Chinley to Bamford A to B

Difficulty: Challenging

Length: 19 Miles (30.5km)

Elevation Gain: 3,200ft (975m)

This is a different type of ride involving a short 20 minute train journey for 2+ hours of riding, taking in the highest point in the peak district and a good portion of the peak district all weather route. With the option for two coffee stops and roughly 2,500ft of descending there is something here for everyone to enjoy!

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.

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.

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Hope Valley and Hucklow

Difficulty: Medium/Challenging

Length: 26 Miles (42km)

Elevation Gain: 3,400ft (1,036m)

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Thornhill/Upper Derwent Valley Trail

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Length: 2-18 Miles

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Stanage and Lady Cannings Explorer

Difficulty: Medium

Length: 19.5 miles

A reliable 19.5 mile route climbing just over 2000 feet of elevation, taking in the views of stanage edge the enjoyment of Lady Cannings with some lovely ice cream from Thorpe farm.

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 personal working on the farm. Thorpe farm also make and sell their 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 drop 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.

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Shatton Ladybower Enduro

Difficulty: Medium

Length: 20 miles (32km)

Elevation Gain: 3,000ft (914m)

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

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Upper Derwent MTB Classic

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.

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.

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