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The Yarm area - South
 Yarm is a lovely village with a lot of interesting things to see and do.
Our starting point for this short ride is the Town Hall.
Just head to the East, down Central Street, towards the river – turn right, heading downstream, along the quayside, and ride about a hundred yards to the Atlas Wynd area. This used to be the heart of the commercial area of Yarm, when it was a hide and skin processing centre in the eighteenth and nineteenth century
You can still pick out the remains of old warehouses amongst the newly built suburban dwellings.
Make your way to the High Street up Atlas Wynd and turn left passing out of the High Street towards along the A67 trunk road which runs through the town.
Caution, it is very narrow here and I find it better to walk the short distance past the Catholic Church. Trucks and buses treat cyclist well but private motorists are often so frustrated after being held up in the Yarm traffic, that they push on aggressively as soon as they find a piece of clearing road.
Turn left up Thirsk Road and then right in to Grammar School Lane, this leads up hill, past what once was the county Grammar School. The track is blocked for motor traffic beyond the old Rectory.
You can pass through on to Chaytor Lea though; there is a small snicket with an access barrier which leads you up a short rise into the Larun Beat.
Turn left here and pass along to Thirsk Road again. Cross the main road and go into the quiet Leven Road.
There is an ancient wall here which bears a plaque proclaiming that is part of an ancient Spital Hospital
After passing the cricket field, turn right onto the cycle track, after about three hundred yards turn left at the “T” junction and pass between the two wide green areas to Kirk Road.
It was near this point that a wartime Halifax bomber crashed killing its Canadian pilot whilst returning from a raid over Holland.
The remainder of the crew had thankfully safely bailed out after it reached the English coast. There is no plaque or memorial to the poor soul, something of a “forgotten field” I think.
You can turn right here or continue along the cycle way, in either case, turn right again and follow the footpath that runs alongside Green Lane towards Cross Roads Garage.
After you pass Wycliffe Care Home, dismount and walk the very short distance to the rear of the Jubilee public house and then re-join the cycle way to cross Thirsk Road again. The crossing here is pedestrian and bike controlled via wire loops in the cycle-way surface and is an extremely safe way to cross.
Follow the cycle way into The Rigg and then left again into the Larun Beat.
At the bottom of the hill you will see a bridge under the railway. This is known as “the cattle arch” and was built in the 1860s by the Leeds and Great Northern Railway to allow cattle to pass between Spitlfields and Layfield Farms
After crossing under the railway, fork right and then right again when you meet the estate service road, turn right down the access road to Rigby House and you will soon reach Worsal Road.
There is another interesting bridge here, Yarm's famous “skew arch”. The road passes under the railway by an arch built at an angle, the brickwork is amazing and a credit to those nineteenth century workers and engineers who built this line, which of course runs over Yarm via it’s magnificent viaduct.
Turn back towards the Town Centre and regain the High Street; there are plenty of interesting things here and a couple of places to park your bike safely.
Total distance 3.9 miles
Safe bike rails outside town Hall, near Library and outside Safeway
Plenty of pubs, shops and cafes for eating
Toilets in the Town Hall
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The Yarm area - North
 The Yarm area has several lovely rides, all are easy and take you around the suburbs and Riverside
We start off again at the ancient Town Hall, in the centre of the High Street.
Just opposite is High Church Wynd, this as the name suggest leads down to West Street and the Parish Church.
The surface of the Wynd is made up of Whinstone Sets, a very popular surfacing material at the turn of the nineteenth century.
Half way along the Wynd is” Flood Cottage”. This bears a level mark for the flooding which occurred in 1881 and immersed the area in water from the river Tees.
At the end of the Wynd, turn Right into West Street and on the right you will see a property named Commondale House, if you look up onto the yard wall you will see a model of a fortification, this is known as Yarm Castle.
Continue along West Street, passing Lower church Wynd and into Bridge Street, cross the main A67 on foot and then walk up the pavement and look over the bridge parapet to see a view of the “Blue Bell Pub, this is a very pleasant riverside eating and refreshment house and is extremely popular in the summer months.
Re-cross the road and up Aislaby Road over the rail bridge with its impressive view of Yarm Viaduct and then opposite the electricity sub station head up the small pathway between trees to Millfield.
