Is there something in the tea in Yorkshire? Or maybe it’s the rhubarb? Or could it be the pure air filtered over the fields of Crackpot and Wetwang? The county that has given us the boxing champ Nicola Adams, triathletes Jonny and Alistair Brownlee, heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill and wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft is pumping out Olympic champions quicker than wallets snap shut in Leeds on a Friday night when someone mutters the dreaded words: “Whose round is it?”
We Yorkshire folk know the secrets of Olympic success behind Tom Pidcock, Matty Lee and the like: plenty of hard work, a good night’s sleep and gravy on chips. So head north (or south) to experience God’s own country and start training for the Olympics in Paris in 2024. There’s gold in them there dales — but put the kettle on first.
Mountain biking in Dalby Forest
Release your inner Pidcock on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. There are six mountain-bike trails here with tracks that will suit a family of beginners as well as experts, including a gnarly 6.4km World Cup run, with bum-rattling challenges such as Worry Gill and Medusa’s Drop. Pidcock used to ride here; you can hire bikes and e-bikes too (from £19, dalbyforestcyclehub.co.uk). If that doesn’t grab you, there are four running trails and 13 for walking (forestryengland.uk/dalby-forest).
Artistic swimming in Helmsley
Synchronised swimming has had a rebrand: it’s now labelled “artistic”. People won’t give you a funny look if you have a go in the heated, open-air, 25m pool in the market town of Helmsley, close to the North York Moors. After all, quirkiness is celebrated in Yorkshire and there’s nowt so queer as folk. In August there are regular aquathlons here on Tuesday evenings: anyone can sign up for races from a short “splash’n’dash” up to a 20-lap swim and 2.5km run (entry from £5, helmsleyopenairpool.org).
Rugby in Hull
Rugby sevens might be the sport that’s played at the Olympics, but round here league reigns supreme, whether at Hull FC or Hull Kingston Rovers. This city of 260,000 may be the butt of jokes by those who have never visited, but a tour round the historic old town with the local guide Paul Schofield, along streets such as the Land of Green Ginger — it’s said to have the world’s smallest window — will show you an unexpected side (£5pp, tourhull.com). Sadly you can’t visit Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire pudding factory, the largest in the UK, which produces 500 million dollops of battery goodness a year, but you know where to find them.
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Marathon du Malton
The starting gun’s fired and . . . they’re eating! On September 19 you can run 10km from the market square in Malton — Prue Leith calls it her favourite foodie town — and around the Howardian Hills area of outstanding natural beauty, a half-hour drive north of York. Athletes in this annual event may not be particularly competitive; there are stops to consume food and drink from local producers along the course. There’s a walking category, too, with entrants welcome to bring children and dogs (entry from £25, visitmalton.com).
Surf Scarborough
Two Hawaiian princes were said to be the first people to have got on a surfboard in Yorkshire — they had a go while visiting Bridlington in 1890 — according to a letter found in a museum in Honolulu. And surfing is making its first Olympic appearance at Tokyo. If you can’t hang ten this year in Waikiki, there’s always Scarborough — or “Scarbados”, as you probably won’t be calling it after five minutes in the North Sea. There are surf schools here and you can find breaks for novices and experts alike. Best of all there’s fish and chips, lemon tops and donkey rides. You won’t get that in Brazil or Bali (visitscarborough.com).
Weightlifting and walking in Wakefield
Forget deadlifts and squats: up north pulling rhubarb is what gives you muscles, even though it’s not an Olympic sport . . . yet. Everyone knows Yorkshire forced rhubarb, the variety that is first grown outside and exposed to frost to toughen the roots, is the best. If you’re in Wakefield in February look out for its annual rhubarb festival. For more of an Olympic feel try race walking — it differs from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times — along part of the Wakefield Way, a 120km loop around the city (wakefield.gov.uk).
Post-training recovery in York
If you’ve been training hard like the Doncaster taekwondo medallist Bradly Sinden, some recovery time is vital. There’s no better place for that than at Bettys tea room in York, which opened in 1937. The snack of choice should be a fat rascal, which looks rather like a scone would if it trained at a Russian shot-put camp. Eat it warm slathered in melted butter. Or go for the full afternoon tea: at £19.95pp (or £27.95pp with champagne) it’s roughly a third of what you’d pay in a posh London hotel (bettys.co.uk).
Where to stay
Coniston Hotel
The Coniston Hotel outside Skipton is a regular training spot for the Brownlee brothers and they were on hand to open its renovated gym and spa last year. Probably best not to challenge them to a run or swim on the property’s 1,400 acres, but you could give clay-pigeon shooting, e-biking, fishing and off-road Land Rover driving a go.
Details B&B doubles from £139 (theconistonhotel.com)
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Bike and Boot
The 65-room Bike and Boot hotel, with views over Scarborough’s South Bay, is set up for hikers, bikers and surfers. There’s secure storage for boards and cycles, service stations and wash areas, and the property has dedicated biking, hiking and running routes on the Strava app. It’s dog-friendly too.
Details Room-only doubles from £76 (bikeandboot.com)
Carlton Lodge
Carlton Lodge is an eight-bedroom B&B in Helmsley whose owner, Lisa Spratling, is a licensed run leader who organises 10km guided trail outings for guests on the nearby North York Moors. As many as 20 people can turn up, and from October she also offers night runs when there’s a full moon.
Details B&B doubles from £95, runs from £10pp (carlton-lodge.com)
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