Planning on doing a Peak loop tomorrow with my shiny new shock:

Hayfield – Rowarth – middle moor – Edale Cross – Jacob’s Ladder – Greenlands – Mam Tor – Rushup Edge – Roych Clough – Mount Famine – Birch Vale – Hayfield

Couple of Qs:

Will Middle moor be a boggy mess? Only rode it once before.

If I get to JL about 10 will I get a decent descent or will I still be bouncing off walkers? Also only rode once before and it was pretty busy midweek.

Is Rushup Edge crap now it’s been resurfaced? Never done it.

Thanks!

Keeper of the Peak will advise on trail conditions but I’m sure a local will crop up to advise on Middle Moor shortly.

JL: if it’s grim and rainy you’ll probably have it to yourself. If it’s a cracking day you might find it busy. I’ve personally never been on it when it’s been unpleasantly busy, but maybe I’ve been lucky.

Rushup? If you’ve never done it you’ll not know how good it was. Just do it and let us know what you think. The alternative is riding on the road and it’s not bad enough to justify that.

I should add that what you’ve proposed is a decent ride. It might not be super high mileage but it will likely feel like it. Enjoy

Thanks, had a look at KoftP but not much useful info for this week unfortunately (other than that it’s likely to piss down at some point!).

Did a similar shorter version of this route (the VB weatherproof one) a few months back and it was good craic, so looking forward to the bigger one! Been trying to venture out from my usual haunts around Ladybower a bit more so I don’t get bored of them…

A great ride and a good choice for a showery day. Reckon I’d leave out the middle moor bit at the moment though (guessing, not been up there recently)

Yeah, Middle Moor concerns me a bit but want to do a descent I’ve not done before and apparently the one to Rowarth is good – if I cut that one out then it’s just Rushup that’s new and I’ve heard it ain’t great since the resurfacing!

Nice route.

I’d favour the start as up Morland Road from Birch Vale, then – off Ollersett Moor head down to Phoside Farm, across on to Highgate Road, descend into Coldwell Clough and all the way past the campsite, then climb up to Edale Cross via the re-surfaced track (crap but rideable), Jacobs Ladder, then the rest of your loop back round to Mount Famine where I’d finish off with Coldwell Clough and the Campsite again. If you’re still wanting more, head up The Snake Path (20 Trees)and across Middle Moor then either roll down the main road back to Hayfield or head over to Lantern Pike back into Birch Vale via The Pennine Way.

ahhhh, lucky lads, enjoy the ride, this weekend I shall be heading up all 250mts of Chiltern Hills and then hitting a bike park, cherish being where you are!

To be honest there is not much quality descending on that ride, Jacobs will be the highlight imho. The view from Mam Tor and RushUp Edge is great but its not great riding really. Rushup is usually a novelty otb opportunity after a bit of rain and yes sadly the descent is no longer a rocky slab joy 🙁 The Penine Bridleway past South Head should be quite enjoyable up and down and a good workout in the last part of the ride.

Enjoy

Middlemoor was fine yesterday. It’s rained today though, and tomorrow’s forecast isn’t great.

Just to counter Carlos, ollerset moor/chinley churn/far phoside were a horrid gloopy mess (as of yesterday!)
You’ll be ok down JL I’m sure.
Greenlands, proberbly the best way up to hollies cross at the mo.
Rushop edge is just crap, but then I remember it when it was good! There isn’t really an alternative.

Have fun!

MartynS – Member
Middlemoor was fine yesterday. It’s rained today though, and tomorrow’s forecast isn’t great.

Just to counter Carlos, ollerset moor/chinley churn/far phoside were a horrid gloopy mess (as of yesterday!).

If you go up Morland road you miss all of Chinley Churn and Ollersett Moor and end up turning left along the wall down Phoside. That was all pretty stoney and rooty through the trees last time I rode it. I’m sure the moor is boggy as hell, but he won’t be on it 😉

Since the work on the wall at the top of The Allotments over towards Peep o Day has been done, I try to avoid it, unless coming over from Disley, as your right, slightest rain fall and it’s just terrible. Shame as from the gate at Peep o Day to Phoside Farm it was a real nice run down

…and I thought peak tomorrow was like peak oil!

there is not much quality descending on that ride

Blimey. That’s very much a matter of opinion. Some of my favourite descents anywhere are on OPs proposed loop. Each to their own, I suppose.

OP when you drop down from South Head make sure you ride back into Hayfield along the PBW all the way, don’t go down the road or over Chinley Churn (a bit meh from that side), or you’ll miss the campsite descent, which is ace.

Think I’ll adapt the route as suggested and go down Coldwell Clough to get back into Hayfield. Thanks!

Best bet for Rushup since the re-surfacing is to do the first 50m or so of the slabbyness after the gate then head up on the singletrack on the left. It’s completely different to the sunken track but nice and flowy.

Enjoy

@mint – where exactly in your veiw ?

Think I’ll adapt the route as suggested and go down Coldwell Clough to get back into Hayfield. Thanks!

That was my thought too but a bit cheeky as it where

@carlos,
I see what you mean now. Didn’t know it was morland rd.
Regardless I don’t massively enjoy far phoside after a lot of rain, and there’s just been a lot of rain!!!

Oh,and do what he said up there.. Take the singletrack up by the wall when descending rushop!

@mint – where exactly in your veiw ?

The drop into Rowarth is excellent rocky fun. Jacobs is just brilliant top to bottom, I’ve loved it since the first time I rode down it when I was about 14. Rushup/Broken Road is horrifically maimed now, fair enough, but the top bit still has its original charm. The drop into Roych is ace, since they fixed all the 4×4 craters you can really let rip down there. The PBW descent from South Head down to Hayfield via campsite is three entertaining sections of descent each with its own character, great fun. Overall it’s mostly rocky and loose rather than swoopy and flowy, but that’s my kind of thing, and it’s a great day out in a spectacular bit of the world. Everyone should definitely ride this stuff at least once if they get chance.

I dunno, you should probably ignore me, I’m a bit daft about that part of the world. Variations on this loop are my happy place that I go to when I’m having root canal treatment or whatever…

Like I said, each to their own. 😀

Mint, thanks for the reply. A varient of that loop I like very much too, to be fair I don’t ride into Hayfield so don’t know that descent. My big loop round there is Edale/Hollins/Mam/Cavedale/Mam/Rushup/Roych/Jacobs/Edale

I’m not local but love riding there

Well, that was a good, if wet, ride! Middle Moor was fine apart from 2 deep muddy puddles that wanted to swallow your front wheel. One of which did, resulting in a slow motion endo with a less than graceful dismount 😯

The climb from Kinder reservoir to link onto JL was a rutted, muddy mess that provoked quite a few sweary words. Right at the top it also looks like a herd of beasts have been through, resulting in a right mess of a trail!

JL was pretty quiet given the weather, unfortunately those walkers I did encounter were right at the techy bit at the top, which wasn’t ideal. Still great fun though!

Rushup edge wasnt awful, but certainly won’t be rushing back. Horrible boggy climb up into a head wind didn’t help though!

Coldwell Clough was a good shout, nice fun descent and the final section past the campsite was pretty fun too!

Certainly feel like I’ve earned my beer!

Did you update kofthep? Might be someone else wondering I.e. me

Don’t have a twitter account but feel free to post it if you do!