On entering Millfield, turn left and then right into Seymour Avenue.
Cross into Seymour Drive and at the end take the snicket into Valley Gardens, taking the left fork and coming out on the A67 “Urlay Nook Road”
Cross this road and pass into Lingfield Road on the Orchard Estate, Mayfield Crescent is off this road and then pass into Durham Lane.
Cycle the short distance, over Allen’s West crossing to Eaglescliffe Industrial Estate and after entering the estate follow the road round to Preston Cricket Club.
Outside the playing field gate there is a bridal road which passes under the rail lines via a subway emerging into Albert Road.
At the junction of Albert Road and Victoria Road is a small park, this is known locally as “Titty Bottle” Park, it was extremely popular with nannies who worked at the grand houses on Yarm Road in the early part of the twentieth century. They all took their infants with them and used the park as a meeting place for gossip and enjoyment.
On regaining Yarm Road, cross and use the new cycle lane as far as Butts Lane at Egglescliffe. Turn up the lane and bear right at the Church passing the war memorial before descending the steep hill to the Blue Bell again.
Cross Yarm Bridge and take the first Wynd left along to the quayside. The Teesside Princess voyage terminates here.
Follow the River Walk downstream for a couple of hundred yards and stop and inspect Yarm impressive Octagonal Chapel, it is a lovely building both inside and out and is still regularly used by Wesleyans.
Use Central Wynd to rejoin the High Street at the Town Hall.
About 5 miles of easy riding
This ride can be combined with the Yarm South ride
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Ingleby Barwick and Old Thornaby
 The Ingleby Barwick area is great for cycling and exploring. There is a labyrinth of cycle ways and paths which make it both safe and interesting.
This is a quick tour to familiarise yourself with the area but explore the whole area at your leisure, you can’t get lost if you stay within the main road ring.
Our starting point is the Fox Covert Pub near the top of Leven Bank on the A1044. From here, head north up Barwick Lane, this used to be the access road for all the farms that covered the area south of the Tees from Leven mouth to the loop opposite Preston Park. The lane is now allocated to bikes and pedestrians and where it crosses motor routes it is protected by barriers and light controlled crossings.
Every adjoining housing development is connected to the lane and as you pass the two schools on the route, notice the number of bikes in the sheds, just like it used to be in the 50s and 60s when everyone biked to school.
Pass Ingleby Barwick centre and cross into the cycle track that parallels Myton Way.
Cross under the underpass and then keeping the main road on your left, cycle down the hill to the new Queen Elizabeth Bridge over the Tees. After reaching the bridge and savouring the delights of the river bank, retrace your steps about 20 yards and take the cycle way up to Thornaby. This runs through open country to Basselton Wood and then comes out at Basselton Lane.
Follow this lane through the houses and pass into Thornaby High Green.
This is a delightful but hidden area; there is an air of quietness about it, with nice houses and a small medieval church nestling amongst the mature trees.
Pass out of the Low Green into Thornaby Road at the Jolly Farmers pub and cross the junction via the lights. Turn south, and the one time R.A.F. Thornaby is on your left. Just inside what was once the main entrance of this world war two airfield is an assortment of original buildings including the guardroom.
I will leave a more detailed tour of the base for a later date.
Return to the main road and cycle in a southerly direction and amidst lovely rose beds is a memorial to those who served at the station during WW.II
Pass along Thornaby Road, over the site of the main runway and just after the roundabout you meet the cycleway again that leads to Ingleby Barwick.
After about half a mile turn right at the main roundabout and follow the cycleway up to the Beckfields area and then follow the curving road round into Barwick Way and head south.
Just before the roundabout with the A1044 is an open area with a barrier to stop high vehicles entering and a permissive path leads from here to Ingleby Mill, the remains of a windmill, now converted into a house.
The path is now unsurfaced and fairly difficult but only runs for about 150 yards, passing on your left the remains of a machine gun “Pill Box” left over from those days of hostility in the 1940s.
Rejoin Barwick Lane again and cycle down to the Fox Covert.
Total distance 8.5 miles
All easy going with the exception of the final 150 yards path
Shops available at Thornaby Road and Ingleby Barwick centre
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