The gauntlet has been thrown down and like a plank, I’ve picked it up (again). My mate has suggested something slightly foolish to do on April Fools Day part of which involves finding an off road route from Sheffield train station in to the Peak District. I’m OK from Grindleford back to home but from Sheffield to Grindleford (well, Redmires really), I’m buggered.
Any locals care to share any suitable routes?
Thanks in advance.
Now the invite to all.
On April Fools Day, for charity (St Anne’s Hospice) we are riding on road from Manchester (Piccadilly station) out on the A57 and following that all the way (apart from a very short dual carriageway section at Hyde) in to Sheffield and then taking whatever road we need to the station and then riding back to Manchester station off road (apart from a very few unavoidable road sections).
If anybody would like to join in, sponsored or just for the fun(?) of it, you’re more than welcome. We have some local press coverage lined up and Imagine FM (Stockport’s radio station) have said they’ll come and have a word with us and maybe give us a few mentions during the day and we’re also going to suggest we give them a ring to go out on air during the course of the ride to try and generate some more cash and publicity for St Anne’s.
Should be er……interesting :-). My mate reckons ‘cross bikes. I thnk he can ride what he wants, I’ll be on a mountain bike. Nick Craig, I’m not 🙂

Hey Steve,
I’m sure I can come up with something although I know this side of the Peak slightly better than the Sheffield side. Cy (Cotic) will certainly know a good route out of Sheffield (he lives near Dore).
Try emailing him direct cy(at)cotic(dot)co(dot)uk

So you are doing a Sheffield – Manchester offroad route? and need the first bit from Sheffield to Grindleford?

(Why Grindleford? – if you are going to Manc, whats the rest of your route – Grindleford is not the way I would get to Manc…)

Or do you want to go to Redmires and then down Stanage?

Best way to Grindleford is to go from Sheffield Station to Hunters Bar (road), up through the Park (off roadish), up Porter Clough (off road), then Houndkirk (short road, mainly offroad) and then drop down the road to Grindleford.

Matt’s right it’s not the easiest route to link grindleford too. I’d follow matts route to the top of porter clough and then do stanage and down bamford clough. From here you can either do hope cross toward email and get to hayfield via jacobs ladder or similar or hit the snake for a bit and pick up doctors gate down to glossop.

^wot steve said – and I would do Jacobs and drop into Hayfield area

Ay’up James! I’m reading that as “I’m in!” 🙂

I have no knowledge of off roading out of Sheff. The furthest I’ve been out that way is Grindleford, Fox House pub thingy, round the back of it and then through that little village (saw a sign that said Sheff. 7 miles) and then back via Stanedge. The plan from there was to drop down that steep track to Bamford, Yorkshire Bridge up to Hope Cross, Jaggers to Edale, Jacobs into Hayfield then the Peninne Bridleway to Rowarth, Mellor Cross to Roman Lakes, local stuff (and possibly food at my house) to Stockport and then Mersey Cycle Way back into Manchester.
Getting to Sheffield is easy, A57 nearly all the way and from Redmires’ish to Manchester is easy (planning the route anyway, we know those bits) but Sheff to there? Dunno’…..we need your help.
Oh, and thanks for the replies.

Easy – one mo while I bikely it for you.

Do you want direct (but more road), offroad as much as possible (but longer) and how do you feel about Cheekyness?

Try this for leaving sheffield – i’ve done it from Hunters Bar roundabout for you (well known roundabout on ecclesall road – you can plan your own route to there).
I use this route if i’m riding out from home
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2569149 it should link up with whats described above ‘Yorkshire Bridge up to Hope Cross, Jaggers to Edale, Jacobs into Hayfield then the Peninne Bridleway to Rowarth, Mellor Cross to Roman Lakes, local stuff (and possibly food at my house) to Stockport and then Mersey Cycle Way back into Manchester. ‘

Alternative ‘quick’ route – more road, but damn you are at Stanage quick.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Sheffield-Station-to-Peak-via-Stanage

Thanks again so far all.
The purest in me says off road whenever there’s an option on the return leg but by the time we get back toward Stockport, I reckon we’ll be nicely knackered already so maybe a slightly quicker more on road route than off out of Sheffield might not be cheating too much?
Anybody feel like joining in yet?

Sorry Barca – been there, done that route a few times.

What were your times like Matt? I’m thinking if we allow three hours for the road ride Manchester to Sheff. we can plan ‘phone ins’ and stuff but not sure on the time for the off road return journey. A steady but consistent pace with food and drink on the go, all being well. We’re not wanting to make any extended stops on the return section unless the sight of my front door overwhelms us 🙂

I’ve only just got your link to the route out of Sheffield Matt, thanks for that.

