Peak district - help required



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John

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We are looking to take our bikes to the Peak distric this weekend. Can anyone suggest a place to
park (car) and where there is a suitable area for cycling for a few miles in the country. Don't want
any large hilly areas, as this is our first time out and about on the bikes.

JOHN & LISA
 
"John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> We are looking to take our bikes to the Peak distric this weekend. Can anyone suggest a place to
> park (car) and where there is a suitable area
for
> cycling for a few miles in the country. Don't want any large hilly areas,
as
> this is our first time out and about on the bikes.
>
> JOHN & LISA
>
Not been up there for ages but how about the Tissington Trail? - signposted designated tracks and
good for beginners I would have thought

http://www.highpeak.co.uk/hp/h_tistbd.htm
 
John <[email protected]> wrote:
> We are looking to take our bikes to the Peak distric this weekend. Can anyone suggest a place to
> park (car) and where there is a suitable area for cycling for a few miles in the country. Don't
> want any large hilly areas, as this is our first time out and about on the bikes.
>
> JOHN & LISA

Tissington Trail, High Peak Trail or Ladybower would be my suggestions. Ladybower will give you
reasonably flat cycling - the steep bits are short - with a road part way round closed off to
cars at the weekend and then track for the rest of the way. You can cut out part way round or do
the entire loop if you feel up to it. The other two are both "there and back" routes. Start from
the west end so you are climbing on the outward leg when you are fresh and the return leg is
then downhill.

Tony

--
http://www.raven-family.com

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to
adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George
Bernard Shaw
 
Thanks for the feedback Stephen. I had seen that one on the internet and I had noted it down. I
had also seen a route called The Monsal Trail: Monsal one looks particularly nice, but I noticed
some parts are not accessible by bicycle. I wondered how much cycling could be done on this trail
and of the parts that can be ridden by cycle, are the views in this area as nice a pictures seem
to suggest?

JOHN & LISA
 
Park up at Parsley Hay (snack shop, bike hire and loos), which is the junction of the Tissington
Trail and High Peak Trail - both ex-railways, no cars allowed on the trails. You can then follow the
Tissington Trail to Ashbourne, or the High Peak Trail to Cromford. Both are good rides, each about
20-30 miles round trip off road.

Also, go to Waterhouses (bike hire, loos, food in village), and look for the Manifold Valley Trail;
there's an easy to find car park at the Waterhouses end, and if you're feeling *really* energetic,
you can walk up the track to Thors Cavern, which is about half-way along the trail.

Have a look at http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/walks/cycling.htm for some others (the site is nothing to
do with me, I just found it on Google)

...but why you'd come to the Peak District and not want Hills, I don't know!! Try Lincolnshire!

HTH,

Pete.

---------------------------
Peter Connolly Derby UK

"John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> We are looking to take our bikes to the Peak distric this weekend. Can anyone suggest a place to
> park (car) and where there is a suitable area
for
> cycling for a few miles in the country. Don't want any large hilly areas,
as
> this is our first time out and about on the bikes.
>
> JOHN & LISA
 
"John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> We are looking to take our bikes to the Peak distric this weekend. Can anyone suggest a place to
> park (car) and where there is a suitable area
for
> cycling for a few miles in the country. Don't want any large hilly areas,
as
> this is our first time out and about on the bikes.
>
> JOHN & LISA
>

Longdendale Trail is good. Start at Hadfield near the railway station - there is a car park. 6.5
Miles of old railway track, very slightly upish but tail wind usually, to the old Woodhead tunnel.
Reservoirs on the left, hills on the right, very scenic.

Steve
 
> Park up at Parsley Hay (snack shop, bike hire and loos), which is the junction of the Tissington
> Trail and High Peak Trail - both ex-railways, no cars allowed on the trails. You can then follow
> the Tissington Trail to Ashbourne, or the High Peak Trail to Cromford. Both are good rides, each
> about 20-30 miles round trip off road.
>
>

Especially for a first-timer, I'd suggest going the other way - park at Ashbourne and cycle north to
Parsley Hay: it averages a gentle uphill there, and downhill back to the car.

