Climbing Mt Snowden in Wales going up the Llanberis pass and returning down the Ranger path.
1060m of climbing in 18.5km up and down in just over 2.5 hours The joy of ebikes. The climb on a standard bike would usually take around 3 hours. Worth noting there is an agreement about when it is best to attempt this ride.
Using three of our Trek Ebikes, with enough spare battery on return to do the whole thing again!
Dropping into Cavedale as the sunset, after the long climb up Pindale and Dirtlow rake. 36 riders on a Wednesday evening ride what could go wrong?
Great group ride made up of CABG collective joined by the Rother Valley Riders 👌
Cavedale is arguably one of the toughest trails in the Peak District a mainly dry limestone rocky riverbed. That drops steeply down into the back of Castleton.
If you fancy a go check out our Caves and Castles route on our website 👍
Route 9 – Caves and Castles
Difficulty: Challenging
Length: 24 Miles (38km)
Elevation Gain: 4,500ft (1370m)
Starting at the Bike Garage cross over the road to Shatton Lane. Follow this quiet lane before taking the first left. Follow this lane for 0.3 miles until you get to a gate, through this gate is a bridleway through a field that has a short steep climb followed by a quick descent before getting to the next road. From here follow this road up to the next bridleway on your right, this bridleway takes you up towards the start of the first climb of the day up to Shatton Mast.
Once through this gate you follow the bridleway for just under one mile through the open moorland before joining the top of Shatton Lane where it becomes a wide gravel trail. Continue following this lane past the mast, through a few gates then around to the top of the Bradwell descent.
The Bradwell descent is a brilliant little singletrack, it is just shy of half a mile (0.8km) descending roughly 350ft (106m). It can be a little slippery if there has been some rain down and keep an eye out for other trail users. After dropping down to Bradwell it is time to climb back up to the top of cavedale. This is the second climb of the day, it is a long one at 3 miles (5km) and climbing 810ft (245m) so settle in and get ready for the upcoming Cavedale descent.
Cavedale is a very popular descent with all trail users. It starts out at a gentle gradient through open fields before dropping into a very tough, technical boulder field. Lasting approximately 1.3 miles (2km) and descending 675ft (205m) you will come across a wide range of trail surfaces that will test your technical skills and brakes! If you are descending Cavedale on the weekend you should anticipate other users to be on the trail, it is a very popular one for walkers. Once you have reached the bottom of the descent you will find yourself in Castleton where you will work your way towards the Old Mam Tor road, also known as the broken road. This is a 0.6 mile (1km) section of abandoned road due to historical landslides giving it a very post-apocalyptic feel. This climb will take you up towards the next descend of the day, Greenhills.
By now you are 13 miles (21km) into the ride – over halfway! The next descent is a Peak District classic, Greenlands. This is a brilliant 0.5-mile (0.8km) descent down the grassy slopes of Mam Tor. It is a mix of wide sections and deep rutted lines so be sure to keep an eye on your line! After reaching the end of this descent it is back up the great ridgeline to Hollins Cross, a 0.6 mile (1km) climb covering more rutted sections and some natural steps towards the top – Kudos if you are able to clean it. Once at Hollins Cross it is a turn to the left, dropping down to Back Tor farm. This is a similar descent to Greenhills dropping 450ft (137m) over 0.6 miles (1km) to the Edale road where you take a right and follow the road for 0.8 miles (1.3km) before taking a left through a date to start climbing the bridleway towards Jaggers Clough.
The climb up from Jaggers Clough to Hope Cross is a steep one, ideal if you have hired an e-bike, it is popular in both directions so once again, keep an eye on other trail users. Once at Hope Cross continue straight to The Beast. This is another Peak District classic, it is 0.3 miles (0.5km) starting with a rocky descent into the woods before becoming much more boulder covered twisting down the hill side. Keep an eye out for the gate on the right at the second major left bend, you are going through here onto the fire track that runs along the south side of the Derwent reservoir. Follow this fire track for 0.4 miles (0.6km) and turn right after the gate to start climbing up Elmin Pits, this climb takes you back up just south east of Hope Cross putting you on for the final descent of the day.
