so. i’m still up north. rode at llandegla today – my first trail centre. it was fun and the red section where all the trees are chopped down is fun as is the black section following on from it.

i’m going to head out tonight and stay somewhere in the peaks. can any of you recommend a decent loop around there. need to arrive back because the car will be parked up.

i don’t mind carrying the bike so long as the reward is there, i.e. singletrack and/or techny bridalways.

jacob’s ladder is there, isn’t it? worth doing?

alternatively, is there one of you already planning a ride around there who doesn’t mind showing an essex lad some countryside?

thanks

J

You got a GPS? i can email you a route from Hope if you have the means to
use it.

no, no GPS sadly. but thanks for the offer…

just looking for some pointers as to where i should stay and ride.

is it that easy to find some good riding around there without any local knowledge?

i know there is a bog trotters ride tomorrow, but don’t want to travel further up north as i need to be back in essex in the evening.

I don’t live around there anymore, but this was the first route I rode when I moved up north, easily navigable, fine scenery and views.
Cut the Beast

cheers. did see that but think i might have a go at THIS ROUTE taking in jacob’s ladder. a friend said he’s walked there but can’t imagine that anyone can ride it. i’ve never seen it other than a few pics and know that folks off here have ridden it, so it’s do-able.

again, thanks.

We did a decent ride starting at Hayfield the other weekend, taking in the campsite decent amongst other stuff. The route is posted on the wall of the Slow Rides For Unfit People group on facebook.

Thats one of my fav routes in the Peak with a little tweak thrown in.

This is gonna be opening a can of worms but which way round are you looking at riding the route??

If you can get hold of a copy – 18 Bikes in Hope first thing maybe – the Vertebrate Publishing guide to the area is good, has all the classic loops. Jacob’s is good, I think it’s better heading up from Edale rather than riding miles of uphill rubble on the other side, then back via Middle Moor, Lantern Pike and the Roych, Rushup Edge etc.

Or Cut Gate out and back from Langsett maybe with an added loop on the Ladybower side – or if you’re brave and fit, a big loop via Cut Gate, along the Longdendale Trail, Glossop, Hayfield and back via the Roych or Jacobs…

I’d happily offer to show you round, but unfortunately I’m spoken for tomorrow. Given the weather forecast, I’d probably do the Jacob’s Roych loop to be honest. It gets quite bleak and windy up on Cut Gate when things are gnarly on the climatic side of things…

Alpin

There’s not a lot in it as far as which way round, there’s pros and cons for both. (I’m talking about the JL ride on mountainbikerides.co.uk)

The JL climb is a classic challenge but the decent the other side is a boulder field and not much fun IMHO, plus the decent of Rushup Edge has been surfaced and a waste of altitude.

If I had to pick, I’d ride it as shown on the map. I’m assuming you have all day, that’s a big ride. I’d allow about 6 hours including a couple of stops.

Plenty of camping opportunities in Edale too if that’s your bag.

Plus just a point, Llandegla ain’t up North ;o)

Don’t fear going down the ladder, if you have a slack front end. Stay off the back end and stay loose and it’s fine. Do choose your line carefully though and I like to be wearing knee pads just in case. Also going down when walkers are on it is a bit of a pain, but mid week should be better. Above is right, it’s a big old route….

And to some even the peaks is not strictly up north….

Plus just a point, Llandegla ain’t up North ;o)

It’s North if you’re in Wales, another ten miles up and you’re in the sea… 🙂

18Bikes is closed on a Wednesday but The Bike Factory in Whaley Bridge opens at 9am, not sure what maps/route books etc.. they sell mind.

Of the options mentioned I’d opt for BWD route choice, Middle Moor is worth the little extra and you can either road it back to Hayfield or as said up and over lantern Pike

Alpin – ygm

cheers for the responses guys….

i stayed the night in castleton, near hope. nice pub.

unfortunately the sky was grey this morning. waited for a bit to see if it would clear. it did so i set off for Mam Tor. five minutes later i was sheltering under a bridge from the onslaught of rain, later hail! it didn’t look too cosy up the top so i had lunch in a pub and headed home.

stunning area. really beautiful. loads of sheep.

silly really, i’ve been to a lot of places in the world, but relatively few places in the UK.

maybe next time. shame as after Llandegla i wanted something a little more grrr to ride. maybe i need to MTFU and get out in the rain. six months on Gran Canaria has softened me up.

Llandegla was fun. first time at a TC. was nice knowing everything was designed to be ridden and therefore flat out. i got that wide-eyed adrenaline kick a few times. shame the descent on the black isn’t longer. felt it was interspersed too often by short climbs, but i guess it makes use of the terrain.

thanks for the pointers and offers of help…