Ladybower, including Beast & Hagg Farm - Sunday 20th Feb

Proutster

Hi all,

Weather permitting I'm going to be doing a loop around Ladybower, including the Beast & Hagg Farm descents on Sunday morning. The route will be similar to this:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/19436624/

But after the Beast descent (around No. 7 on the map) will include a loop North of the A57 to do the Hagg Farm descent, then I'll cross back over the A57 and ride back to the car along the Southern edge of Ladybower reservoir (not along the A57 as shown on the map)

I'll be starting off at the Heatherdene Car Park (the one on the Eastern side of Ladybower on the A6013 to Bamford) at about 9am. I'll be in a silver Merc with a silver Giant Trance X4 - an easier way to identify me is I'll be the daft looking one in a full-face!!

All welcome to join me - let's hope the weather allows

missgroover

That is a fab ride, I love it round there. Cleaned the Beast last summer for the first time and was very proud of myself! No cann do tomorrow but if you do a repeat visit later in the year I could be tempted

Proutster

Yes, it's one of my favourite rides too - shame about tomorrow but will definitely be doing it again - probably once a month.

Will post again, this time with a bit more notice, when I'm planning to go again.

Proutster

Hi All,

Planning the same ride again this Sunday, will be starting at about 9am again and will try to get a parking spot in the lay-by just before the reservoir dam (the Bamford side of the dam).

Silver Merc & Silver Giant Trance X4 - let's hope I'm not Billy No Mates this time

chatters

Hi, would love to ride this! would you post up again next time your goin to ride it, cant make tomorrow unfortunately

Proutster

Chatters
Yes, of course I will - I'll try and give a bit more notice next time - will probably be 20th / 27th Feb.

I'll post it up and, hopefully, we'll get a group of us out.

Looking forward to a cold ride tomorrow

chatters

how was the ride today?

Proutster

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get out as my social secretary informed me that our friends were arriving for lunch sooner than I thought It did mean an afternoon & evening out in Didsbury on the pop though, so not all bad

So I had to make do with a quick 7 mile spin up around Macclesfield forest - and judging by the amount of sheet ice all the way down Charity Lane then Ladybower might have been a bit "sketchy". No mud though

Not around for the next couple of Sunday's so it'll have to wait til Sunday 20th Feb - and that's a definite. All welcome and will confirm time etc. nearer the date.

chatters

That works out great, i could only go on the 20th anyway as im working the next weekend. Hows the macc forest loop, thats another one ive been meaning to do for ages, and which one would you say was the best?

Proutster

The 2 rides are completely different - the ladybower loop's much more challenging on both the climbs and the descents and there's much more variety. It's my favourite of the two. It is also much longer at 13-14 miles and takes me 2 to 2.5 hours (depending on how much beer I've had the night before )

I generally use the Macc loop as an evening / night ride and can get around in an hour as the loop I do is only 6-7 miles. It's also closer to home, so I can be there within 25 mins whereas Ladybower's a bit further away.

Another of my favourites is around Hayfield, there's a nice 7-8 mile loop that has some tough climbs followed by some fun descents - this was at the top of one of the long climbs in August:


Let's aim for Sunday the 20th around Ladybower, then you can look forward to going down this:

Fungus The Muffin Man

I did Hayfield for the first time on sunday. A mate took me round it. It waas a kind of clover leaf shape loop with us going up and out of hayfield. Then down back into it. Followed by a big climb back out to loop round to the other side of Hayfield then up and loop back down into Hayfield. Was a great days riding.

I'll check my diary. If I'm not working I'll come out for the ride if thats ok?

Proutster

Fungus
Yes, I've done 2/3rds of the Hayfield Cloverleaf - I've done the bit up to Lantern Pike & up to New Allotments (that's where the first pic above is) but I haven't done the bit up to the shooting cabin. Nice bit of variety there.

The more, the merrier - all welcome. Have you been around Ladybower?

chatters

How long does it normally take you to do the ladybower loop?

Proutster

To do the one described at the top (13-14 miles) it takes me about 2 1/2 hours. I'm not quick by any means and have to stop for lots of breathers within that

chatters

sweet looking forward to it! What descent is that thats pretty rocky in one of your photos?

Proutster

That's the start of The Beast - and you have to come down this to get to that point:




I've not managed to get down the whole of The Beast without dabbing a foot yet, so that's my next challenge. I'm sure almost everybody else does it quicker than me as well....... :oops:

chatters

that looks proper mint! looking forward to it now!

bluechair84

20th Feb - I'll keep that in my diary and might join you.
Have you seen the descent from WinHill through the forest down to roughly your waymark 2? I've eyed it up a few times and not quite decided if I can get down it. mental descent.

