From Track to Trail: Where to Stay for a Day of Off-Road Buggy & Quad Biking in the Dales
2 The Square Grassington: Is This North Yorkshire B&B Worth Booking in 2026?
Base yourself in Leyburn, Hawes or Richmond and the Dales' off-road centres, gravel tracks and moorland trails are all within an hour's drive.
Leyburn and Wensleydale: the best base for a full off-road day
Leyburn sits at the eastern mouth of Wensleydale, about 15 minutes off the A1 at Leeming Bar, and it is the most practical base if your day is built around the Dales' off-road centres near Swinithwaite and West Witton. Drive times to those tracks run 10–20 minutes. The town has a Thursday and Saturday market on Market Place, a Co-op and enough pubs and cafés for a post-mud breakfast or an early dinner. Bedrooms in Leyburn's small hotels and guesthouses typically run £85–£140 a night; the nearby villages of Middleham and West Witton are £10–£25 cheaper and quieter, but you will need the car for everything.
For a group of four splitting two rooms, I would book Leyburn over Hawes every time: less driving, more choice of food, and the A684 back to the A1 is straightforward if you are heading home the next day. Skip the temptation to stay right beside the track. The centres sit on working farmland with almost no accommodation within walking distance, and the nearest pub is a drive. Arriving the night before beats a 6am start from York or Leeds, and most operators want riders on site by 9:30am for a half-day session.
Richmond, Bedale and the northern edge: quick access from the A1
Richmond is the sharpest choice for anyone coming from Teesside, Durham or Newcastle. It is 20–25 minutes from the A1(M) at Scotch Corner, has a station on the Wensleydale Railway at nearby Leeming Bar, and its Georgian market square, castle and riverside walks at The Batts fill an afternoon. Rooms in Richmond's hotels and larger guesthouses generally run £90–£160, with cheaper rooms in Brompton-on-Swale and Catterick Village at £60–£90. Bedale, 15 minutes south, is the budget pick: £65–£110, a broad High Street and easy A684 access west into Wensleydale.
Richmond also works if one member of your group would rather not ride. They can spend the morning at the castle, the Green Howards Museum or the Station cinema and food hall while you are on the trails, then meet for lunch. That flexibility is why I would book Richmond for mixed-ability groups and Leyburn for all-riders groups. What to skip: anything marketed as 'Dales' but actually sitting near Ripon or Thirsk. You will add 40–50 minutes each way on narrow lanes, and you will spend your day driving rather than riding.
Hawes, Sedbergh and the western Dales: long drive days, bigger landscapes
Hawes, England's highest market town, is the base for the western tracks and the long gravel runs towards Garsdale and Dentdale. It is 45–55 minutes from the A1 at Leeming Bar and roughly 1 hour 20 from Leeds via the A65, so it suits people arriving from the west or staying two nights. Rooms run £80–£130; the Crown and the market house cafés are reliable, and the Wensleydale Creamery gives non-riders something to do. The drive from Hawes to the eastern off-road centres near Swinithwaite is around 30 minutes, which is why I would not use Hawes as a base for a single eastern-track day.
Sedbergh, in the far west, and the villages towards Kirkby Lonsdale are better for riders combining the Dales with the Howgills or the Lake District edge. Expect £85–£150 and a 30–40 minute run to the nearest trail centres. Best months: April to June and September to early October, when the ground holds up and the light is long; July and August bring the busiest tracks and the highest room rates. November to February, many centres run weather-dependent, so check before booking and keep a free cancellation rate.
Practicalities: kit, timing and what to skip
Most Dales operators provide helmets, goggles and gloves, but you should bring sturdy boots, long trousers and a change of clothes — you will be muddy from the knees down even in dry weather. Half-day sessions generally run two to three hours on the machine, and full days add a lunch stop. Expect to sign an indemnity form and, for under-18s, to have a parent present. Book at least a week ahead in summer and two to three weeks ahead for weekend slots in August; midweek dates in May and June often have the widest availability.
What to skip: staying in Harrogate, York or Ripon for a single off-road day. Harrogate to Hawes is around 1 hour 20 via the A61 and A684; York adds another 40 minutes. You will lose three hours to driving and pay £120–£220 for rooms you barely use. Also skip any hotel more than 25 minutes from your chosen track if you have a 9:30am start — the lanes around Leyburn and Hawes are slow, and one tractor can cost you 15 minutes.
Before you book
The questions people ask about Grassington, answered with this month’s numbers.
Leyburn for the eastern tracks near Swinithwaite and West Witton — 10–20 minutes' drive, rooms around £85–£140. Richmond suits A1 arrivals and mixed groups; Hawes is best only if you are riding the western trails and staying two nights.
Book the off-road session first, at least a week ahead and two to three weeks for August weekends, then match the hotel to the track. Midweek in May and June has the best availability and lowest rates; keep a free-cancellation room as a fallback for wet-weather cancellations.
Sturdy boots, long trousers and a full change of clothes — expect mud from the knees down. Operators supply helmets, goggles and gloves. Bring water and cash for a café stop, and confirm the start time the day before; most sessions begin at 9:30am.
