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Cycling in the Peak District

21 routes on lanes and tracks in and around the National Park

ISBN

9781852848781

Availability

Published

7 Jul 2017

Reprinted

13 Sept 2021

Edition

Second

Pages

232

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.35cm

Weight

260g

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Guide to cycling in and around the Peak District National Park, on road or trail bike. 20 day routes and one multi-day cycle tour of the Peak District. All easily accessible from Sheffield and Manchester with routes starting from charming Derbyshire towns such as Ashbourne, Matlock, Bakewell and Buxton. Includes route profiles and 1:100000 mapping.

Seasons

Best in the drier months - later spring to mid-autumn; difficulty grades and route description all assume dry conditions

Centres

Macclesfield, Middlewood, Ashbourne, Waterhouses, Leek, Tideswell, Bamford, Buxton, Whaley Bridge, Marsden, Holmfirth, Penistone

Difficulty

Routes are graded from easy to hard taking account of distance, hills, terrain and A-road riding. While technical mountain-bike skills are not essential, some short sections of easy to moderately-technical off-road may be encountered. For moderate and harder routes, there are road alternatives for all of these off-road sections, and you can choose which option best suits your individual preferences (and bike!) on a section by section basis. Average fitness and reasonable road-confidence is required.

Must See

A gentle short route around the canals and bridleways of Chesterfield; a moderate ride along Morridge; a tough ascent of the old Mam Tor road then on tracks over Shatton Moor; the 5-day Tour de Peak District

ISBN

9781852848781

Availability

Published

7 Jul 2017

Reprinted

13 Sept 2021

Edition

Second

Pages

232

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.35cm

Weight

260g

Overview

A guidebook to 20 graded day rides and a challenging 250km (155 mile) five-day cycle tour throughout the Peak District. The circular day routes are centred around Ashbourne, Matlock, Bakewell, Buxton and more whilst the tour circumnavigates the National Park.

The routes within this guidebook are ideal for mountain or hybrid bikes but can easily be adapted for road bikes. They are suitable to cyclists of all abilities and experience as the day routes vary between 13 and 58 km (8-36) miles in length.

1:100,000 mapping for every route
Elevation profiles included
Detailed information on planning and facilities in the area
GPX files available to download
Notes on bike setup and cycling techniques

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Preface to the 2nd edition

Introduction

Geology

Wildlife

Plants and flowers

History

Art, culture and local festivities

When to go

Getting there

Getting around

Accommodation

Food and drink

Money

Bike setup/choice of bike

Cycling technique

What to wear

What to take

Maps

Waymarking and access

Emergencies and first aid

Using this guide

Day rides

Route 1 Ashopton loop via Derwent Reservoir

Route 1a Ladybower west and Thornhill extensions

Route 2 Rail Trails loop from Friden

Route 3 Chesterfield loop via Transpennine Trail

Route 4 Carsington Reservoir loop

Route 5 Middlewood loop via Lyme Park

Route 6 Ashbourne loop via Hognaston

Route 7 Chesterfield loop via Holymoorside and Leash Fen

Route 8 Tissington loop via Elton

Route 9 Wirksworth loop via Hartington

Route 10 Bakewell loop via Hartington

Route 11 Buxton loop via Bakewell (White Peak loop)

Route 12 Waterhouses loop via Morridge and Longnor

Route 13 Penistone loop via Holmfirth

Route 14 Tideswell loop via Peak Forest

Route 15 Leek loop via the Roaches

Route 16 Grindleford loop via Edale

Route 17 Tideswell loop via Mam Tor

Route 18 Middlewood loop via Pym Chair

Route 19 Marsden loop via Saddleworth Moor

Route 20 Macclesfield loop via the Roaches

Tour de Peak District

Day 1 Matlock to Dungworth

Day 2 Dungworth to Marsden

Day 3 Marsden to New Mills (main route)

Day 3a Marsden to Whaley Bridge (road route)

Day 4 New Mills (or Whaley Bridge) to Blackshaw Moor

Day 5 Blackshaw Moor to Matlock

Appendix A Route summary table and distance chart

Appendix B TdPD facilities table

Appendix C Accommodation on the TdPD

Appendix D Cycle maintenance

Updates

July 2024

TdPD diversion Darley Dale to Beeley Moor

TdPD diversion Darley Dale to Beeley Moor (near start of route, just beyond Matlock)

The road up past Hell Bank Plantation remains closed to all traffic, including cyclists and walkers due to an ongoing landslip. This looks to be long term, although currently it is stated as opening in 2025.

