Apologies for pontificating rather than riding,. though I guess that's what the forum is for.
Reading through the VB Dark Peak book I noticed the section on 10 BDHs. And got to thinking of there was a decent challenge therein.
I had a rough mess with Viewranger and reckon on that the nine eastern ones could be done in a 70-80km loop but if you include Rowarth then it's around 100km.
Eminently doable distance on the right bike (Anthem) but then I'd fail miserably on Cavedale and the Beast.
Question is, what's the goal?
Easy option is to cover the distance, bike or foot. Extreme option is cycling between them all and doing the entirety of each descent sans dabs ( gates excepted)
If you dab, do you need to start again from the top/ last gate/ last easy bit?
Might give this ago soon but torn between trying the 9 eastern ones clean, or including Rowarth and just trying to get round.
The more I think about it, the more I think the key challenge is doing them all clean (let's say between gates for now, good compromise)
So.
Hayfield up Lantern Pike area to do the Drop to Rowarth
Mount famine and Roych Clough.
Rushup
Mam Tor to Greenlands
Up to Hollins
Hollins Cross to Greenlands
Edale, up Jagger's
The Beast
Up that cunning link that y'all told me about last month
Potato Alley
Up Rowlee Farm
Gore's Heights/Lockerbrook
Under the damn and either up the cheeky somewhere, or up Derwent Edge or perhaps up WLT
Derwent Edge
Bamford direction, up to Stanage
Up The Causeway
Stanage Plantation
Via Burbage
Devils Elbow (BM)
Hathersage
Up Pindale ( or the road)
Cavedale
Broken Road
Rushup, Roych etc back to Hayfield.
I reckon forget Rowarth for now. Too far
Anyone up for it?
I have no idea, but I don't think those are by any means the 'ten best downhills in the Peak'.
Hollins Cross to Greenlands
Better to do Hollins to Backtor Bridge.
Not necessarily fail on tough ones. Just go sensibly. According to your skills and bike capability.
I managed once Potato Alley on gravel, drop bar bike with 32c tyres. It was very measured and steady rather than quick downhill, but done nevertheless...
Allow yourself loads of time, remember to hydrate and eat, don't get OTT and you will be fine.
Just last Tuesday I've done 65miler (100km) around Peaks on my hardtail. (Stanage Edge, Cutthroat Bridge, Whinstone Lee Tor, Hagg Farm, Hope Cross, Potato Alley, Lockerbrook Farm and Cut Gate. Doable if you put your mind into that properly.
Cheers!
I.
What BWD says...
I managed once Potato Alley on gravel, drop bar bike with 32c tyres
I was about to go "bloody hell well done!" (Which still applies) then I remembered we used to chuck ourselves down there on rigid early 90's MTBs with something like 1.8 (at most) tyres. Needless to say I also remember being on the side of the hill in really shit conditions trying to fix a puncture, amazed we actually had a repair kit between us.
Anyway, sounds like a belter of a ride.
So if those arent the best descents in the Peak, what are?
Genuinely interested here, having done those listed above and thinking they're mostly a bit meh, could do with some good ones....
Which ones Devils Elbow?
Also, that list is quite biased towards "Peak District" style descents (flat out, straight line, potato-sized rocks for miles).
You're missing a lot of fun stuff like Blacka Moor (could be incorporated with Lady Cannings, some messing about on the rock steps on Hathersage Moor, Bradwell clough (which sets you up nicely for climbing up Pindale to Cavedale).
You also miss out on Cut Gate, which while it looks like a dull out and back on the map, is the most fun* descent and is great on both sides (hence it would be a shame not to out and back it).
You'll be doing a lot of road miles to tick off an arbitrary list. I'd split it in two and do a lot more. Maybe the southern edge of the Dark Peak on day 1 (Jacobs ladder, chappel gate, Russhup edge, cavedale, Blacka Moor, Stanage etc), then day 2 Rushup edge, Beast, Potato Alley, Cut Gate, Cuthroat bridge then back Via the fire road from the dam up to the roman road back into Hope.
*maybe Cavedale is, but the steep bit through the gate causes arguments about how fun it is with people that can't ride it.
So if those aren't the best descents in the Peak, what are?
Ones that aren't on the map.
Which ones Devils Elbow?
The (continuously) rocky one down Blackamoor
On the other hand I don't recognise Bradwell Clough as a location. Bradwell Edge, yes...?
Which ones Devils Elbow?
Blacka Moor
That's the one. I had a moment of [ perhaps misguided] pc intentions and went with part of the name.
Also, that list is quite biased towards “Peak District” style descents (flat out, straight line, potato-sized rocks for miles).
Potato Alley fo' Shure. And perhaps Hollins Cross a bit. But Cavedale ain't flat out straight line. Derwent certainly isn't. The Beast used to be but now has some rather nice steps and slabs.
Stanage Plantation certainly doesn't fit your potato description.
Gore heights probably does.
TBH my favourite descents are generally the shallow fast (well perhaps not really fast, but not constant braking) sinuous grassy/ earthy descent like from Whin Hill to Hope Cross ( barely downhill at all if I'm honest 😁)
You also miss out on Cut Gate, which while it looks like a dull out and back on the map, is the most fun* descent and is great on both sides
Agreed, but Cut Gate also has the fabulous uphill sections and great along sections. Hence is is listed on page 190 under the Top 10 Singletrack section 😁
On the other hand I don’t recognise Bradwell Clough as a location. Bradwell Edge, yes…?
That's the one, I was getting mixed up with Bamford Clough, which owes me about a square foot of skin and about 2 years of bike time from a f***ed knee.
That’s the one. I had a moment of [ perhaps misguided] pc intentions and went with part of the name.
It gets it's name from the Stream at the bottom, Blacka Dyke, which doubles down on the political incorrectness!
The more boring etymology for the name is either that it's just a very steep/dark valley, or Blacka derives from an older spelling of bleach and it might just be that the raw ingredient limestone is available in that valley, the further west you go from Stanage Edge into Sheffield the deeper the limestone is buried under the gritstone.