Turn left at the top of Elmin Pits and follow the top of the ridge towards Win Hill for 1.1 miles (1.7km), keeping an eye out for the bridleway dropping to the right you take this down to Aston. This is the last descent of the route and is a fast flowy way to finish the day. You descend for roughly one mile (1.6km) dropping 365ft (111m) providing a really good finish to this ride with brilliant views over the Peak District. Once you hit the road at the bottom turn left and follow it through to Thornhill, when you see the red phone box turn right, drop down the hill and turn left onto Water Lane. From here follow the lane for 0.4 miles (0.6km), turn right onto the Bamford Recreational Ground and follow the trail back to the Bike Garage.
With this you are done, you will have covered 24 miles and roughly 4,500ft of climbing through six brilliant descents.
Difficulty: Challenging
Length: 19 Miles (30.5km)
Elevation Gain: 3,200ft (975m)
This ride suits itself to those wishing to hire a bike from the Bike Garage for a proper day in the peaks. Starting at the Bike Garage a short trip to the Bamford train station is the first step, make sure you go to the Manchester side of the tracks as you don’t want to set off towards Sheffield! Get on one of the frequent trains through to Chinley, this is only a 20-minute ride so be sure not to miss your stop.
Once in Chinley leave the station via the footbridge onto station road, from here follow the road left to Green lane then left again onto Stubbins lane. Now it is time for the first climb of the day, follow Stubbins lane for roughly a mile before turning right onto the bridleway just after the paved driveway, this is the start of the offroad section. This stretch of the bridleway is followed for another mile before reaching a wooden gate, pass through this gate and follow the bridleway for the first descent down to Chapel road. This is a nice little descent with amazing views of the Peak District and the route to come.
After joining onto Chapel road turn left and then right at the building, this is only a short road section but is quite a fast road so be careful for traffic. From Chapel road, it is a short half a mile climb up to a very nice descent that drops you down to Coldwell Clough and the foot of the climb up towards Kinder Scout. This descent is a fast-flowing wide grass descent that drops into a more rugged bridleway before joining the small lane, as you get to the end of the descent keep right so you don’t miss the road.
Now it is time for the climb up to the top of Jacobs Ladder, this is a long climb that brings you up just over 900ft over the space of 1.5 miles. It is peppered in loose boulders so can be quite a challenge but the views from the top and the upcoming Jacobs Ladder descent make it well worth it. It’s worth noting this bridleway can be very popular, especially during the weekends in summer so respect other trail users moving in either direction. By the time you have reached the top of the climb at Edale Cross you will be on for roughly 6 miles, the next 3.6 miles are all downhill and come nicely to Edale where you can stop for food and drink. But before coffee and cake it is time for the Jacobs Ladder descent, this is a rugged steep descent that drops you almost 600ft in just less than a mile!
Keep an eye out for other trail users coming up in the opposite direction and make sure you spot your line as there are some little drops that can catch up on you quickly if you are not careful! After this descent follow the bridleway for roughly 2.5 miles taking you through Upper Booth, joining the road into Barber Booth then turning left on the Edale road and following it into Edale.
When you arrive in Edale you have two options, you can push on with the route climbing up to Hollins Cross or take half an hour to get some food and drink from the Penny Pot Cafe.If this takes your fancy ride into Edale turning left at the junction with the red phone box opposite it, just up here you will see the signs for Edale train station and just before the station is the Penny Pot Cafe, they have outdoor seating around the back and it’s a very worthwhile stop to refuel before the next half of this ride.
And just before the station is the Penny Pot Café. Under new enthusiastic ownership since March 2019 you can be sure of a warm welcome. Open all year round you can treat yourself to some simple home cooked food, a piece of cake or if you just need a water bottle refill they are more than happy to oblige. If it’s a cold day you can relax by the log burner and on the warmer days take a break on the terrace before you set off fully recharged for the next half of this ride.
