all paved. Horkstow Bridge was also another highlight.
Distance
65.1 mi
Elev Gain
1,529 ft
Time
6h 17m
Statue outside York Minster's South Transept. Constantine the Great (274-337) was proclaimed Roman Emperor nearby in 306. His conversion to Christianity aided its establishment in what in now western Europe.
Looking south east down the River Ouse from the 1863 Lendal Bridge. http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/themes/victorian/lendal-bridge#:~:text=Lendal%20Bridge%20is%20an%20iron,and%20the%20lions%20of%20England.
View up the River Ouse from the 1863 Lendal Bridge, crossing it north east to south west. York railway station is left of the tress on the left. The National Railway Museum is to the right of those trees on the left bank.
1887 Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe Road. Now a community church with 20 resident artists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southlands_Methodist_Church &. https://southlandsmethodist.org.uk
Main building: Formerly Terry's of York HQ (1927-2005), now Chocolate Works care village. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chocolate_Works & https://www.springfieldhealthcare.com/care-homes/care-villages/chocolate-works/ To the left: former 1930 Terry's Rowntree factory; now redeveloped as flats, collectively titled The Residence (completed 2017). https://www.pjlivesey-group.co.uk/the-residence-york-completes/. &. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1391643
Bishopthrope Palace, official residence of the Archbishop of York since 1241. Built 1226-1900 in 4 stages. Open to the public only via pre-arranged tours, the next in 2024. https://www.archbishopofyork.org/archbishop-york/about-bishopthorpe-palace/history-bishopthorpe-palace
2001 "Fisher of Dreams" sculpture < https://statues.vanderkrogt.net/object.php?webpage=ST&record=gbyh082 > on Naburn Railway Bridge over the River Ouse, part of the Cycle the Solar System Greenway, part of Route 65 and Trans Pennine Trail, formerly part of London to Edinburgh East Coast Main Line built by North Eastern Railway. Info and useful videos on these route websites: https://railwaytogreenway.org & https://hedgehogcycling.co.uk/york-to-selby-cycle-route.html
Lorraine on Naburn Bridge with downstream of River Ouse
0:08
The rail track switched from being main line to being diverted in 1983 to transport the output from Selby Superpit, a collection of coal mines, part of which is under this cycle path, operational from that year till 2004. Selby Superset would mainly supply 3 local power stations including Drax we would see later in the day. https://railwaytogreenway.org & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selby_Coalfield
0:30
At this point in Selby, we chose to use the road. Route 65 went down this and along a very narrow rugged track beside the river, both unfit for road bicycles.
The rugged very narrow "Route 65" track we avoided by cycling on the main road into Selby.
This is the bit we missed out, which must be routed along the unavoidable main road.
Selby Abbey, founded 1069. https://www.selbyabbey.org.uk/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selby_Abbey We met an American couple outside the abbey. They were touring by tandem and also taking a break.
A monk named Benedict dreamt being called by St Germain to start a monastery at "Selebiae" and that its location would be identified by three swans. https://www.selbyabbey.org.uk/the-rich-and-colourful-history-of-selby-abbey/
From the entrance towards the altar, with Norman font, beloved to date from 1100s. https://www.selbyabbey.org.uk/top-10-things-to-see/
Halfway down, towards the altar
Back towards the entrance.
High Altar https://www.selbyabbey.org.uk/top-10-things-to-see/
Coming back out of Selby, we re-joined Route 65 which started along this track beside the River Ouse. 1891 Selby Swing Bridge for the Hull-Selby railway in the background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull_and_Selby_Railway#1891_bridge
Looking back to Selby, with 1971 Selby Toll Bridge we'd crossed to go into the town in the background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selby_toll_bridge
Looking forward further on
... and back, with Lorraine and the Selby Swing bridge in view.
It improved to a concrete road.
Lorraine photographing the Drax Power Station. The concrete path continued at least for a bit along the River Ouse. Route 65 at this point turns towards Cliffe then Hemingbrough, and later returns to this river, though, as I had changed our route to avoid unpaved sections, we did not.
Drax Power Station, operational since 1974, and formerly supplied by the Selby Superpit complex of coal mines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drax_Power_Station
Visible for miles.
St Mary the Virgin, Hemingbrough. Tantalising close, but too far off route requiring too much time to visit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary_the_Virgin,_Hemingbrough
Also known as Hemingbrough Minster, 12th century.
A63 Hull Road, after crossing the Loftsome Bridge over River Derwent, which joins the River Ouse 1.9 miles to the south west.
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