Hi
We are riding cut gate from Fairholmes at the weekend. What other loops at the southern end of this would you add on the end to make the ride a little longer?
Ta 🙂
Up the steep slabbed climb on the opposite side to fairholmes, then along to whinstone lee tor, down to cuthroat bridge and back along the track to the ladybower inn, should add an hour or so.
Personally i would do that loop the other way round. Up from cutthroat bridge to Whinstone Lee Tor, along and down to the slabbed descent.
I find the climb up from cutthroat bridge to be fun and interesting but coming up from the slabs is just a push.
mr glover
as suggested you should do the cut throat bridge loop by riding down the East side of the reservoir then cutting up left just before the viaduct to take you along the bridleway to the back of the Ladybower Inn. Then left up the hill and back on yourself to head over the top and down to Grindle Barn.
Once at Grindle Barn you can head back down the reservoir but this time head over the viaduct and then right up the Derwent Lane until the first left heading up to Crook Hill, follow the obvious bridleway bearing right at the top, along the tree line then along past Lockerbrook and down into Ouzeldon Clough. Spits you out a mile from the cafe with a big grin on your face.
If you want to add even more then head left from just before Lockerbrook to Hagg Farm, down the reservoir until a track that head diagonally up to Wooler knoll (it's a permissive bridleway now), then left at the top and follow the Roman Road past Hope Cross, down to Rowlee Farm (best decent in the peaks) then back up to Lockerbrook and continue as above.
Looks good guys thanks!
then left at the top and follow the Roman Road past Hope Cross, down to Rowlee Farm (best decent in the peaks)
should read RIGHT at the top
to late to edit
Personally i would do that loop the other way round. Up from cutthroat bridge to Whinstone Lee Tor, along and down to the slabbed descent.
I find the climb up from cutthroat bridge to be fun and interesting but coming up from the slabs is just a push.
It's good both ways round, but if you descend from Whintone Lee Tor to cutthroat bridge, it really flows well, and you can get some lovely air off some of the rocks.
kramer - i'd agree when it's dry but recently it's been too draggy in the wet to really pick up much flow. 5 years ago it was a real hoot that way round
mrmichaelwright - it was pretty good on Sunday.
The ascent is also rideable in the other direction, you just have to be fit. (Which I am not, but my mate is)
yeah it is rideable both ways, it'd be good as an out and back as well i guess, the grassy descent down toward grindle barn from the moorland wall is often a real hoot. i think i left my bollocks somewhere on there age 13 when i slipped off my plastic pedals after jumping off a grassy lump to impress some walkers.
100m skidding along on the top tube until the gate at the bottom stopped me 🙂
Yeah, the slabby, steeper side is perfectly rideable, there's one iffy section beyond the little ford above the gate at the top of the slabs, but the rest is pleasant. The climb the other way is ace though. I don't think you can really go wrong, either direction good.
OK, one more question... What bike would you take? the choice Whyte 905 or Commencal meta 5? Guess the Commencal, but how smooth are the trails?
I would add a bit of extra mileage by visiting the cafe where the dam road meets the A616 at Langsett, lovely bacon butty 🙂
I don't think you can describe cut gate as smooth trail.
We've been up there this afternoon and it's very wet/soft at the moment. Still good fun though. I'd take the commencal, used my hardtail last time and the FS today and definitely preferred it.
You can do it with either.