When I used to do Ashbourne-Parsley Hay and back, I'd reward myself at the top end with an
ice-cream, and at the Ashbourne end by cycling on south through the tunnel: past the other end
there's a Sainsburys! Mind you, I never seemed to lose any weight that way...
 
"John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> We are looking to take our bikes to the Peak distric this weekend. Can anyone suggest a place to
> park (car) and where there is a suitable area
for
> cycling for a few miles in the country. Don't want any large hilly areas,
as
> this is our first time out and about on the bikes.

My vote goes to Ladybower, relatively easy to ride around and beautiful scenery. Park at Fairhomles.

Pete
 
You're correct! I knew that there *was* a gentle slope, but couldn't remember which way, so I kept
quiet! I used to start from Derby, and went up the A6 to Cromford, cycle up the inclines to
Middleton Top, then along to Parsley Hay, down to Ashbourne, and back to Derby. But I was fitter in
them days....I doubt I'd do such mileage in my car these days, never mind on a bike!

Regards,

Pete.

---------------------------
Peter Connolly Derby UK

"Mark McN" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Park up at Parsley Hay (snack shop, bike hire and loos), which is the junction of the Tissington
> > Trail and High Peak Trail - both ex-railways,
no
> > cars allowed on the trails. You can then follow the Tissington Trail to Ashbourne, or the High
> > Peak Trail to Cromford. Both are good rides, each about 20-30 miles round trip off road.
> >
> >
>
> Especially for a first-timer, I'd suggest going the other way - park at Ashbourne and cycle north
> to Parsley Hay: it averages a gentle uphill there, and downhill back to the car.
>
> When I used to do Ashbourne-Parsley Hay and back, I'd reward myself at the top end with an
> ice-cream, and at the Ashbourne end by cycling on south through the tunnel: past the other end
> there's a Sainsburys! Mind you, I never seemed to lose any weight that way...
 
It will be really busy on most of these trails over easter....millions of casual walkers and kidies
on bikes swerving all over the place!...I'd stick to the roads! :O)

Divil "John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thanks for the feedback Stephen. I had seen that one on the internet and I had noted it down. I
> had also seen a route called The Monsal Trail: Monsal one looks particularly nice, but I noticed
> some parts are not accessible by bicycle. I wondered how much cycling could be done on this trail
> and of the parts that can be ridden by cycle, are the views in this area as nice a pictures seem
> to suggest?
>
> JOHN & LISA
 
Peter Connolly wrote:

>Park up at Parsley Hay (snack shop, bike hire and loos), which is the junction of the Tissington
>Trail and High Peak Trail - both ex-railways, no cars allowed on the trails. You can then follow
>the Tissington Trail to Ashbourne, or the High Peak Trail to Cromford. Both are good rides, each
>about 20-30 miles round trip off road.

Nice circular trip I did last year. Ashbourne to Parsley Hay to Cromford on trail then Cromford to
Ashbourne on country lanes. There are two climbs on the lanes, but mostly you're riding around the
edge of a lake.
--
remove remove to reply
 
"John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Thanks for the feedback Stephen. I had seen that one on the internet and I had noted it down. I
> > had also
seen
> > a route called The Monsal Trail: Monsal one looks particularly nice, but
I
> > noticed some parts are not accessible by bicycle. I wondered how much cycling could be done on
> > this trail and of the parts that can be ridden
by
> > cycle, are the views in this area as nice a pictures seem to suggest?

The Monsal trail isn't much cop for cycling except for the section between Bakewell and Little
Longstone - this is pleasant easy cycling, taught my kids to ride there. The Millers Dale
section has blocked up tunnels which make it pretty much impossible. The countryside is
certainly very scenic.

Simon
 
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