Doctor’s Gate is a Marmite trail ime – it’s nice for running up and down, but lacks flow. It’s also inconvenient in a legal right of way sense as it ends on the A57, so the top end either is only accessible by road or leaves you heading down to Ladybower on the A57, which is busy, twisty and frequented by muppets who think they’re rally drivers.
There’s actually some pleasant legal-ish riding up above Tintwistle and Hollingworth, expand with some extended singletracky cheek and it’s good for a night ride or more, plus there are one or two areas of ‘secret singletrack’ that string things together.
Unless you like riding up Chunal – bored of it now – for 15 minutes or so to get to the Hayfield stuff, Shooting Cabin in reverse or over Monk’s Road then onward into the Mellor/Marple Bridge side or things or over into Hayfield, I’d suggest popping over to Charlesworth on the road then following the bridleway up that runs parallel to the Monk’s Road.
Top of that, you could always carry on round the top of Cown Edge or whatever it’s called, slightly nadgery, try not to ride over the side, then connect with the Robin Hood’s Picking Rod track or back down towards Hayfield via the Pennine Bridleway etc.
Or a good local ride is to hammer over to Royston Vasey, blitz the Longdendale Trail, cut down to Dunford Bridge, take old railway line, cut up to Langsett and Doctor’s Gate on the b’way that comes out near the Flouch, Ladybower, Roman Road, Jaggers, Rushup, Roych, Hayfield, Middle Moor and home 🙂
You’ll never leave…