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Man, I just love the Peaks - just so much top riding to do!
The Edale - Mam Tor - Rushup - Roych - Coldwell - Snake - Kinderlow - Jacobs is a classic - only the top of Rushup and some bits around Kinderlow will be boggy.
You can also go up to Hollins from Edale, then off the 'left-hand bridleway' (which will be slippy) then over Jaggers Clough to the Beast or Blackley Hey and then Gores Farm to Ladybower and back via Bridge End and Jaggers again.
My 'banker' route in the Peaks is from the Heatherdene car park near the Ladybower Inn. Then ride Derwent Edge over from the pub. Loop back to the road bridge. Then Crook Farm, Hagg Farm, Wooler Knoll, Blackley Hey, Rowlee Farm, Lockerbrook (Gores). A sausage and bacon bap at Fairholmes then back over Whinston Lee Tor, finishing with steaming brakes in the front of the Ladybower Inn for a quick pint or lemonade or whatever. Cracking.
I would avoid Cut Gate after rain - there are bits that make you go hmmm if you tear them up with mtb tyres. Most of the other routes are mostly exposed rock, so no real problem there.
I managed to do nearly all of it on my hardtail which I was pleased about but when looking at the route on Strava it doesn't look like we went down a 'V' shaped track that shows on the map?
Sounds like you might have cut the corner and done the footpath instead of the BW. The bridleway is a walled lane in the lower section with a switchback halfway down, that would show up as a V on the map, the footpath straight-lines that corner.
The walkers were probably filming you to report you to the authorities, you can expect a late-night visit from the enforcement division of The Ramblers in the near future. 😯
Sounds like you might have cut the corner and done the footpath instead of the BW. The bridleway is a walled lane in the lower section with a switchback halfway down, that would show up as a V on the map, the footpath straight-lines that corner.
I was done in by the end of the climb up to Edale Cross, so not surprised if I missed the Bridleway. The path was brutally steep though, how does this compare to the Bridleway path?? The bottom of the bit we rode came to a stream.
The ramblers were gobsmacked we descended on a bike down it, they said we were 'insane'....I felt insane at the end of it looking back up 😀
EDIT - Just found a video on Vimeo of Jacobs Ladder descent and that definitely wasn't the path we took 😮 It also looks a lot less steep but hard to tell on cam.
You went down the footpath.....bridleway was through a gate to the right. Meets back up at the packhorse bridge at the bottom.
Yep realised that now I've seen a vid as it wasn't walled on both sides, only on our right on path I descended. It was extemely rocky and steep! What a nugget!!! 😮
Still was impressed with the Boardman comp Epicon forks, they took it in their stride no probs.
The bridleway indeed has a sharp V in it, from my ride I remember it as the section with the particularly large loose rocks and as you say walls both sides. Thanks for the update @nick always good to hear how things went.
Will look out for the correct path next time, now I know! 😀