After following the bridleway for almost a mile you will get to a gate, the route goes through this gate and turns right through another gate, the bridleway continues through the field along the stone wall be careful not to follow the footpath that runs parallel with the wire fence. After following through the field for a short while you get to a gate, go through this and continue along the wall to a second gate, the trail gets narrower as it runs along the bottom of a hill before becoming a fun singletrack descent down to a property. Join the road and follow it to a second property and look out for the limestone way sign near the rusted gate, this is again a grassy trail that you follow to the A623 where you take a left following it to a back road just after the first property you come to.
Once you have got into Edale or finished at the cafe it is time to climb up to Hollins Cross, the next significant climb on this route. The lane taken to the bridleway is on the right as you come into Edale, it is just before the red phone box you use to find the cafe. You follow this lane for just half a mile before taking the bridleway on the left and climbing up to Hollins Cross. This is another good climb over half a mile climbing almost 300ft, it offers some amazing views over the valley and really pays off during the summer months. After the final kick up to Hollins Cross the route takes the descent to the left down to back tor farm, this is a fast flowing descent that drops into some deep skinny sections, it’s not one that is covered too often due to its location on the hill but works perfectly for this route. After dropping down here you join back onto the Edale road where you turn right, under the bridge and follow for just shy of one mile before joining the bridleway that passes round the back of Clough farm.
This bridleway is followed for 1.5 miles up to Hope Cross, on this section you drop down and climb back up Jaggers Clough, this is a steep climb that is popular in both directions so keep an eye out for other users in each direction. After the final climb up to Hope Cross you get the option to descend down The Beast, turn left to go down to Spud Alley or follow to the right to drop down towards the Roman Road. This route follows down to the Roman road and follows it for half a mile before turning left after the gate climbing up towards Hope Brink and on towards Win Hill. At this point you can follow the Roman Road down into Hope if you want to have a second cafe stop at Cafe Adventure. If you don’t fancy a cafe stop take the left up towards Win Hill. After climbing up here you will see the sign for the bridleway pointing to the right, drop down here for the final major descent of this route, this drops you down to Aston on the Aston Bridleway, this is a 400ft descent that is just over one mile long before joining the road again. At the road take a left and follow it through to Thornhill for just over one mile then take a right at the red phone box before dropping down the road then turning left onto Water Lane. Follow water lane for 0.7 of a mile then turn right into the recreational grounds then through to the garden center under the train bridge back to the Bike Garage.
This route comes in for 19 miles climbing roughly 3,200ft taking in some significant climbs and descents with a couple of cafe stops on the way. It is perfect if you are wanting to hire a bike from the shop, check the website for availability.
You can download the GPX of the route by following this link.
Difficulty: Medium/Challenging
Length: 26 Miles (42km)
Elevation Gain: 3,400ft (1,036m)
A quick road section to Edale leads you up to Mam Tor then south towards the Peak Forest and on for some gravel road action along the dark/white peak boundary into Abney and on for a final descent from Shatton Moor down to the Bike Garage. This ride makes for a perfect loop for those wanting a longer ride covering a satisfying span of the Peak District.
This ride leaves the back of the Bike Garage towards the Thornhill Trail. The trail is followed for 1.5 miles, it is a perfect warm up to get the legs going before turning left for the climb up to Wooler Knoll, be sure not to fly past the turn off, it is seen just by the bench on the left of the trail. Drop it into a low gear and spin away up this climb until you leave the wooded area and see a large gate on the left, this climb is just over a mile climbing 260ft. Once at the gate head through it for the final climb out of the woods up to Hope Brink giving way to incredible views of Lose Hill and the valley leading to Edale.
After taking in the views the route follows the ridgeline to the right through to Hope Cross, this is a tough little climb with a number of step ledges in it. Once at the top turn left to follow the rocky descent down to Jaggers Clough, before the river crossing get into a low gear for the climb up the other side. The climb out of Jaggers Clough is loose and again has a few steps making it a little technical towards the top. Once at the top the trail meanders along to Clough Farm before dropping down to Edale Road via a narrow singletrack descent through the trees. From, here the route heads towards Edale for 1.7 miles before turning left and heading up towards Hollins Cross.
