Hey all,
Looking for a good intermediate route out of Hope tomorrow. Looks like its a bit wet tonight but then dry-ish tomorrow. Taking the missus so say 15-20 miles, max 1000m climbing.
Was over there last year and did Ladybower "lite" and the Beast (not with the missus), and cant really remember what the lay of the land is like. Seem to remember it being mainly rocky but it was bone dry so no idea what it'd be like in the wet.
We have the Mountain Biking Peaks book by Jon Barton which seems a good shout so any ideas on his routes around there and which to avoid if its wet.
It's all mostly fine, the Dark Peak tends to get sort of gritty and sludgy, but there's no real mud and it takes a while to wet out again after summer. The obvious way out of Hope is to ride down the road towards Edale then turn right after the bridge and up the Roman Road, from there the area is your oyster. Or something like that.
You could head up to hope cross on hope brink, down Jagger's Clough, up to Hollins cross from edale, round to mam nick then over towards cavedale, or pindale into the back of hope if cavedale is a bit much for your Mrs. That's a pretty hard wearing loop.
Or from hope cross, go straight on the Roman road down potato alley, then up past rowlee farm and down through gores wood. Get a bacon butty at fairholmes then take the lanes back round to hope.