National Cycle Route 65

Hornsea to Hull

This part of the route runs almost entirely along the dismantled trackbed of the Hull and Hornsea Railway and is known as the Hornsea Rail Trail. The path takes a straight route over the flat Holderness plain^[2] and is 15 miles (24 km) in length.^[3]

Hull to York

Route 65 avoids the Yorkshire Wolds by running along the banks of the Humber Estuary, passing under the Humber Bridge. A very flat route, there is a small climb at Welton.^[4] Mainly on quiet country lanes as far as Selby, there are several short traffic-free sections. From Selby to York the route^[5] uses the trackbed of the old East Coast Mainline railway, which was bought by Sustrans for £1 and turned into one of its first traffic-free paths.^[6] On a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) section of this path is a scale model of the Solar System.^[7]

NCN Route 66 provides an alternative route between Hull and York.

York to Middlesbrough

Following a traffic-free route out of York, the rest of the route is almost entirely on quiet country lanes. North of York, NCN 65 passes Beningbrough Hall. There are two routes here, the path through the National Trust grounds is one-way, so the northbound path is routed around the perimeter. At Easingwold, Route 65 leaves the flat for the first time as it approaches the North York Moors. Running along the foothills there are several short steep climbs/descents. The route climbs over the North Western edge of the North York Moors, passing to the east of Osmotherley. Its high point is reached via a long steep climb up a forestry commission path. The route in Middlesbrough is mainly traffic free.

Route 65 forms part of the Way of the Roses Challenge route^[8] between York (junction with NCN 658) and Linton-on-Ouse (junction with NCN 688).