The climb to Hollins Cross is a 0.65 mile section climbing 250ft, it is possible to ride up it without stopping thanks to the recent maintenance carried out by Peak District MTB. At Hollins Cross the route turns right following the stone slab trail towards Mam Tor, this is a perfect location for a few photos and a good halfway point for some lunch with a view. When you get to the second gate keep to the right as this is the bridleway that runs along the north side of Mam Tor unlike the footpath that goes straight to the peak. Follow this bridleway down to the road then it’s time for another road section. Follow the road to the left through the middle of the hillside then down the south side to the junction with Sheffield Road, turn left and follow down the hill and around the sharp right hand corner for 0.7 miles. On your left shortly after the turn off for Winnats Pass you will see a sign for Rowter Farm, go through this gate and follow the part paved part gravel track for just short of a mile.
After following the bridleway for almost a mile you will get to a gate, the route goes through this gate and turns right through another gate, the bridleway continues through the field along the stone wall be careful not to follow the footpath that runs parallel with the wire fence. After following through the field for a short while you get to a gate, go through this and continue along the wall to a second gate, the trail gets narrower as it runs along the bottom of a hill before becoming a fun singletrack descent down to a property. Join the road and follow it to a second property and look out for the limestone way sign near the rusted gate, this is again a grassy trail that you follow to the A623 where you take a left following it to a back road just after the first property you come to.
This back road is followed for 1.5 miles then you turn right onto a gravel track as the road turns sharply left, follow this track to the end where it joins onto Forest lane, follow this road for a quick mile into Little Hucklow. Once in Little Hucklow turn right and then a very sharp steep left through the village to the junction with the B6049, straight ahead is a second gravel track that climbs a little bit and has a significant gulley in it making for a fairly technical section that is followed for almost a mile into Great Hucklow. Ride through Great Hucklow keeping an eye out for the side road opposite the phone box, this climbs up to the school, follow this road behind the school as it becomes an off road trail climbing up through Great Hucklow woods to another back road. At this back road turn left and follow it for 1.7 miles enjoying the incredible scenery before getting to Abney.
Keep an eye out for a red phone box in Abney, opposite it is Duper Lane, the trail that climbs up to Shatton Moor. This is the final notable climb of the ride and once at the top the bridleway is followed to the right towards the mast. After the mast the trail descends quickly for oly 0.4 of a mile before going into the fields through a wooden gate. This section of trail is then followed for 0.8 miles descending into Offerton. Take a left once you get to the road and ride through the small collection of houses and take a left onto another offroad trail that is followed through a few more fields before coming out onto Shatton Lane after one mile. From here turn right and follow to the junction with the A6187 and it’s back to the Bike Garage!
This is a good ride for those wanting to go a little further than they might usually but take in some incredible views throughout. I would recommend hiring an e-bike for this one so you can enjoy it a little more. A full suspension bike would also be fine however due to the mainly gravel trails with only a few steep/technical sections you would be fine on a hardtail bike as well.
You can download the GPX of the route by following this link.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Length: 2-26 Miles
Difficulty: Medium
Length: 19.5 miles
This ride has a little bit of everything for everyone whether you want to race around or make a day of it enjoying the ice cream and the numerous pub stops.
This ride starts out at the bike garage turning left out of the car park and following the A6187 towards Hathersage for 1 mile before taking another left and climbing up towards Thorpe farm. The owners of Thorpe farm have been kind enough to allow us access through the farmyard on this route, please be respectful of other users of the trail and any personnel working on the farm. Thorpe farm also makes and sells its own ice cream so be sure to stop by to get yourself home along with a refreshing drink!
After passing through the farm the route to climbs further up following coggers lane for a little over a mile before taking the Stanage Causeway up to the top of Stanage Edge. You will pass over a cattle grid and the road will take a sharp right-hand turn where there is a small car park, follow the gravel bridleway continue straight ahead and follow this all the way up to Stanage Pole.
