The settlement of Riccall lies on the Humberhead Levels. At the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago Riccall lay underneath the very large Glacial Lake Humber. This gives the area its characteristic light sandy soil. Riccall is the finishing point of the Cycle the Solar System route which follows the Selby−York cycle track starting in Dringhouses, York. The cycle track used to form the old route of the East Coast Main Line via Selby, and Riccall station served the village until 1964.
