I did the kinder enduro ride out of the dark peak book today – first serious ride in the Peaks I’ve done. Good ride, but bleak as f_k to be honest, not helped by some pretty ordinary weather. Some random questions on the ride:

What is the script with riding up to the Kinder plateau? Worth it for the views, trails etc? Or bang out of order wrt erosion? The track up from Edale cross seemed decent (no doubt steep).
The Chapel gate descent was described in the book as ‘famous’. Given it was an unremarkable, steepish farm track, I’m guessing something has happened to it like it got filled in? Bit of a shame, I wonder if there is a better way of getting down to Edale from around there.

I stopped at the bottom of Jacobs ladder for some pickled onion monster munch, then started pushing up the climb. I was thinking there is no way, and I mean no way, that anyone mortal can ride a bicycle up here over these rocks. I got to where it levels out a bit and I saw that I’d just hiked up a footpath. I guess I somehow missed the bridleway which seemed to join up. So when mighty riders talk of putting a dent in Jacobs ladder, they’re not talking about riding up this footpath are they?

Pretty hard ride tbh – all those rocky bridleways running between two walls take it out of you.

My dark peak book is the older edition, am guessing from your description that they’ve played about with it a little (mine goes clockwise, ie down jacobs ladder)
Apart from one time I ride it clockwise also (with one or two personal revisions)

Kinder Plateau I believe is completely off limits, not 100% sure why, though much of it is peat bog
The mass trespass happened there which granted walkers the right to footpaths etc in the first place .. but thats another story

Chapel Gate was levelled earlier this year, the water run off was getting pretty ridic, walkers were avoiding the actual path, 4x4s and motorbikes were using it a lot (legally)
Looked something like this:

Riding anticlockwise (up jacobs) I reckon you’d be best to carry on east (past chapel gate turn), along the ridge (rushop edge). Where the road crosses the ridge carry on eastward just the north side of the peak (mam tor) until you descend to hollins cross. Then drop on either bridlway (westerly or north east), though the one NE doesn’t hold up as well if its wet IME

Jacobs climb uses the zigzag bridlway to start, not the footpath (though I reckon it’d make a good down .. )

Kinder plateau? Never done it on bike, although from what I know, will be more effort than it is worth.
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Chapel gate descent was described in the book as ‘famous’. It was famous, a track created by the devil himself, where a tarmac trail had been ripped apart, and deep gullies and drop offs left in its place…then derbyshire cc decided to resurface!

So when mighty riders talk of putting a dent in Jacobs ladder, they’re not talking about riding up this footpath are they? Correct, although, 99% of regular mountain bikers still push up the bridleway!!! Exception being Nick Craig who is powered by cryptonite, so has no excuse!

Pretty hard ride tbh – all those rocky bridleways running between two walls take it out of you—– That is peak district riding, I love it, next time pick up roych clough, drop into edale from hollins cross, after tackling rushup edge and mam tor…weather today was crap (And i was tucked up in my study in glossop!) So try a clearer, dryer day and enjoy…cut gate is another right of passage, like being on the moon in some parts…enjoy

Thanks – see the alternatives to Chapel Gate, look good. I think I’ll go for a hike with our kid up on Kinder to see how the land lies.

The photos James linked of the old Chapel Gate descent look night and day – you’d need to wait a decade for the current run to get like that. So it goes.

Heading over to jacobs ladder tomorrow, hoping for some truly horrendous weather!!! 😀

garry – I’ll email some routes if you like. gpx, but you can upload them to a map to see the locations