The climb from the start of the causeway up to Stanage pole is a little over 1.5 miles climbing 360 feet, on a clear day you can see the majority of the Peak District from the top of the edge, making this an incredibly satisfying climb. From Stanage pole the route drops down towards Redmires Reservoir, this is a wide gravel descent descending just short of 1 mile and dropping you down 260 feet, it can be a fast descent so be careful of other trail users both coming up and going down. The route now follows the road for 3.5 miles taking you along the top of redmires reservoirs before taking a right turn onto Soughley lane, up Roper hill and towards Ringinglow. Ringinglow is a good spot to stop at for a refreshment drink at the Norfolk Arms before heading up to Lady Cannings.
At this point in the ride it is up to you on how many laps of Lady Cannings you want to do. Lady Cannings offers two mountain bike trails, the older of the two being Blue Steel, a very fun, flowy trail with a small climb at the end to get back onto the main fire track. The second trail is Cooking on Gas this is a more pedaly descent with the top section being relatively flat but still very fun! Cooking on Gas feels longer, however both descents are the same length with Blue Steel being more downhill focused and cooking on gas having some flatter sections. It is up to you how much of Lady Canning’s you ride but once you’re finished the route continues over Houndkirk towards the Fox House pub. The ride over houndkirk is just shy of 2 miles meandering over a wide sandy byway.
After Houndkirk there is a short half mile road section passing the Fox House before turning right onto the bottom of Burbage valley. Burbage valley is a very similar trail surface to Houndkirk however it is considerably smoother with less loose rocks. It is a nice gentle 1.5 mile climb up to the top to gain the last bit of elevation for the main decent back to the bike garage. At the top of Burbage valley turn left and instead of following the road, pass through the car park as a short steep little technical climb cuts out the long road bend and keeps you off the road just for a little bit longer. After the last little climb from the car park the road forks into two, this route follows it to the right hand side before dropping down on a road section to the bottom of Stanage Edge. Just before the cattle grid turn right onto North Lees road, follow North Lees road for half a mile before turning right again just before the cattle grid. On the left-hand side there is a bridleway that drops into the woods, take this and follow the trail through the woods and into the fast rolling field behind North Lees campsite and into Cottis Side.
This is a really enjoyable route that holds up in most weather conditions, it has a little bit of something for everyone and regardless of the weather it is always a good ride out! If you were to make a day of it in the summer make sure you stop at Thorpe farm for some locally made ice cream, the perfect way to start or finish a ride.
The Trail at Lady Cannings was crowd-funded by the local riding community. Organised by Ride Sheffield a trail advocacy group run by volunteers. We have supported their work over the years and would encourage you to support them with either your time or cash donations to help maintain the trails in and around Sheffield.
Difficulty: Medium
Length: 20 miles (32km)
Elevation Gain: 3,000ft (914m)
The route does have some tough climbs that can test a rider if they don’t pace themselves, it is best to take it steady putting the effort in on the climbs and descents while recovering on the flats. Hope is positioned just before the halfway mark making it a perfect place to stop for some food and drinks before starting the second half if you need it!
The route starts at the Bike Garage in Bamford before a short but steep road climb to Offerton, after 1.7 miles and roughly 380ft of climbing the route moves onto a bridleway climbing up towards Shatton Lane. This bridleway works along the hillside through an open field before joining up onto Shatton Lane, a gravel road providing brilliant views to the right with a few gates along the way. This bridleway is followed for roughly 2.2 miles before turning left at a gate with a large chain on it, keep an eye out for this as it is very easy to fly past.
At this point the route has its first major descent from Bradwell Edge down to Bradwell. It is a 0.5 mile route dropping just over 350ft, it is a fairly tight singletrack descent that is a little overgrown in some places and has a couple of gullies you need to keep an eye out for. Once at the bottom of this descent the route shoots through a straight offroad section that comes out onto a farm track before taking a left and finally dropping into Bradwell. From Bradwell the route joins onto the bridleway that takes you behind and through the Breedon Hope Cement Works, this is a cool industrial area that has a number of bridges going over the top of the bridleway and gives it quite a unique feel, just be aware of vehicles at the crossing points because this is an active worksite! After the bridleway joins onto Pindale Road turn right and follow it for roughly one mile down into Hope, here you can stop for some food and to fill up your drinks.