Ecclesall Rd to Hunters Bar (one mile) then out through the parks and up porter clough. Then either short road section to redmires or along to ringinglow and over houndkirk to fox house – depends where you want to be next.

See VB Dark Peak book for route from hunters bar (sheffield city links), also there’s a hope to sheff route, do that backwards?

Matt – your ‘quick’ road route (Glossop Rd, Manchester Rd, Sandygate Rd) looks more knackering than the much flatter (then one steep climb at end) route through the parks! 😉

Hold on!!!

If its for charidee Im happy to make a suggestion

Whats the gimmick here?

Is it road to Sheffield one way then off road back home?

If so some of the maps youve been given are a tad cheeky (if cheeky can ever be counted as road miles)

Come on Sheffield people
Cant you do better?
There must be a decent network of cycle paths especially from somewhere like the station so he can stay off the roads

Just an idea 🙂

sheffield + cycling paths? are you taking the michael – there are non of any use anywhere in the city. Most bus lanes are parked up too.

Nothing cheeky in willyboy’s map – and matt’t map is on road (A57 mostly, so would be route ‘in’).

This might help with roads around the city centre etc.

sheffield council cycle maps page

That’s the size of it iamsprticus. Family friends, colleagues and anybody else who can be guilted into it are going to give us money for St Anne’s Hospice if we cycle from Piccadilly train station in Manchester along the A57 out of the city, through the suburbs and beyond, Snake Pass and down the other side and into the suburbs of Sheffield and on into the city centre until we reach the train station in the city centre (one end of the A57 to the other) and then ride back to Piccadilly in Manchester virtually all off road on the return leg.
We know the route inside out from Redmires Res. back to Manchester. VERY little road although from Stockport to Manchester is going to be the very flat and quite boring River Mersey trail but by that point I think we’ll be glad of the easy track.
I only say Redmires as we don’t know anything else over that way. If somebody could shout up something better bearing in mind it’s looking like 50 odd miles on road with some decent climbs going and even more off road coming back, we’d be very grateful.
As well as that, as above, anybody who feels like coming along (sponsored or otherwise) please feel free to shout up.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions of routes out of Sheffield.

let me know how to sponsor you steve

Thanks for the compliment – i think

Ive had a shufty on Google and there are plenty of cycle links about Sheffield as youd expect from the UKs best mountain biking city LOL

The council have a good site and there are some others

I kind of ‘get’ the need to do the right thing as its for charity and your sponsors are buying into a gimmick – in this case road one way and off road the other

I have done charity things myslef and having integrity is important

On the other hand I dont know Sheffield but have visited and getting as far as the paths to the Peaks shouldnt be too hard

So come on you miserable Yorkshire types
Give the guys a break 🙂

How can he get from the station to the Peak district using roads for the bare minimum?

Your city has a huge cycling population
It cant be that hard can it

We might have to say we’ll ride back on as much off road as we can find if Sheffield is going to be a problem. I don’t hink it will go down best well if we’re publicising in the press and on radio that we’re riding on footpaths.

Chris! Ay’up mate. Fancy riding with us?

Well the route from Hunters Bar out through the parks is basically off road 3 miles to the Peak District, you just have one mile or so from the station to Hunters Bar on road. There’s no canal path or similar, but there is 300 metres or so of seperated cycle path alongside and then crossing under the inner ring road.

There must be a decent network of cycle paths especially from somewhere like the station so he can stay off the roads

you are correct Sheffield promotes itself as a green city with more trees and more parks than any comparable size city in the UK…but does FA to link cycle routes and the current elected members are very very busy appeasing moaning car drivers – it ain’t possible

We did it. under 4 hours there, 7 back. Used roads out of Sheff to Peaks. Took it easy for the most part. Used mountain bikes. Stockport Express took photo’s and a few notes the night before, spoke to Imagine FM a couple of times during the day and slept like a baby last night. Cash raised is currently £1246.58 (how do we get the odd pence?).
Going back to bed.

Well done fella. Good on you.

Good effort – you had nice weather as well!

Morning. Thanks for the kind words. It was a great day out. Cool air, sunny but not warm, perfect riding weather and the Peak looked lovely. Very tired now though. I’ve just driven in to work and got a standing ovation! I think they’ve mistook me for somebody nice :-).
I think I’d happily do a road ride over to Sheff and come back on road a different way and a big Peak ride off road is always going to get the juices flowing but what we did yesterday was a bit of a bugger. I’m sure others would do it every weekend no problem but it was a bit of a bugger for us. I highly recommend doing something a bit bonkers now and again though. Getting out of the shower and into bed at the end of it all is pure bliss 🙂