Got a load more pics of the ladybower ride here

xCatch22x

Proutster,

The Ladybower area is my local riding place and is only 30 mins steady drive from Chapeltown where I live. I used to only ride the fire trail around the dams on my old trusty hard tail as a bit of a fitness thing. I also did a few rides in Wharncliffe with one that ended badly with a nice 1 week hospital stay and a metal plate in my arm. Well, that was nearly 10 years ago and now I am a lot fatter and less fit at 37.

Now I have bought a FS bike, albeit a Cheapish Boardman Team FS, I am liking some of the other rides that are local to me such as Stanage Edge and the higher altitude Ladybower runs.

The one I have been doing recently is the one that takes you from the bridge near the Inn up to crook farm and then lockerbrook? leading down to the road near Fairholmes visitors centre. We then loop round to then go up the steep rocky/stone slab path up to Winstone Lee Tor. Its then a nice ride down to the Inn.

This ride is something that I find hard and I have to do a fair few stops and a bit of walking up the latter section.

How does this compare to the route you suggest? Not that I am worried about the rides and my fitness, it's just that I would not like to hold people up and spoil their enjoyment.

I am currently working shifts and that means 3 weekends out of 5 are ok for me to ride and as I am increasing finding it more difficult to arrange rides with my mates due to theirs and my family commitments I am looking for a group to tag along with. Sundays are the best day and usually look to start the ride at 8.30am if possible. The wife has me on a leash!!

Wayne.

miss notax

Hello

My other half (Chris) and I are up in the Peak District that weekend, staying in Castleton, and were looking at riding around there ourselves.... I need to check with Chris blah blah, but (in theory!) would anyone mind if we joined in?

Chris will be fine - i'm pretty fit but not used to riding super rocky stuff. Having said that, i'll happily chuck myself down most things (and I can walk quickly with a bike )

Anyway, just thought I would ask

xCatch22x

Looks like I will have to miss this one. I will be there this coming weekend and then the 6th of March for my next ride after that.

I will monitor this thread to see when people are out and about.

Wayne.

PS Having to work for a living sucks.

Proutster

Bluechair84

I've not seen that descent but it does look mental, nice pics on your website by the way.

Obviously you're more than welcome to join on the 20th - the more the merrier.

xCatch22x

Yes, at the end of October I added on the Lockerbrook Farm descent then the climb up to Whinstone Lee Tor and the descent back down to the Inn onto my planned route - it was about 20 miles in total!! I loved the Lockerbrook Fram descent but I had to walk up most of the paved / rocky climb up to Whinstone Lee Tor. It was then very muddy at the far end of Whinstone - the descent back to the Inn was great but I was sh*gged by then :oops:

I'm planning to do that big ride again this summer when the ground will (hopefully) be drier.

Pity you can't join us on 20th - perhaps next time.

miss notax

Of course you're more than welcome to join - you're probably a far better rider than a (relative) newbie like me. It's just a lack of fear (+ a fair measure of stupidity and too many bangs on the head in my youth from rugby) that makes me do the descents

If everyone can make it that means we might be up to 8 (me, chatter, fungus, bluechair84, miss notax, chris, sparked + his mate), should be a nice blend of abilities there so that no one feels out of their depth / is left on their own.

I'll bring the Haribos

miss notax

Cool I'll confirm nearer the time, but looks good!

What time are you all meeting?

Proutster

The plan so far is to meet up at 9ish and start off ASAP after that - over the next few days I'll post a map showing where I'll be parked so that we can all meet up.

Looking forward to it already

rudyardmtb

Are you planning this for Sat or Sun? Dont pop on here often but just looking and thought I might try and get a pass out.

Chris

Proutster

Chris,

As it says in the title - Sunday 20th.

You're welcome to join us - start working on the pass now

rudyardmtb

Ahh, would help if i could read properly.
Cheers

rudyardmtb

Pass all sorted, looking forward to this already. Not mtb properly for a couple of years now so the downhilling could be interesting.

chris

Proutster

rudyardmtb wrote:

Pass all sorted, looking forward to this already. Not mtb properly for a couple of years now so the downhilling could be interesting.

chris

Well done - quick work on the negotiations there

Don't worry, I take lots of stops for breathers!!

rudyardmtb

Take the straight forward approach. Tell your woman what your doing and there is to be no arguments

Just waiting for the hell she will lay on for me in exchange, such as going out with her mates and husbands, yawnfest. Going to make the most of it come hell or highwater.

Proutster

Proutster wrote:

If everyone can make it that means we might be up to 8 (me, chatter, fungus, bluechair84, miss notax, chris, sparked + his mate), should be a nice blend of abilities there so that no one feels out of their depth / is left on their own.

Should now have 1 more - rudyardmtb

Here's where I'm going to park - Meeting Point - it's the layby on the left as you drive towards the reservoir dam. I'll aim to be there at 8:45am next Sunday (20th), Silver Merc & Silver Giant Trance X4 - oh, and a daft, full-face helmet :oops:

Let me know who's going to be there - to make sure we wait.

Can't wait now