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Yorkshire cycling website

Barton-upon-Humber to North Ferriby cycle route

The Humber Bridge

This cycle route, chosen as Stage 18 of the Sustrans Slow Tour of Yorkshire, is from Barton-upon-Humber, over the Humber Bridge to the Humber Bridge Country Park, then along the riverside path to North Ferriby. This is the Sustrans leaflet for the ride.

I was looking forward to this ride, but actually there are several drawbacks, in particular the fact that you have to cycle very close to a lot of fast-moving traffic. If you're interested in the bridge itself, or you want to get across without paying a toll, it would be worth using the path. As a leisure ride, I don't really recommend it.

Barton-upon-Humber to North Ferriby cycle route: map

The map shows the route from Barton-upon-Humber to North Ferriby in yellow.

Barton-upon-Humber to North Ferriby cycle route: route notes

Barton-upon-Humber

Humber Bridge from Barton-upon-Humber

The route starts at the south, Barton-upon-Humber, end of the Humber Bridge.

Sustrans suggest arriving at Barton-upon-Humber station. If you're driving, there are plenty of free parking spaces on Far Ings Road, or you could park at the Water's Edge Visitor Centre.

Black-tailed godwits near the Water's Edge Visitor Centre

If you're hiring a bike, there's a bike shop at the Old Chapel, Waterside Road, near the junction with Far Ings Road.

Across the Humber Bridge

The Humber Bridge is instantly recognisable, and aesthetically pleasing. Riding across it is a good opportunity to see it close up, take some photos, and get views of the estuary from it.

The trouble is that there's an awful lot of traffic, very close by, so it's noisy not relaxing. Worse, the path is set below the road, so your head is just about at the level of vehicles' exhaust pipes, and you get to breathe in all the noxious gases they emit.

It's great that a path was included when the bridge was built, and it seems to be well used by locals and commuters, some perhaps parking up on one side and using a bike to get across the bridge for free. I doubt whether it is a good leisure ride, though.

There are lots and lots of signs reminding you that it's a shared use path, but really, there shouldn't be any conflict. The path is plenty wide enough for the amount of use it gets. Crossing it once in each direction, I passed quite a few other people on bikes, and just two on foot.

Humber Bridge Country Park to North Ferriby

At the north end of the bridge, there's a ramp down from the bridge, that brings you to the edge of Humber Bridge Country Park.

You should normally be able to go east (follow cycling signs for Route 65 Trans Pennine Trail, and Hessle), then you double back on yourself, go under the bridge road, and follow the riverside route towards North Ferriby. You'll pass the Black Mill and the Country Park Inn.

Black Mill and Country Park Inn

There's a nice bit of woodland just before you arrive in North Ferriby, home to at least one green woodpecker.

Unfortunately, I couldn't go that way, because it was closed due to repair work to the railway embankment. As a result, I had to follow the other branch of Route 65, which skirts round the northern edge of Humber Bridge Country Park on Ferriby Road. It takes you along the pavement of the A15. There are several crossings of slip roads, where there's lots of fast-moving traffic, and no help for people on foot or bikes. There was also lots of gravel and broken glass under my wheels. It was pretty awful. The pavement of Ferriby High Road is shared use, and took me the final bit of the way to North Ferriby.

You can see the two branches of Route 65 on OpenCycleMap.

Sustrans recommend Ferriby's Coffee House, Low Street, North Ferriby.

Return route

Return by the way you came - along the river to the Humber Bridge if you can.

All photos © Hedgehog Cycling

Barton-upon-Humber to North Ferriby cycle route: comments and suggestions

It was interesting to see the Humber Bridge close up, but the air quality as you ride across it is disgusting and can't be good for your health. It's great that they did build a shared use path, but a shame that it puts you just at the right level to breathe in a maximum of vehicle exhaust emissions. Not much can be done about that now.

I think the nicest bit of the route would have been the riverside ride to North Ferriby, but that was closed. The alternative (Route 65) is unpleasant and the road crossings are dangerous. The whole thing was a bit of an ordeal. As a minimum, the local authority could sweep away the gravel and broken glass from time to time, and make proper provision for people to cross the busy roads.

Also, part-way along Route 65, a new section of the Bridgehead business park is being built by Wykeland Group, and someone (presumably the local authority highways department) has put up a great big END OF ROUTE and CYCLISTS DISMOUNT sign. It's total nonsense, because the route doesn't end, and there's no need at all to dismount. It is the sort of brainless signage you would only get on a cycle route. It should be taken down.

York to Beningbrough cycle route

There's a great cycle route from the centre of York to Beningbrough, partly on tarmacked path by the river Ouse, and partly on quiet roads. It ends up at Beningbrough Hall, an C18th National Trust property (where cyclists are entitled to a free cup of tea). Read HedgehogCycling's guide to the York to Beningbrough cycle route.

Barton-upon-Humber

Barton-upon-Humber is a town of about 11,000 people on the south side of the Humber estuary, at the southern end of the Humber Bridge.

Frank Hopper started a bicycle repair, then manufacturing, business here in 1880. It became Elswick Hopper bicycles, then Falcon Cycles in the 1980s. Until 2013, there was a Kinberly-Clark factory in Barton (the company that produces Kleenex tissues). Wren Kitchens is now based in the factory premises.

The Humber Bridge Park, just to the east of the bridge, has a car park and WC.

Water's Edge Centre, Barton-upon-Humber

The Water's Edge Visitor Centre (a little further east) has free parking, and the Honey Pot Café. You can see wading birds on the shore here.

Ropery, Barton-upon-Humber

Just inland from the Visitor Centre, and near Tesco, is the Ropery, an old rope factory. Did the building have to be as long as the longest rope they made? There's a Ropery Café.

Old Tile Works, Barton-upon-Humber

To the west of the bridge is the Old Tile Works, which has a café restaurant.

Further west is the Far Ings site owned by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. These are very nice wetlands, which have water voles, bitterns, and marsh harriers.

The Humber Bridge

The Humber Bridge is a 2,220m long single-span suspension bridge over the Humber estuary. When the bridge opened on 24th June 1981, it was the longest such bridge in the world.

There is a toll to cross the bridge by car (£1.50 at the time of writing).