I was going to Leicester on Saturday for dinner n drinks with friends so I looked about online for a medium length XC route somewhere along the way. The whole of south derbyshire is not exactly known for it’s hills so I feared I wouldn’t find a decent one but I found a route on this website. Starting at a little village called Ticknall, it was beautiful weather as I started out on Saturday, parked at the village hall FOC and then set off. I had no punctures or mechanicals and the ride was uneventful from that point of view but I’m putting this up here as a recommendation. The ride itself is just about as good as you’re gonna get in England from bridleways and rural roads. Loads of little ups followed by spankingly fast downhills. Through fields of corn with a combine harvester, round the edge of fields, through woods, ponds, wildlife, past barn conersions and loads of lovely beautiful english countryside.

The route was execellent in that it was almost exclusively off-road, just short parts on road and then it was very quiet rural roads. One section was alongside a resovoir and I was expecting beautiful veranda scenes as I cycled along but the bridleway was sheletered by bushes and trees. There was a couple of superb downhills just before the resovoir and I really fanced going back to do them again but time was getting on. I did get lost a couple of times due to missing bridleway signs or where the map wasn’t clear but this is part of the fun doing a new trail. I shall be able to spank it through next time. Strava came in at 20 miles so a reasonable route, I wasn’t exhausted by it I have to say and I do like to finish a ride with nothing left, so perhaps if I was going to do it again I could hook up some other bits or repeat to make it a bit longer. So in Summary, a great fun medium length XC ride, not taxing at all, more swoopy than tech but a great ride nonetheless. If you’re around the area and are able to do it. Do It. 😆

Link: http://singletrackworld.com/trailguide/uk/east-midlands/east-midlands/
n.b. the links to the map of the route is mixed up with the one below it.

The best decents on that loop is the bridleway up and over Repton Scrubs (OS 315237).

That and the cheeky stuff in Robins Wood, but that’s harder to find unless you’ve got half a day to spend looking for it.

Ohhh, and all rides must start and end at the John Thompson for 2 reasons:

1) you get really good homebrewed beer
2) the ride down seven spouts is definately not suitable for kids after dark :-p

Best stuff round there is Carvers Rocks surely 😉

Anything rideable round there? Never taken a bike.

There’s also the quarry on the left on the road as you decend from the static caravans by te stables, into Hartshorne. Good for some easy traily type stuff, and vertical roll ins.

I cut my MTB teeth not far from there. Some of the best of a very sparse bunch of trails are probably in Cademan Woods near Thringstone. You can just about put together a route on the Charnwood forest between Leicester and Loughborough, but as I say, slim pickings.

Back in ’88 I was largely being very cheeky indeed…

I used live in Rolleston on Dove, hacked around Ticknall/Melbourne, remember it well, really like the place. 😀

Did this route earlier in the year after dropping the daughter and mates off at Download down the road.

As Jekkyl says a pleasant ride. It started to rain as it can only rain in the North* just as I went into Robins Wood so spent some time exploring in there – a few nicely built trails that look like they’ve never been used and a little jump spot at the bottom.

Agree about the run along the lakeside though – I ducked in via the car park at the end for a little sit down and a bagel on the lakeside.

I added a run up and down the old railway after as I had all day (kids rocked out of Download about 11pm).

* I’m from Southampton, its all North from here

Anything rideable at Carvers rocks? Lots of fast swoops singletrack with rocks and roots, and some cool drop-ins
😉

Excellent write up Jekkyl

I attempted the route myself a few weeks ago, with limited time and too many wrong turns I only got half way round.

Lovely countryside and a really nice flowing route that has a great back country feel to it, great pubs to finish.

I live next to Cademan woods and would suggest you could make a huge loop for an all dayer easily.

Oh and for anyone around the area we have a weekly ride meet every Wednesday at the car park at the top of Cademan woods.

P.S. 40mpg, you will upset the locals (midlanders) with talk like that 🙂