From Hope the route follows the Edale Road for almost a mile before joining Fullwood Stile Lane and then going on to the Roman Road, the turnoff is just after a narrow bridge and continues in the direction you are riding up towards Win Hill. The Roman Road climb is about a mile and a half long and climbs just over 250ft before taking you to Hope Cross.
At Hope Cross the route follows straight towards a descent called spud alley (Google Maps calls it the Roman Road), this is one of the longest descents on this route. Spud Alley is a wide rocky descent with thousands of small lose spud sized rocks that move making the lines different each time, it is a tough descent but as long as you keep your speed and look out for the smoothest line you can get down fairly smoothly. The descent is just over half a mile long and drops you almost 300ft down to a small road that leads to the A57. The next climb is up to Rowlee Farm, the crossing over the A57 is fairly clear but be extra careful when listening out for cars as it is a fast road. The Rowlee Farm climb is all tarmaced but is quite significant as it covers almost 250ft in just under one mile. Once at the top of the climb the route turns right and heads down towards the Hagg Farm descent, signs are at the top of the climb showing the direction to Hagg Farm.
The Hagg Farm descent is a brilliant offering of five deep wide berms working their way into the woods for a finish on a rocky descent similar to Spud Alley but a little more tame, this descent makes for some brilliant pictures just be aware of the gate at the start of the woods. Once at the bottom of the descent it’s time to cross the A57 again and head down to the bottom of The Beast taking a left on the first significant right hander, from here the route follows the reservoir firetrack for just shy of a mile before climbing up the horrid climb (Strava name isn’t so PC).
After the horrid climb the route takes a left towards Win Hill before dropping down the Aston Bridleway into Aston then following Thornhill Lane and turning left onto Water Lane, this is an easy turn off to miss so keep an eye out for the wooden post with the white sign on it (See picture below). After following Water Lane for half a mile turn right into the Thornhill Recreation Ground and back into the Garden Center and Bike Garage.
This loop is a really good day out and is currently running the best it has been for a while. It covers 20 miles over 3,000ft of climbing with four solid climbs and four rewarding descents ranging from wide rocky trails to tight singletrack. The views over the peak district from the Roman Road are of the best in the Peak District and the option to stop in Hope for refreshments makes it perfect for someone wanting to take it steady and make a day of it as well as those who want to push themselves.
You can download the GPX of the route by following this link
Difficulty: Medium
Length: 17 miles
A good medium distance route with two significant climbs and descents looping around the beautiful scenery of the Ladybower and Derwent reservoirs.
This route starts and finishes at the Bike Garage with an option to stop at the Upper Derwent visitor centre cafe halfway around the 17-mile ride. With two main climbs and two main descents, this route climbs 1,700 ft and is almost entirely offroad.
Makes a great next route after taking the Beast of Hope Cross
Starting at the bike garage this route turns right out of the carpark and through to the Bamford recreation ground behind the shop. After passing through the open grounds turn left onto water lane then a little further along turn right onto the Thornhill trail. Follow the Thornhill trail for just over one mile to the Ladybower dam, cross over the dam towards the A6013 before turning left and following the wide pavement/cycle path for just over one mile again. This brings you to the road that follows alongside the reservoirs towards the visitor centre, on the left hand side is the first major climb to the top of Crook Hill farm.
After the climb to Crook Hill farm the bridleway works through the fields with a couple of little steep climbs for 1.5 miles before arriving at a gate, go straight through this one instead of dropping down the bridleway to the right, keep following the bridleway for another half a mile bringing you to the top of the Hagg Farm descent. Follow the treeline to the right for half a mile again passing the lockerbrook farm outdoor centre before descending down the first of the two major descents on this ride.
This first descent is just shy of one mile dropping you just over 400ft. It is a varied descent starting smooth and gradually getting steeper and becoming a little rocky towards the end. This is a very fun descent that has recently had drainage work on so it is running very well! After shooting down to the road turn right and follow it down to the roundabout taking the first exit to the bottom of the Derwent Dam. Keep following the road that becomes a gravel track for just over one mile, when you get to the gate take the trail that splits off to the left through the field and up the stone slabs.
