Motorcycling
The A171: Whitby to Guisborough
Locals call it the Moor Road, and the twenty miles between Whitby and Guisborough are the best of it. Open heather in every direction, long sightlines, and a proper climb off the moor at either end. Here is the route, where to stop, where to fuel up, and what catches riders out.
The A171 crosses the northern moors between the coast at Whitby and the Cleveland plain.
The road in short
The A171 runs 48 miles in total, from Middlesbrough to Scarborough by way of Guisborough and Whitby, and locally it is simply the Moor Road. The stretch riders come for is the northern crossing: about twenty miles from Whitby up onto the tops, across the open moor past Scaling Dam, and down Birk Brow into Guisborough. Reckon on 35 to 40 minutes with a clear road, and considerably more in season. It is single carriageway almost throughout.
Ridden west to east it finishes at the sea, which is the better ending; ridden east to west you climb out of Whitby into the sky and get the long view over Teesside and the Cleveland Hills at the far end. Either way, it pairs naturally with the other great moors roads, take the A171 out and the A169 over the Hole of Horcum back for a proper loop.
Fuel: do this first
Fill up in Whitby or Guisborough. The moor section in between has no fuel, and the nearest pumps are a detour into the East Cleveland villages. It is the classic mistake on this road, and a small tank plus a headwind on the tops is an uncomfortable combination. Same goes for a rider on a thirsty bike planning a there-and-back day.
Stops worth making
- Scaling Dam Reservoir, the natural halfway halt, with a car park directly off the road, a bird hide and a sailing club on the water. Easy in and out on a bike, and the one stop on this road you can rely on.
- The moor-top laybys between Scaling and the Birk Brow summit, pull-ins with nothing but heather in every direction, and the best photo of your bike you will get all day. Get well off the carriageway; traffic arrives fast over the crests.
- Freeborough Hill, the odd conical hill standing alone beside the road near the western end, a local landmark with a good deal of folklore attached to it.
- Guisborough at the western end, with its priory ruin, wide market street and plenty of cafés, the usual gathering end of the road for riders coming down from Teesside.
- Whitby at the eastern end for the harbour, the abbey and fish and chips. Park at the Park & Ride or the Marina rather than trying the old town.
For a longer lunch stop, the moor-edge inns just off the route, and the pubs with a view further into the park, are worth the few extra miles. There is also an inn overlooking Scaling Dam itself if you want to make a night of it.
Birk Brow and the two ends
Birk Brow is the climb at the Guisborough end, where the road hauls itself off the Cleveland plain onto the moor in a little over a mile, touching roughly 15% at its steepest. Uphill it is a treat. Downhill it is a long, loaded descent that ends in slower traffic and roundabouts, and it is genuinely slippery in the wet. The Whitby end is gentler but busier, with tourist traffic, the Park & Ride junction and the coast road turnings all in a short distance.
Hazards, season by season
This road looks benign and is not. It is fast, open and inviting, and there is a long record of serious motorcycle crashes on it, including riders killed after losing grip on gravel near the Guisborough end. Treat it as a scenic road, not a fast one.
- All year: unfenced moorland, so sheep on the carriageway day and night, and lambs in spring that move without warning. Blind crests where the road dips out of sight entirely, never overtake into one.
- Spring: winter grit and washed-out gravel still sitting on the bends and in the gutters, plus mud from farm and forestry traffic.
- Summer: heavy tourist traffic to the coast, caravans, cyclists on the climbs, and riders three deep in the laybys on a hot Sunday. Also the season for low-angle sun straight down the road at either end of the day.
- Autumn: the best colour and the best riding, but early hill fog and heavy dew on a shaded, tree-lined descent.
- Winter: this is one of the first roads in the area to close for snow and drifting, and it can be clear in Whitby and impassable on the tops. Check before you commit, there is no easy alternative once you are up there.
Enforcement is real: North Yorkshire runs mobile safety-camera vans on the moors and coast roads and the police are visible on summer weekends. And if you ride the moors regularly, the free BikeSafe and Biker Down schemes covered in our main motorcycling guide are worth a Saturday.
Making a day of it
The neat loop: out of Whitby on the A171, stop at Scaling Dam, down Birk Brow to Guisborough, then back over the top of the park via Castleton and Blakey Ridge for the Lion Inn, moor road one way, high moor the other, and roughly a full day with stops. Add Robin Hood's Bay on the southern A171 if you want the coast as well, or follow one of our classic car driving routes, which use many of the same roads at a gentler pace.
A171 moor road questions, answered
How long is the A171 from Whitby to Guisborough?
Roughly 20 miles of the road's 48-mile Middlesbrough–Scarborough length, and about 35 to 40 minutes of riding if the road is clear. Allow longer: it is a single-carriageway moor road with slow-moving traffic, and it is a poor road to hurry.
Is there fuel on the A171 across the moor?
Not reliably. Fill up in Whitby or Guisborough before you set off, the middle of the moor road is bare, and the nearest alternatives are off-route in the East Cleveland villages. This is the single most common mistake riders make on this road.
Where can you stop on the A171 moor road?
Scaling Dam Reservoir has a car park directly off the road, a bird hide and a sailing club, and is the natural halfway stop. There are laybys with moor views along the high section, and an inn overlooking the reservoir. Guisborough and Whitby have the cafés at either end.
What is Birk Brow?
The steep climb at the Guisborough end where the road lifts from the Cleveland plain onto the moor, a little over a mile long and touching around 15% at its steepest. Coming the other way it is a long descent into slower traffic, and it deserves respect in the wet.
Is the A171 a dangerous road for motorcyclists?
It has a poor reputation, and gravel-related crashes near the Guisborough end have killed riders. It is fast, open and inviting, with blind crests, unfenced moorland, farm traffic and debris washed onto the carriageway. Ride it as a scenic road rather than a fast one.
When is the best time to ride the A171?
Late August and early September for the heather, and midweek mornings for the emptiest road. Avoid winter unless you know it: this is one of the first roads in the region to close for snow, and hill fog can drop visibility to a few yards at any time of year.