Just trying to find a route that will keep away from most of the mud and peat bogs i seem to find on my rides around Ladybower/hope cross/win hill/cutthrote bridge
I know this time of year its going to be wet just about every place but it would be nice to find a route that drains a bit better than most.
Its costing a fortue in brake pads
Cheers
Andy
Not ace but try this, its my short winter ride: Castleton, up on the 'broken road' of Mam Tor, left at T junction following for about 1 mile to Eldonhill quarry, left onto stoney well drained 4wd track by quarry, stay on track climbing to crest (some of this maybe a bit muddy) continue back onto stoney ground/bit rocky with some large drainage ruts and then descend fast and rocky to tarmac. Left, 1/4 mile turn right to pick up Pindale stoney/rocky descent, through quarry bottom to tarmac and back to Cton. What mud gets on bike will be washed off on the last 2 descents,(consider ya bike tyres getting a stone wash) (9mile). it can be extended here and there too.
I find that stuff around Three Shires Head/Macc Forest/Wildboarclough is well drained with some great descents. You usually end up doing a bit of road work to link it up but the trails are quiet with good views. You may bump into the odd MXer though and the section dropping down to the river below Hawk's Nest can get muddy, but it is a short section.
The Jacob's Ladder bridleway is mostly rocky so very little mud. Ditto the rocky trough off the end of Rushup though the continuation along Rushup Edge itself is always messy, though not on the footpath side, though of course you wouldn't do that, er, would you... and, to be honest, the Roych Clough track isn't bad.
There was a lot of rain at the weekend, rode stuff like Middle Moor when it was effectively a stream and it looked like stuff like Coldwell Clough was taking a real hammering from the sheer volume of water. I'd have said Roman Road normally, but while the descents at either end are fine, being largely rock, there's quite a lot of standing water up there at the moment and it seems to be a major pad destruction zone...
Good all-weather loop from Whaley Bridge over to Buxton via Goyt Valley and Buxton Old Road btw and the stuff around Marple/Mellor starting from Hayfield is generally decent in most conditions too.
What stilltortise said. I was heading there yesterday but 3 flats on the canal path forced me to bail early 
Is there such a thing as a "dry route" in the peaks?
Yes, usually for a week or so in about May then maybe another couple of weeks in August.
HTH...
Edale - Jaggers Clough, Hope Cross, babyhead boulevard/potato alley, Hagg Farm, up the Beast, return to Edale from Hope Cross retracing your route out. That's pretty weatherproof.
Not always dry but usually firm and relatively free of mud - Macc Forest circuit / Cat and Fiddle / Cumberland Brook. Charity Lane (Macc Forest) and Cumberland Brook track normally having running water on them this time of year but they're gritstone tracks so never too muddy. Three shires head is muddy coming in from the north. From south on west bank is dry (ish) normally staning water on approach from south on east bank. Permisive bridleway from Teggs Nose usualy dry as it the track upto teggs nose past windyways.
This figure of eight is also reasonably mud free. Chinley - Peep O'day (tarmac) then Pennine Bridleway into Hayfield, minor road back (tarmac) and track (big pools) back from Hayfield to Pennine Bridleway at Peep O'day. Follow Pennine Bridleway round Mount Famine. About 200m after the first metal gate as you drop to Roych Clough take a right and follow track down to New Smithy and then onto Chinley. You could always keep on through Roych Clough and come down the tarmac past chesnut centre.
Cheers chaps for the info
Was trying to keep it close to ladybower/edale just to cut down on time driving there and back, nothing epic just a 3 to 4 hour ride
snowslave what sort of time/miles is that route ?? and is "babyhead boulevard/potato alley" the downhill bit of the Roman Road that takes you down to the A57 before the climb up to the farm ?
It's roughly a couple of hours or so - about 10 miles I'd reckon. We often do it as a winter night ride. Numerous options but it's all pretty dry apart from the bit between Hope Cross and the start of babyhead boulevard.
Yep, babyhead boulevard is where you think, then cross the A57 up to Rowley Farm etc to get to the Beast.
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