Thinking of heading over that way on the 11th, if you have a gpx I'd be much obliged if you could send it to email, on profile thanks.
We'll be starting in Holmesfield so it'll be Cartledge lane to begin, which the author reckons is the best singletrack in the white peak. Any tips to improve the ride also welcome. Thanks all.
[url= http://www.bikemap.net/en/route/2600620-linacre-classic-white-peak-mtb/#/z14/53.25227,-1.51967/terrain ]Here you go... linky[/url]
Ta ta
I think I did it anti-clockwise like the link suggests, I remember thinking it would be better in reverse.
OP, I have only ridden the White Peak once (not in the of your ride) but based upon that experience I would ask how well drained that route is. The ride I did was one of the wettest / "claggy-ist" rides I have ever done
I also remember thinking that it would be absolutely shit if it had been raining much prior to riding it.
I can confirm that if there has been a bout of rain ride somewhere else!
based on what I can see out of the window (3.5 miles from Holmesfield) anyone going out in the next week should plan to ride in wellies. Some of those trails will be fine but others, including cartledge lane, will have enormous swamps to wade through.
on a more positive note, there's some really under-rated old school "exploring the countryside" riding in the white peak. Generally not very technical but fun if you like covering distance. It gets very muddy in the winter but it's great in early summer before the singletrack is too overgrown with bracken and stingers. come back in a couple of months...
The stuff round Linacre is a claggy hell-hole unless very dry. I'd be heading to the Eastern moors above Baslow, Eyam / Longstone edge area, or the Dark Peak after this recent rain.
cheers guys, would you think the ladybower loop would be a better 'if has been raining' alternative over on the dark side?
maybe this one: http://www.theedgecycleworks.com/mtbroutes/ladybower-loop-medium/
I'd be staying with my mum who lives in S7 so was wanting to keep travelling down to a minimum, within 20 mins if poss, to maximise cycling time. Something starting no further over than Hathersage would be ideal. Done a fair few bits around bakewell, stoney middleton etc and was after a faster swoopy run rather than a tech fest, although a bit of tech is welcome.
You know that loop starts further out than Hathersage?
Around that area is definitely where I would be going. Somewhere on this site was a link to a winter proof route.
The swoopy stuff won't be swoopy until it dries out a bit 🙁
EDIT: found [url= http://www.v-publishing.co.uk/files/downloads/VP-Kinder-All-Weather-MTB-Download.pdf ]this[/url] but not sure of the current Rushup Edge status
I seem to remember doing that loop and thinking it was the wrong way round. It's very defiantly a dry summer route whatever way round you do it.
The Linacre Classic went anti-clockwise in the first White Peak book. We had a word with the author and it went clockwise in the second book. Much better.
Bikebouy's link is to the route in our old book - the full 'new' Linacre Classic goes further south, adding a bugger of a climb and a nice bit of moorland singletrack. Email in profile if you want a GPX.
Otherwise, what everyone else said is true. There's some awesome woodsy singletrack in the White Peak, but it's a right pig in the mud and currently, it's WET. Wait until it dries a bit.
Edit: If you wanted to add to the loop, you could link the top half to Blacka or Froggatt, which wouldn't be bad. It's trickier to extend it south if you don't know the area, but there's some really good stuff around Ashover that's not far.