On Friday I have to drop my daughter and her friend off at Alton Towers then pick them up again at the end of the day. Can anyone who is familiar with the area recommend any local trails to keep me busy for a few hours?

Dimmingsdale is the one if you like short, steepish and loamy trails, and its next door to Alton towers. Note it’s all off piste, unmarked and of varying difficulty (with some gap jumps etc). Quite a bit of it was in the Slice of British Pie films. Park at the Ramblers Retreat and follow your nose, most trails are on Strava so that will help you navigate.

Cannock/stile cop is 45 mins away?

I’ll send you a gpx later in the week.

Ooooh I’d like a gpx of there too please?

Eh?!

You go to Alton towers and treat yourself to the all singing que jump. Then flck your daughter the V’s as you pass her in the plebs que.

could always go to spalsh landings and spend the day in the pool. It’s pretty nice and they have like a warm bubble pool outside as well as the flumes.

Thanks Bacondoublechee I’ll look up Diimmingsdale on Strava as you suggest.

A gpx would be great, cheers jekkyl. Not sure about Splash landings though, a fifty-something male alone in a tub at kids water park could be a bit dodgy, I’d look like a right perv.

The queue jump idea is tempting josh but I really fancy a day out on the bike and my daughter would never forgive me if she thought I was stalking her.

Cannock is a good shout tomhoward I’ll keep that as a backup.

Dimmingsdale would be where my gpx would be around also. Just to open it out for you the White Peak is not very far away. You might struggle to fill a whole day near Towers. The trails, although fun are not very scenic and it’s mostly through woods. Matlock/Bakewell/Macc Forest are about 45 mins away and would provide a greater variety of terrain and a bit more scenic. Even dark peak to Hope is about an hours drive google maps suiggests. If you’ve got all day then that would be my choice, depends what time drop off/pick up is.

How did you get on Bruce? I messaged you about a GPX on thursday and you didn’t reply but wondering what you got up to?

I parked at the Ramblers Retreat and headed up the valley. The path started well but quickly became narrow and overgrown. Once at the top there were lots of options for downhill, some looking pretty treacherous. I then just went off exploring. I struggled to find a pub that did food, nothing in Kingsley or Kingsley Holt and ended up at the Railway in Frogall, which was very nice, though I think I was the only customer. The couple of pints of “Nemesis” smoothed out the route back which included getting my feet wet at a river crossing and a great many nettles along the banks of the Churnet. Here’s my route: https://www.relive.cc/view/1061040266

Food in the Ramblers is normally good, the oatcakes in particular

Shame I got back there at 4pm just as they closed! 🙁