Peak District Routes

Yacoby

I am going to be in the peak district (near New Mills) for a couple of weeks and I wanted to try and get a couple of rides in (I have sprained my knee somehow, so it sort of depends how bad it is after two weeks of not riding (which is killing me given the weather) ). Anyway, I was planning on trying to ride everything named on this map (basically building rides from the routes given) http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=http:%2 ... strict.kmz

Anything that I am missing that is a must ride? Or even something that is a "should ride"?

ratty2k

Wouldn't bother with Chapel gate, been 'repaired' into a dull as fook smooth track. Rest is all good.

slowslowslow

I always ride from Ladybower. Fairholmes visitor centre has bike hire and good facilities. You can do a pretty mundane but pleasent route of resovoir if all else fails but there is some stunning riding. Cut Gate can be ridden from Faiholmes and its demanding but a superb ride, firm favourite with locals and a real blast.

If you have an OS map there is plenty of other stuff.from Fairholmes you can go around the resevior, up Grindle Clough, across to Winstone Lee Tor and down to the road. you can also head the other side of Ladybower and take in the area around Hope Cross, clough Farm, Hagg Farm and Lockerbroke, the choices are endless....

If you are on Facebook try 'Slow Rides for Unfit People' they ride very regularly round there and can give very good advice.

Here is a link for Cutgate
http://hitthehills.com/2012/02/cut-gate-peak-district/

Enjoy

sniper68

To echo what Ratty2k said all the stuff in the link you posted is good...with the exception of Chapel Gate(OK as a climb now)Chapel gate used to be a great descent but since the repairs could be ridden on a skateboard :roll:
All the rides mentioned are good loops in themselves but any of the Ladybower or the Jacobs Ladder routes are must-dos 8)

altern_8

imo,if you are doing Cut Gate,i prefer to start and end at Langsett res,as once you have climbed/pushed back up to the top of Margery Hill,its a superb long descent back to the start,but only to be done when its been very dry like it was last week for us

And as ratty2k and ibbo68 have said,avoid going down Chapel Gate.

Yacoby

Cheers for the comments and suggestions. I will take a look at the FB group and the routes/locations suggested.

ratty2k wrote:

Wouldn't bother with Chapel gate, been 'repaired' into a dull as fook smooth track. Rest is all good.

Ah, I didn't realise that. I have tried to pull some of the "must do" stuff off the internet and some of it must have been from before it was repaired/ruined. Saved me a bit of a ride wondering "what, why is this good?"

poppit

I rode down Chapel Gate the other week, quite enjoyed it, nice to have a bit of variation.

sniper68

Before:


After:


I know which I prefer

poppit

Yes, but that's just your opinion, sometimes it's nice to do a descent without shattering your spine and bike and there's plenty of other rocky descents to do in that area if thats what you want.

sniper68

poppit wrote:

Yes, but that's just your opinion, sometimes it's nice to do a descent without shattering your spine and bike and there's plenty of other rocky descents to do in that area if thats what you want.

I've never shattered either my spine or bike in over 20 years of riding there( even on a full rigid) yes there are other rocky descents but each one has it's own characteristics and Chapel gate was no exception.
I do agree it's nice to have variety but you could now do Chapel gate on a skateboard :roll: If you want a fast smooth decent then there's the Tarmac road into Edale that actually more intersting than Chapel gate now

poppit

ibbo68 wrote:

poppit wrote:

Yes, but that's just your opinion, sometimes it's nice to do a descent without shattering your spine and bike and there's plenty of other rocky descents to do in that area if thats what you want.

I've never shattered either my spine or bike in over 20 years of riding there( even on a full rigid) yes there are other rocky descents but each one has it's own characteristics and Chapel gate was no exception.
I do agree it's nice to have variety but you could now do Chapel gate on a skateboard :roll: If you want a fast smooth decent then there's the Tarmac road into Edale that actually more intersting than Chapel gate now

It was just a figure of speech but you know what I mean. I've never been on a skateboard but I'd have thought you would have to be pretty good to get down there on one. Incidentally, when we did it a few weeks ago there was a woman waiting at the bottom doing a survey primarily aimed at getting 4x4's and motorbikes off the trails.

On Sunday when we were up on the top where the Roman Road is, nr Wooler Knoll, about 6 motorbikes came down from Hope Cross way, pretty sure they shouldn't have been there also pretty sure they do a lot of damage to the trails on that section. Also saw them going down the Beast last year. You feel a bit intimidated about saying anything to them though.

sniper68

Motorbikes and 4X4s are not allowed on either the Roman Road or the Beast (Bridleways)but Policing it is nigh on impossible.IIRC they are imposing a temporary ban on Chapel gate(a Byway) until winter 2013 to monitor the situation,again this will be hard to Police.
When we were last there a large rock(couple of tonnes) had been place to stop the bottom gate opening enough to get a car through but at the other end(bottom of Rushup Edge) nowt...so vehicles can still enter from that end,drive to the bottom of Chapel gate,turn around and go back up :roll:

compo

This is a good route. Did more or less all of it it the other week with a couple of diversions.
http://www.bogtrotters.org/route/showro ... p?route=39