THIS ride is a tiddler. More a light lunch than a three-course dinner but no less satisfying. I parked on the bridge over the Wharfe in Ilkley, a demure town that I have heard aptly described as Little Harrogate.

The stonework of its buildings is part-blackened as is common all over West Yorkshire but it enjoys the scenery more associated with the north of the county as I was to find out on a 14 mile Saturday afternoon leg-stretcher.

I set off to the left down Denton Lane. I soon passed the packhorse bridge, built in 1675 and close to the ford by which crossed the Roman road to Boroughbridge. The road then became single-track.

"Hello", a voice suddenly panted in my ear. "First decent weather we've had for ages." It was a fellow cyclist. I kept track of his yellow top around the next couple of bends but then lost him.

I had about as much chance of keeping up as greyhounds chasing that elusive hare.

I was happy to trundle along at my own speed.

On one side of the road in what looked like a paddy field after recent heavy rains a pheasant picked its way fussily around as though scared of getting its feet wet. On the other, about 30 metres below me, the Wharfe churned over the rocks in the riverbed.

The noise of rushing water, combined with a breeze on my face, made it feel as if I were at the seaside. The sights, though, were pure Wharfedale.

At Beamsley I turned right and began the steep climb up Howber Hill. The top marks both the highest point and the halfway point. Good excuse then for a snack sitting on a handy bench with a fine 180 degree panorama. A peacock eyed me suspiciously from the garden wall behind.

Moments after resuming the ride I was whizzing down the lane, passing farms almost as quickly as they appeared.

Walkers beware: several footpaths hereabouts are still out of bounds.

Mindful not to miss my turning, I turned left at a sign for Middleton, passed through the village and then reached the bottom of the valley at a T-junction.

I could have turned right to complete the ride but, with fuel still in the tank, I decided to take a two-mile excursion to the estate village of Denton by turning left and then left again. I love the trimness and casual uniformity of estate villages; they are what foreigners probably imagine all English villages to be like and, of course, come complete with squire.

I was particularly interested to see St Helen's Church, one of the lesser known works of York's most famous architect, John Carr, who designed the two main buildings on the Eye of York and Harewood House among many others.

The church has imposing steps leading up to the main door and an unusual square tower surmounted by a round, castellated tower. A minor project for the master architect, perhaps, but with a grandness indicating that he didn't just dash it off.

It was built as a private chapel near Denton Hall, another of Carr's projects (but not open to the public). This was the birthplace in 1612 of Lord Thomas Fairfax, the leading Parliamentary general in the First and Second Civil Wars.

In more recent times - the late 1970s - the hall provided the location for a film of The Water Babies starring Yorkshire-born James Mason and Bernard Cribbins.

My curiosity satisfied, I returned to Ilkley.

The ride isn't really long enough to warrant tea at Betty's but you may find it reassuring to know that there is a branch of the famous caf here just in case.

You have only had a light lunch after all.

Click here to view a map of the ride

Updated: 09:00 Saturday, June 08, 2002