As a result I have decided to change the TdPD route here onto mostly quieter backroads in the hope of avoiding future issues on this. Although do note, there is no gentle way out of Matlock!

At Darley Dale, continue past the cycleway turn into Whitworth Park to the road end. Turn briefly right onto the A6 then first left at the traffic lights onto Chesterfield Road. Take the second left onto Park Lane (opposite Oddford Lane). On a bend left, this becomes Hallmoor Lane and starts climbing in earnest.

After roughly 600m, continue ahead where a steep hill (Long Hill) forks right. At the road end (roughly 650m further), turn right up Foggs Hill, then right up Bent Lane. Continue uphill, steeply at times, for about 2.5km. Turn right onto Chesterfield Road at the top.

After about 1.5km those with bikes capable of off-road tracks can short-cut across the unsurfaced continuation of Flash Lane to a road junction. Otherwise, continue to an awkward junction (beware of traffic emerging from the side-road on the right) and turn sharp left.

Where this joins the far end of the unsurfaced Flash Lane, turn right (or straight across if you have short-cut over Flash Lane). You rejoin the original route where a side road joins from the left.

NB I would avoid the “official diversion route” up Chesterfield Road from Rowsley – this is a narrow road up a sustained and extremely steep (20%) hill with hairpins in woodland and can get very busy.

A GPX file is available for this diversion.

July 2021

2021 reprint route updates

878 Reprint 2021 (4.908 MB)

May 2018

Update

Page 170:

The early bit of the Matlock to Rowsley link has finally opened! Info here

https://www.peakimages.co.uk/cycling/new-matlock-to-rowsley-cyclepath-changes-start-of-tdpd-route/?doing_wp_cron=1576763892.2563939094543457031250

Reviews

With a cycling guide to the Cotswolds and a guide to outdoor photography (the latter with Jon Sparks - himself author of the Cicerone guide to the Lancashire Cycle Way), you’d expect a guide that offers a lot - even to a cyclist, such as I, who thinks they know the Peak District. I haven’t been disappointed and I doubt if you will be either. This is a guide that not only offers great routes into places off the beaten track, but gives fascinating insights along the way.

The routes utilise lanes and track wherever possible - short sections of main road are inevitable, (there is even a warning about a short section on route nineteen) - including elements of the famous, and growing, network of former railway tracks. The author offers a very good grading system for each ride - though all are aimed at riders of moderate fitness or better. Equally, it is well-worth reading the detail of each route and the initial general advice on “what bike” before setting off. Road bike alternatives are shown on the maps and described in the text. There are elements of easy technical mountain-biking on some routes, whist others can be completed on a performance road bike. A tourer would be ideal for most, but, remember descents can be as tough as ascents. In the photographs, you’ll see a variety of machines. Don’t worry too much, just read the guide and decide what suits you best. A bit of a walk is not always such a bad thing for the leisure or touring cyclist! By the way, the advice on crossing the ford at Bradbourne is excellent. Narrow road tyres are best kept for the bridge, in my opinion - so speaks the voice of experience!

Although we now associate the Peak District with beautiful scenery and tourists, the routes take you away from the crowds and into the nooks and corners rarely seen by the hordes. With routes ranging from 8 miles to the full tour - and a variety of options, this guide will take you somewhere new - even if you have climbed many Peak District hills already.

Steve, Seven Day Cyclist

Downloads

Cycling in the Peak District - GPX File

By Chiz Dakin

Chiz Dakin’s cycle touring adventures almost happened by accident, when after a local photography trip by bike she realised that she’d done 50 miles in a single day with a reasonably heavy load. This led to the disconnected logic that if she could do that once, she was now ready to tackle multi-day cycle touring, and two weeks later set out on the Land’s End to John o’ Groats route.

Since then she’s done several other multi-day trips including a pioneering Welsh coast cycle route (600 miles and 16km of ascent) but still maintains that you don’t need to be seriously fit or fast to enjoy long multi-day routes. (She certainly makes no claim to being either!) She has also recently won an award for her photography.

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