Best day to go up Cat & Fiddle

popette

Hi,

The Cat & Fiddle seems perfect training for the Etape. However, it is a busy road and I'm a bit worried about what I'll be sharing the road with, depending on when I go up it:

Weekday: lorries and white vans.
Weekend: lots of motorbikes.

Have you tried going up the Cat & Fiddle on a weekday? is it too busy to be enjoyable?
I have driven up it but I don't remember it being particularly wide for lorries to get past.
Thanks

redddraggon

I don't know specifically about the cat and fiddle as I've never been there, but I'd imagine that an early weekend morning would be the best time, maybe ~7am.

It's the time where the traffic is low in most places - so I'd imagine that it'd follow for the cat and fiddle (but no promises). I can't see it being any worse than any other time though.

NedKelly

I've been up a couple of times weekday lunchtimes, not an experience i'd recommend as an HGV brushed my shoulder overtaking me when another was coming the other way.

thetrotter

The short answer is anytime that avoids HGVs, so evenings and weekends. I assume that you're planning on climbing from the Macclesfield side - the Buxton side is shorter and much narrower.

I think that a better hill for training for the Etape is Long Hill which runs from Whalley Bridge to Buxton. It's about five miles long, relatively quiet and a fairly constant gradient. At the top you can drop down into the Goyt Valley, climb up on a cery senic quiet road to the Cat and Fiddle and then descend into Macclesfield. Getting to Whalley Bridge via Bollington, Pott Shrigley (the Brickworks climb) and then down through Kettleshulme would make a very good training circuit.

Good luck.

popette

Thanks guys, that's what I thought.
I've done the pott shrig, whaley bridge, long hill route but I turned back and went the same way back. If I drop into the goyt do I turn left over the other side of the reservoir and go up the cat that way? I remember it seemed to look like a private road with a barrier across it but OS map shows it as a normal road.
thanks agian

ChrisBowers

Yeah it's left at the bottom once you've dropped down to the res, then you've got a nice flat section before it turns into a climb on the singletrack road.

Eventually you come out at Derbyshire Bridge. Take a right here and follow the road up to Cat & Fiddle road by the side of the pub.

cougie

I've done it on a Sunday and it was pretty quiet. Mind you - it was foggy so no normal people would have gone out for the day. Had to cut the ride short when the hail came down. But what did we expect foolishly going out riding in June ?

andy_wrx

How about...?

Lanes to Ashley then pick-up Cheshire Cyclepath, i.e. Mobberley-Alderley Edge -Artists Lane (fun!)-Prestbury-Bollington-(steeep!)-Lamaload-(steeeep!)-Wildboarclough-Sutton Lane Ends-Gawsworth then back Siddington, Peover, Knutsford (getting less lost than on the Cat last weekend :twisted:) and then back to Alty via Tatton

or as above to Bollington then to Pott Shrigley, up Brickworks, Kettleshume, Windgather, drop into Goyt valley and to Derbyshire Bridge, down the Cat&Fiddle a bit and drop down into Wildboarclough, back as above

Regularly done these from South of Warrington and I remember right they're both ca 70miles but don't hold me to that too accurately !
2nd has probably slightly more climbing but steadier rather than fiercely steep like first option.

The road up Goyt Valley up to Derbyshire Bridge is one-way only and very light traffic.
The one down into it from Windgather has a barrier across it but is a 'proper' road.


And of course if you really want to do the Cat & Fiddle, do the Polka Dot on 1st June and you'll be in the company of lots of other bikes ! (safety in numbers...)

redddraggon

andy_wrx wrote:

Regularly done these from South of Warrington and I remember right they're both ca 70miles but don't hold me to that too accurately !
2nd has probably slightly more climbing but steadier rather than fiercely steep like first option.

You don't live in Warrington do you? I live there now, but thankfully only for another 7 weeks.

Any good local routes?

andy_wrx

Between Warrington & Northwich.

Lots of decent routes. The Cheshire Cat swiped a decent selection of them !

popette

like it Andy_wrx - second one works out just over 60 miles for me and about 6000ft of climbing, perfect.

a_n_t

i went up the c+f last bankhollday monday, not many people about but then it was SNOWING!!!!! not fun at all up there!

also, artists lane is awfull! pot holes everywhere, I prefer the climb up macclesfield rd out of alderly edge, steeper but smooth! 8)

thetrotter

popette wrote:

Thanks guys, that's what I thought.
If I drop into the goyt do I turn left over the other side of the reservoir and go up the cat that way? I remember it seemed to look like a private road with a barrier across it but OS map shows it as a normal road.

