National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

(NCN) Route 688 is a

Sustrans Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United K ...

National Route that runs from Winterburn to

Linton-on-Ouse Linton-on-Ouse is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, about eight miles north-west of York. It lies on the north bank of the River Ouse. History The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' ...

. It is , fully open and signed.

History

Route 688 was created as an integral part of the

Way of the Roses The Way of the Roses is the newest of Great Britain's coast-to-coast, long-distance cycle routes and is based on minor roads, disused railway lines and specially constructed cycle paths. It lies entirely within the counties of Lancashire and Yo ...

coast-to-coast route between Morecambe and

Bridlington Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 ...

which opened on 11 September 2010.

Route

The western trailhead is at Winterburn in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the historic county of Yorkshire, England, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park created in 1954. The Dales comprise river valleys and the hills rising from the Vale of York w ...

, where it meets Route 68, the Pennine Cycle Way. It passes through Cracoe and Burnsall before climbing to the routes high point at

Greenhow Greenhow is a village in North Yorkshire, England, often referred to as Greenhow Hill. The term ''how'' derives from the Old Norse word ''haugr'' meaning a hill and a mound, so Greenhow literally means 'Green's hill or mound'. History It is s ...

followed by a steep descent into

Pateley Bridge Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Nidd. It is in the Yorkshire Dales an ...

. A further climb to

Brimham Rocks Brimham Rocks, once known as Brimham Crags, is a 183.9-hectare (454-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Geological Conservation Review (GCR) site, 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Engl ...

is followed by a gradual descent on to the

Vale of York The Vale of York is an area of flat land in the northeast of England. The vale is a major agricultural area and serves as the main north–south transport corridor for Northern England. The Vale of York is often supposed to stretch from the R ...

via

Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 40 ...

and

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

. From here the route is flat as it follows the River Ouse via

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of the county town of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on t ...

and crossing it at

Aldwark Bridge Aldwark may refer to the following places in England: * Aldwark, Derbyshire Aldwark (Old English "the old fortification") is a small upland village and parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, about WSW of Matlock by road ...

. The eastern trail head is at a junction with Route 65 at Linton-on-Ouse

Related NCN routes

Route 688 is part of the

along with: Route 688 meets the following routes: * Route 68 at Winterburn * Route 67 near Fountains Abbey * Route 65 at Linton-on-Ouse

References

External links

Route 688 on the Sustrans website

Route 688 on OSM
{{NCN , state=collapsed Cycleways in England