Just back from MTBing in the Peak District....

miss notax

Crikey :shock: :shock:

Everything is so BIG and ROCKY :shock:

As a nampy pampy southern softie who only rides natural trails in the New Forest (where the scariest thing is a large gorse bush or a New Forest pony in the wrong place) and trails centres in Wales / Scotland, it was all a bit of a a culture shock! I have now had the delight in walking UP Jacobs Ladders pushing my bike - which took about an hour in over 26 degrees yesterday :? :oops: I did ride down the other side though...!

I thought I was pretty fit but 22 miles of off-road riding on Saturday was utterly exhausting! (and again on Sunday and yesterday)! And the obligatory domestic halfway up Jacobs Ladder (as my other half rode up parts of it... :twisted: ) was pretty exhausting too

The descents were stunning though.... Completely loose and mental but FABULOUS! But if anyone on here is the chap who offered a friendly 'you're meant to be riding your bike, love!' as I pushed it down a particularly scary it - sorry for the scowl :oops: Complete sense of humour failure on my part :oops:

Anyway, I have a new-found respect for people that ride up there regularly.... I think i'm better off with the gorse bushes and ponies!

sniper68

Good isn't it
Although Jacos Ladder is better as a descent 8)
I've been riding there for the last 15 years or so and walking/hiking there since the early 70s and I never get bored,plus it's only 30 mins from my house 8) 8)

blister pus

it's certainly an eye opener around the dark peak if you're used to flatter more accommodating terrain or stuff that's been ironed out with the edges taken off.

that said, heat affects people differently and it's no fun slogging it out hill climbing in that heat unless you're really mentally geared for it. you need your best "fuck you - you are having it" head on. :twisted:

miss notax

True!!

I think it's fair to say that i've now well and truly got over my 'riding on loose rock' phobia

CycloRos

Sounds like you had a blast! good on ya!

I've ridden there many a time, taken my little bro around Hope the last couple of times and he vouched never to go again cos it's so tough! I just think he's a big jessy

Jacob's ladder is a beast I give full respect to anyone who attempts it as a climb!

gb2gw

Way to go Miss Notax! And fair play to you for being so ballsy and good humoured about it (even if some bits of said humour came after were home with your feet up!)

Most of the regular rides me and hubby do are in the Peaks so I always find it a nice surprise to go to trail centres and be struck by how rideable it all seems in comparison!

There are still a number of places there I'll lose my bottle (or know my limits!) and get off and walk. Passers-by can have a dig and a smirk all they like, I know I look a damn sight less silly walking down in one piece than lying in an undignified heap bleeding and blubbing

You sound like you did all right though to me - don't let it put you off going back!

miss notax

Thanks hun

I think i've now just about recovered from the experience...!

I can see how people who ride there all the time must be pretty hardcore riders - it was all just so loose and rocky! Fingers crossed my new bike will be a bit better equipped to cope with stuff like that

Having said (or possibly screamed.. :? ) to Chris about how I was NEVER going back, I have to admit that after a glass of wine last night it's looking appealing again! A few months and we'll be back! (who said women were fickle??!)

lawman

im off to cutgate path this weekend, quite possibly my favorite place to ride in the uk, and it'll be nice to ride in the dry rather a freezing cold november frost

i attempted jacobs ladder last year, got about 15ft up the first part, but rode from the section from the first corner to the top of that section, before being pushed off by a walker :x (well he walked in front of me the deaf tw@) i think cutgate is better as a whole ride, particularly the drop down into ladybower, mega steep and super rocky, been there a few times and never seen anyone else ride it, other than my rather over confident for the day self talk about brickin it, i had to have a sit down after

Tartanyak

You have just inspired me. I may well go do cutgate myself. Love that trail to bits!

Lawman - I've seen a couple of people do it. I tend to ride the entire lot (well, except some uphill bits, because I'm lazy and, well, I'll mention my bike in a bit!)

It's so nice. It's why my bike's set up like it is. A coiler (quite tough bike in itself) with downhill rims on 36 spoke hubs (It makes me feel better to have 4 spare...), a bash plate instead of an outer ring and stupid 2.4" panaracers.

Have you been over after it's snowed and it's melting? Or in a rainstorm? It's so cool - the entire trail turns into a river with a nice rocky bed and lots of swoopy waterfalls and stuff to play on.

As for comments about riding the bike, I like the 'IT'S CALLED A PUSHBIKE!!!!' reply

cavegiant

I must admit I was terrified first time I went there, that is why I keep going back.

miss notax

cavegiant wrote:

I must admit I was terrified first time I went there, that is why I keep going back.

I've heard about people like you.... :shock:

gb2gw

miss notax wrote:

Thanks hun

I think i've now just about recovered from the experience...!

I can see how people who ride there all the time must be pretty hardcore riders - it was all just so loose and rocky! Fingers crossed my new bike will be a bit better equipped to cope with stuff like that

Having said (or possibly screamed.. :? ) to Chris about how I was NEVER going back, I have to admit that after a glass of wine last night it's looking appealing again! A few months and we'll be back! (who said women were fickle??!)

