I’m coming south down the M1from the M18 tomorrow and have a couple or three hours I can go riding. Had a scan through both VPublishing books and think the Ashover Singletrack route is the easiest to get to.

However it’s only 11k and wanted to do more than that. So without just doing the route twice, can anyone suggest any extensions, or a different route, though I’m trying to do stuff I’ve not done before, whilst conditions are good.

I live in Ashover but I’m not familiar with what the guide books say – post the route up and I should be able to help out.

I thought that route was a lot of road work for a couple of good descents, have you done any of The Linacre routes in the book? They’re great and should be dry enough now.

Linacre routes +1

Dry as they’ll ever be, and early enough in the year not to be overgrown. The Ashover route does indeed do a lot of tarmac…

The Ashover area is fabulous! Yes the descents are a bit shorter than elsewhere but sweeter than most. Just check the strava heatmap for the area and you might be able to work out some ‘additions’ to the VP route. I’m sure there’s enough to keep you occupied for 3 hours but you’ll have to repeat some of the climbs, climbs the descents and vice versa. I’ve got a strava GPX handy if you need it.

LS – this is it.

Nice one chaps, I’ve done the shorter of the two Linacre routes with the wife last year but from memory it felt like the book sent you the wrong way around.

Rekon I’ll give the classic route a blast, is it best done anti-clockwise as per the book or clockwise (the book also mentions this)?

Edit: oldejeans, sorry cross post, if you could that’s ba gret. My email’s in my profile.

Clockwise is the way, if you could update your post with how dry it is that would be great as I may go Sunday,thanks 🙂

I prefer clockwise

oldejeans I’ll have the GPX if you could (luke . bateson @ gmail . com), having grown up in Alton over the hill from Ashover I’d be interested in seeing any additions to this loop.

It’s dry as a bone at the minute, but not so dry that everything is rutty. Largely perfect conditions really as there isn’t any undergrowth ripping you to bits.
Assuming that route is clockwise, rather than drop right at the Poets, head about another 300yds down the B6036 and turn right at the two cottages down Abraham’s lane, parallel to the river. This brings you out at Demonsdale farm where you can turn right onto what’s labelled ‘Jetting Street’ (it’s actually called the Coach Road) on that map. At the top of the Coach Road turn left at the cattle grid and head down the singletrack at the back of Overton Hall before turning right where it meets the tarmac, right again and back in front of Overton Hall to meet the route at the bottom of the Overton climb.
This adds a bit on and removes the climb up from the river below the Poets which is a killer unless you’re very fit.
Don’t bother with the Allen Lane/Lant Lane bit, just head straight along Holestone Moor to the top of Slack Hill. Then to add more on if you want you can spend hours exploring the woods to the left of Wirestone Lane before doing the big descent down Vernon Lane back to Kelstedge.

Bits of all that in these:
Ride
Another ride

I miss living there – LS you must live near the miner Arms – I used to work there from 1993 to about 1997/1998.

We’ve had this conversation before 🙂
Ash’er born and bred, no escape for me now!