Whats it like – any pix?

Its not a bad one from what ive seen

pretty bad near the top, but then it gets good.
one of my fave loops, flouch, cutgate, ladybower, hagg farm, snake pass (road, but a cuppa halfway up) doctors gate, longdendale trail and snow road to finnish.
toughie tho, even for a bloater like me. 😉

section just before this is horrible..

ton – thats the route we are doing on saturday – how longs it take? minus the snake road part?

It's been a while since I last did it but I remember TV sized rocks at the top, really hard going. then quite a long section of fun singletrack with fairly technical sections every hundred yards or so. Then the valley bottom is easier but can be very boggy.

I haven't done it since because it's hard to make a decent loop. We did the loop Ton suggests, it's about 40 odd miles I think, but we found riding up the snake pass being buzzed by boy racers and motorbikes was really unpleasant and then there's a lot of flat boring gravel path at the end. The Cutgate and Ladybower stuff is great of course.

Rob, Doctor's Gate is a bit of a hike-a-bike, more rewarding for the false feeling of remoteness rather than the riding itself, still good fun though especially after the first top section

7 hoursish for me…have fun

that is saturdays ride sorted 🙂

I never find the middle/bottom section very fun, possibly that's due to the fact that I'm still terrified from the top section!

Must try it again now that I've beefed up my fork a bit, think that'll make quite alot of difference as it is very rocky

Didn't enjoy it myself, and compounded by a big road return…

I'd always do Cut Gate & Ladybower in preference.

we are parking at the bottom of Hagg farm and decanting bikes into two cars, driving up the shit bit of the snake to the bottom of Drs gate to miss out the shit road bit

section just before this is horrible..

So's the section after…

To be honest, I ended up walking lots of it and getting frustrated but was lucky to have a nice day, and the rest of the ride (finishing with Cut Gate) was ace.

its shite

we do it has a big group ride in the winter every year.
a t van on the snake road sells warm turkey and cranberrie butties.
that is the only reason i go……….. 😉

when a ride is tough and tch a lot of people say that goog…….go figure??

theres far better stuff to ride in T Peaks than that there doctors gate !!

oh and theres nout tough or tech about an old collaped trail/path, its shite …. FACT

cos you find it tough…..FACTER

TBH I found it boring

the climb up Snake Pass was more fun 😯

Rob- don't do it, it's a waste of time. Hard to get to, frustrating to ride in places, terminally dull in others.

luke, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo way.

It's a challenge certainly. The top bit can be a LOT of hike-a-bike and the bottom can get very boggy (shouldn't be *too* bad at the moment). Not somewhere I'd choose to ride every weekend but nice once in a while to test your technical skills (or lack thereof!)

will give it a go, we are riding the same bits week in week out goog so it may be a laugh at least

So we will start at the blue car furthest north and finish at teh blue car furthest south

i didnt find it too bad at all, there was 2 corners at the top, and a 2 or 3 other bits i didnt manage… But it is a pain to get there, and back.

Thats a really dull route there ROFL IMHO.

Options you could consider to cut down on terminal boredom on the road would be possibly to do Whinstone Lee Torr, down to Ladybower Inn, cross the dam up to Hope Cross then down Potato Alley. Another option would be to ride via Fairholmes then cut back slightly north, climb up Lockerbrook and then across the top to Hagg Farm, descend to the road via the rocky switchbacks (v good) or Concrete switchbacks (pointless).

Otherwise, once you've come off Cut Gate, you're on forestry track or road all the way to Doctor's Gate 😯

Well if its dull why not go "explore" a bit further. I can think of a load of stuff that whilst might not be strictly legit deffinately aint on the most popular routes in the peak so should be fair game

It makes a nice run, but personally I can't be arsed with it on a mountain bike, there are far better trails if you want to make a big loop with Cut Gate in it.

GavinB – Member

Thats a really dull route there ROFL IMHO.

Options you could consider to cut down on terminal boredom on the road would be possibly to do Whinstone Lee Torr, down to Ladybower Inn, cross the dam up to Hope Cross then down Potato Alley. Another option would be to ride via Fairholmes then cut back slightly north, climb up Lockerbrook and then across the top to Hagg Farm, descend to the road via the rocky switchbacks (v good) or Concrete switchbacks (pointless).

Otherwise, once you've come off Cut Gate, you're on forestry track or road all the way to Doctor's Gate

Teaching me to suck eggs there bud! I ride round here 3 times a week hence the bit here:

ROFL Harris – Member

will give it a go, we are riding the same bits week in week out goog so it may be a laugh at least

Well, why bother asking on here then? Just trying to be helpful…(sniff) 😥

But I guess you've made your mind up anyway – fair enough really. Go give it a try and tell us what you think?

Got to agree with goog on this one.Did it in the dry for the 1st time earlier this year and didn't think much of it.Gave it another last Saturday in the wet and it was bobbins,just no flow at all.

Right – we did it 🙂

4 of use set at half nine from the layby just before Drs gate, after the initial trudge we got to the s bend down hill part, one of our foursome tried to rid eit and went over the bars, smashed his nose and helmet (head not cock) – he went home!

James tried valiantly to ride it with his "Bradcore" trials skillz! Me and JT went on our usual walk with bike!! Some bits were ace – some were fookin hard!

The feeling of being in the middle of nowhere was immense – better tahn the riding on that section.

The journey from Glossop to Langsett was hairy at best on the sections of the Woodhead that we encountered but on the bridleway to the left it was peaceful and lovely.

Fuelled by chip butties from the cafe in langsett we hit Cutgate – it did not disappoint as usual, dry, fast, techy, fun! When we got to the cairn at the top a group were coming up the other way – if you read this (the 'tard with the flat cap on) flat caps are not protective headware you tit!

The descent to ladybower was fantastic, James kicking up clouds of dust, fats flowing awesomeness!

Quick stop at Fairholmes and then on again for the 6 mile plod to the cars.

37 miles and JT was a broken man!