Ha! Your bout of grumping (screaming) while pushing uphill reminds me of my birthday a few years back where I'd taken the day off work and just me and OH had driven over to Ladybower to do a ride and I was really not having a good time of it and ended up pushing the blasted bike almost all the way up this hill (OH has successfully ridden up the lot of course, and was nowhere in sight), cursing and swearing and being a right old grump. When I got to the top, he saw what a huff I was in and said we could pack the bikes up and go home if I was that fed up and I hmphed and sighed and said I was fine.

A bit further on, when we reached the top we stopped in a field to have a gaze out across the view and OH suddenly produced a little box with a ring in it and asked me to marry him!

Always funny now to think he'd planned it for months to be a special moment and on the day I'd been such an unattractive moaning old moobag who nearly inadvertently called the whole thing off!!

Anyway, give us a shout if you find yourself heading back up this way - it's always good to meet new faces (especially girlies) and we're usually out up there most weekends (hubby wants to tackle Cavedale this Sunday... yoiinks)



Last time I attempted it some years back I walked most of it. Will be interesting to see how much (if any) my confidence/riding ability has increased since then!!!

miss notax

Awww, brilliant story

Will definitely give you a shout if (when ) we go back. Chris is talking about a group of us going up there, in which case I will bail of out their group rides as they are all very fast blokes and I don't want to cramp their style and maybe take you up on your offer instead? I'm not a wimp, but testosterone levels can sometimes get a bit too high for my liking in cases like that!!

lawman

tartanyak - yer i've been in the rain and the first time i went was the weekend a few yars back when 70-80mph winds swept across the country, and we just so happen to be on the top section being blown off the mountain actually thinking back it was bloody scary, but i think the weather is the main challenge on cutgate, the terrain is all pretty much rideable in good conditions, it just when the puddles are two foot deep and the wind is in your helmet that it can be tricky

hoochylala

lawman wrote:

im off to cutgate path this weekend, quite possibly my favorite place to ride in the uk, and it'll be nice to ride in the dry rather a freezing cold november frost

Going to be busy up there this weekend I think - might see you there Early start for me though - I'm hoping its dry, but all it will take is a down pour in the next few days and ill be changing my route choice - nothing beats cut gate in the dry

miss notax

Sounds like it's going to be busy...!!

Why is it that the camera always makes everything look tamer.... :?

Tartanyak

I think I'll be there Saturday morning

I remember the winds over the tops. At one point, towards the northish end at the part where it's on the side of the hill the wind was so strong I threw up a rock and it got blown away

bamba

miss notax wrote:

Sounds like it's going to be busy...!!

Why is it that the camera always makes everything look tamer.... :?

+ 1 , ive seen most of the videos of the routes around here and can vouch that they dont show them anything like they ride,i used to spend most of my time at cannock but now much preffer the peaks any time,most of my mates seam a bit put off by it all though.

dvatc

Peak District, home of DVATC (have a look at our site- WWW.DVATC.CO.UK).
Any route, any weather it's mental off road fun.

cavegiant

bamba wrote:

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Does anyone know any more terrain like this?

It is my favorite descent in the UK, also my fave climb (if you can clean the climb you are better than me).

Nothing else like it that I know about!


Anyone have a suggestion?

cavegiant

Just restressing how fun that is to climb, a few people have a go but you can see they don't believe!

It is very doable, the traction is obscene, so you can get up what would be impossible otherwise.

Briggo

I walked up Cavedale couple of months back and saw a family trying to go down it on rented MTB's, it was a laugh, but I also saw how awesome it'd be to ride it, so its on my definately to do list.

capoz77

The second pic looks a lot more enjoyable than the 1st.

Are they on the same ride?

Where exactly is cavedale?
*edit* just seen cavedale on google images, does it start up by the quarry with the steep descent?

dvatc

try this site http://www.mtbmonkey.com

Briggo

capoz77 wrote:

The second pic looks a lot more enjoyable than the 1st.

Are they on the same ride?

Where exactly is cavedale?
*edit* just seen cavedale on google images, does it start up by the quarry with the steep descent?

Yeah, the route that goes behind Peveril castle in Castleton.

Its stupidly steep and rocky.

hoochylala

Cavedale is a great descent - in fact anything that points downhill is great in the Peaks - im struggling to think of one that isnt! Most of my riding is done in the Peaks now - just nothing nearby competes with it.

capoz77

is there a ride in the peaks called snakes path? (not to be confused with snakes pass)

blister pus

it's a stretch near lockerbrook farm to derwent res

Red Route

I go regularly to the Peaks as I live not too far away in Nottingham!
Is tons more tiring obviously than any Red Routes I've done (even when I've done them twice in a day)
Proper day out, went out a couple of weeks ago & did 30 miles in the heat, stunning!
Be properly prepared though, as I learnt the time before last!
My hanger broke in the middle of nowhere just after a sudden storm, cold wet with Map disintergrating before my eyes & a broken Bike.
Enjoy!

Dick Scruttock

I live in Macclesfield and have just started venturing over on my bike to Castleton and Hope. Some really good rides to be had around there if you like rocky descents and even rockier climbs

Infact i might baptise the new LTc over there next weekend

poppit

Just interested on a professional basis, is there anything anyone can suggest to improve the riding in the peak district?