The barrier is there to stop cars at summer weekends (and I think Bank Holidays) so you will have the road to yourself bar the odd walker. At other times it is one way up to Derbyshire Bridge.
As a harder alternative, turn right at the other side of the reservoir, go up the very steep hill straight over the top (turning right takes you back to Kettleshume), drop down Pyms Chair and bear left past Lamaload Reservoir and up an even steeper hill to join the Cat and Fiddle Road. You can then either turn right and drop down to Macc or go straight across, down the hill and turn right at the pub at the bottom, bear right and right again when you get to the top to descend to Macc through the Forest and Sutton.
There are lots of great roads (and climbs) around this area.
Or as Andy-wrx says, enter the Polka Dot Challenge and experience eight of the classic climbs of British road racing including the Cat, Snake Pass and Winnats (now there is a steep climb) :twisted:

tim000

rode up the c+f many time , weekend and midweek . weekend deff the better time . no hgvs . the motorbikes are no problem as they have plenty of room . they just make lots of noise going past , great for getting the heart rate up :shock: plus the tea rooms near the top aren,t open some week days.

popette

cheers guys - that settles it. I'll save the route over C&F from macc for an early morning at the weekend and when I have my long weekday ride, I'll do long hill and then drop into the goyt and out again. I guess I'll be on that busy road down from the C&Ffor a short stretch but will then turn left on my way to wildboarclough.

a_n_t

its not too bad from macc up the c+f, the hardest bit is for a couple of miles after you bear left from the main rd, there's actually a couple of downhill bits on the climb! if that makes sense!?

andy_wrx

If you don't get over 40 dropping-down into Wildboarclough, you're a wuss Popette !

(although it is a bit bumpy, so be careful...)

popette

andy_wrx wrote:

If you don't get over 40 dropping-down into Wildboarclough, you're a wuss Popette !

(although it is a bit bumpy, so be careful...)

I'm definitely a wuss! my max speed up until now is about 37mph and I get a bit scared at that point :shock:

petboo

went up first time ever at the end of january . ok until i got to the cat&fiddle then the wind neally blew me off the top.the trucks were going fast and i neallly got blown off the bike.that was a week day. would advice going at the weekend.

popette

I did the pott shrigley, brick works, long hill, goyt valley, derbyshire bridge, cat and fiddle run today. That road out of the goyt to derbyshire bridge is so lovely - thanks for the recommendation. I didn't feel the pain of the climbing because the scenery was distracting me.
Got to the Cat and Mr P wanted to take a short cut home (he was in a a spot of pain) so we went direct to macc and then prestbury, addlington, styal and home.
Glorious day for it. My new gears (compact - 50/34 12/27 were fine on those hills).
I actually ran out of gears coming down the Cat & fiddle - that hasn't happened before.

andy_wrx

Well done you, some decent hills there so you should congratulate yourself

popette

Cheers Andy.
As I got to the top of Brickworks, the field to the right was crammed with sheep all waiting by the gate. They were making a right racket and it sounded just like a very supportive crowd, shouting "yeehhhhhhhhh", cheering me onto the summit. Made me chuckle

andy_wrx

Last time I went up the Brickworks, that rather ramshackle farm on the left at the top smelled so strongly of cowsh*t it was a wonderful incentive to make me carry-on pushing over the summit !

Peakraider

The Cat and Fiddle is okay, but there are so many other routes around there that are better.

Down to Wildboarclough is good, but from there go through Winkle and over Gunn Hill and the Roaches.

Or up to Flash and then the Leek Road to Buxton.

Or after Derbyshire Bridge, turn right towards Macc, and then take the first right, after about 5km, and drop down to The Street that will take you back over Pym's Chair and into Goyt Valley again.

Etc

a_n_t

care to point out where these places are on "mapmyride" or somewhere? I hear of these climbs in the peaks but apart from the snake, c+f and winnats really no idea where they are! 8)

popette

hiya,
http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/by/peakraider
I'm incorporating some of these into a route for Wednesday - think I'll drive to bollington as the road out to Adlington can be a bit scary with all the huge lorries on a weekday morning. approx 50 miles and just under 8000ft climbing. Gulp.
We're so lucky to have all of these hills so close by.
Peakraider - are you based in buxton? Anyone and lives in buxton and cycles must be fit as a fkcu.

a_n_t

popette wrote:

hiya,
http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/by/peakraider

nice one! bring on the pain!! :shock:

a_n_t

going to have a trip up the c+f tomorrow to test out the new garmin 705.

A.D.

popette wrote:

Anyone and lives in buxton and cycles must be fit as a fkcu.

Or just plain kna****ed most of the time (in my case) :oops:

a_n_t

a_n_t wrote:

going to have a trip up the c+f tomorrow to test out the new garmin 705.

well that wasn't fun at all................rained from wilmslow to macc so I turned round and came home bloody weather, now I have an hour of bike cleaning to look forward too.......oh joy :evil:

DaveyL

Any locals got any thoughts on the road from Whaley Bridge to Macc (via Rainow)? "Bloody murder" was the thought most occupying my mind! Macc - C&F - Buxton - Whaley Bridge - Macc is a pretty decent training loop. One of these days I'll ride it twice!