This is a tough climb if you make it up to the old buildings without putting a foot down you deserve major kudos! From the old buildings, the bridleway climbs a further 370ft over just half a mile before levelling off and following the wall line to the right, this is a perfect time to look to your right and take in the beautiful views of the reservoirs below. After the last little kick up to the top of Whinstone Lee Tor it is time to descend down to the Ladybower Inn.
Be careful when getting to the road as it is a fast one that is busy all the time. Cross over the road heading down to the traffic lights and turning left over the bridge. From here the route traces itself back to the bike garage, a nice gentle finish along the Thornhill trail.
This route comes in at 17 miles, with two main climbs and two main descents and the option to link into other routes this is the perfect starting point for people wanting something a little more challenging from a fitness point of view.
Difficulty: Medium
Length: 11 miles (17.7km)
Elevation Gain: 1,220ft (370m)
The 11 mile loop has something for everyone and provides some incredible views. Over the Mam Tor Ridgeline. The Beast descent is challenging and does require a certain amount of bike control and confidence. Large rocks and loose stones can throw experienced riders off however it is a brilliant descent if you have the confidence.
The ride starts at the Bike Garage in Bamford, taking a right at the main road and another right at the wooden gate just opposite Shatton Lane.
From here the ride works its way to Water Lane through the Bamford and Thornhill Recreation Ground, a large open space just behind the Bike Garage. Water Lane is followed for almost half a mile before joining onto Thornhill Lane, this is followed for roughly 0.2 miles before turning left by the red phone box keep an eye out for it!
After following Thornhill Lane for a mile the route takes a sharp right heading up towards the Aston Bridleway, you will ride down a few fast hills before this so keep an eye out for traffic! After the steep little climb to the house at the top, the bridleway is on the left by the gate, this is a perfect place to stop and have a drink etc.
From here the route is all offroad and it has a huge range of surfaces, the first bridleway climbs roughly 370ft over 1.1 miles, it has a couple of gates along the way so respect the landowners and close them once you have got through them. On the day of filming (21st June 2018), the bridleway was running perfectly and even a bit dusty but note that trail conditions can change, recent work by Peak District Mountain Biking has vastly improved the drainage so it should be ok regardless of the weather.
After following the bridleway for just over a mile you get to the highest point of the ride, if the weather is clear you will be rewarded with brilliant views of the Peak District and the Mam Tor Ridgeline. You will see a green sign identifying the footpath up to Win Hill and the bridleway that you have just ridden up, the Beast of Hope Cross continues away from Win Hill towards Hope Cross via some grassy, sandy bridleway.
The climb to Hope Cross is a fairly technical one, it is loose and rocky with a number of steps along the way, keep it in a low gear and make sure the legs keep spinning! Once at the top of this climb the route turns right to go down The Beast, this is the main feature descent of this loop dropping you 330ft over 0.5 miles. The Beast is rocky, loose and often changes so make sure you keep an eye on the trail in front of you, on this run I found a log down across part of the trail!
Towards the bottom of The Beast the route goes through the gate towards the large firetrack that runs along the bottom of the Ladybower Reservoir. This wide firetrack is followed for around 3.2 miles before joining onto the Thornhill Trail, it is easy to speed down the road and miss the trail so look out for it on the right-hand side as you pass the reservoir. The Thornhill Trail is followed for 1.5 miles before joining back onto Water Lane and through the recreation ground before getting back to the shop.
This loop provides riders with a perfect mix of terrain and riding without having to cover mega milage or altitude. If you are hiring a bike from the Bike Garage it works perfectly as you are able to start and finish from the hire point! This ride took just over one hour to complete but it is safe to allocate up to two and a half hours depending on how long it takes to climb, how many stops you take and how fast you descend. There are a number of scenic spots along this route making it perfect for someone wanting to take it steady and enjoy the views.
You can download the GPX of the route through Strava by following this link.