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Doing a figure of 8 on Sunday from Hayfield. Up to the res, shooting hut, middle moor, Lantern Pike, Birch Vale, Ollerset, Peep o Day, then the bit I need some help on.
Was then going to Coldwell Clough, up to Edale Cross, descend the Ladder, Edale, Hollins Cross, Mam Tor, Rushop and back by the Roych.
The question is, is this the best way round. I've done it the other way before ie climb Jacobs, but never descended. If it was just me I'd descend Jacobs as I;ve never done it before, but I'm leading a few others so would like to do the "best" way round.
Cheers all.
I would always go down Jacobs rather than up it given a choice.
Jacobs Ladder is best ridden in the direction of down (let's face it, unless you can levitate, you'll be walking almost all the way up).
As a 'first time' intro for your mates, go with the route as you've described.
That's one hell of a long day out!
I'd go up South Head, Mount Famine, Roych, Rushup Edge, Mam Nick, Hollins Cross, down to Edale, [b]UP Jacobs[/b], down Coldwell then fork R onto Broad Clough, it eventually drops you down to Kinder Res. From there if you're late/knackered you can get back to Hayfield, if not then up the cobbled climb, Shooting Cabins, Middle Moor, Little Hayfield, up to Blackshaw Farm then down whichever way you want to the Sett Valley Trail. By this point you're just circling Hayfield so it makes it an easy bail-out cos what you've described is proper tough.
If you get down to Sett Valley Trail and are still feeling good then up the quarry road, New Allotments, Chinley Churn, Far Phoside to finish.
Doing the big Hayfield loop first means you're back near Hayfield by the end of the day and can add on bits round Lantern Pike, Chinley Churn etc as time/fatigue dictates; if you try doing that to start then end up half way round the Hayfield loop in Edale when you're blown or it's getting dark, you've got a hell of a trek back.
Jacobs up is a slog and (for mere mortals) only partly rideable but the rest of the loop is MUCH better done that way round, you get several options of cracking descents off Mam Nick, Rushup Edge is better heading from Roych down to Mam Nick and the rest of the route round there is just wide gravel tracks anyway.
if it was me I would just make it shorter 😉
Ride down it no one with us will get up it anyway and they can try from the bottom if they think they can it wont be a long wait to see them fail
If I leave Hayfield without doing that [url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=405164&Y=386516&A=Y&Z=115 ]Elle Bank[/url] /Coldwell Clough descent I feel cheated.
Not a bad Idea Crazy... do that big loop first. I hear what your saying about the rest of the route other than Jacobs being better the other way, but Jacobs is just a long push, at least the other stuff is almost rideable both ways.
Right, we'll do the Edale loop 1st and see how our / My legs are for Middle Moor / Lantern pike.
I'd go up Jacob's rather than down it personally, same reasons as Crazy Legs basically, but specifically, climbing up to Jacob's from the Hayfield side is a pig of a thing going up, but a long, long, rocky descent with possible variations over under Kinder Low to the reservoir, whereas going down Jacob's is okay, but relatively short. But it's a good ride either way.
Ditto on the magnitude of your original loop, I sometimes ride that outta my front door, but it's a fair way. If you want proper epic, go out over the Roych and come back via Cut Gate, which is a lovely loop, but best ridden frozen or dry and dusty. Hmmm.... ideas.
I think you're original plan sounds fine. If your fit the Jacob's section loop of your figure of 8 is about 3 hours at most. I did exactly the same figure of 8 a couple of years ago.
has anyone got a .gpx route of this please? sounds like an epic and im well up for trying hayfield etc...
BWD... dang! Doubt in my mind. **** it. I'll decide on the day.
Ocillate... I need your email addy to send the gpx to you.
email sent my good man, cheers! 😉
GPX? A blind man on a dark night could navigate that route, you CANNOT get lost. Choice of boggy moorland or blindingly obvious track. Hmmm. 😉
The Hayfield Loop, as it's known, (Hayfield, South Head, Mount Famine, Roych Clough, Rushup Edge, Mam Nick, Edale, Jacobs Ladder, Coldwell Clough, Hayfield) is one of the best known in the Dark Peak, it's appeared in loads of mags and it's in the Vertebrate Graphics guide book (albeit the other way round).
As BWD syas, Jacobs is a slog either way. The climb up from the bottom of Coldwell Clough is absolute torture, unrideable by most in one go, certainly up near the top and it's long. The actual Ladder from Edale is a walk for all but a few select pro-elites but it's short and quite a good challenge to see how much you can ride. The est of the route is better that way round too. Loads of nice descent options off Mam Nick whereas if you go down Jacobs, you end up with a road climb up to Mam Nick.
ive never done jacobs the opposite way (always gone down it) and your right in hindsight, it does look alot better (descent wise) the opposite way...the slog up to jacobs ladder (going down it) is bloody hard work...and im not even that keen on the ladder descent either...
as you said then to get back upto hollins cross/mam nick etc is a nasty nasty nasty road climb....
think ill go that way around next time!
Yep thats the best way round IMO.
Personally I'd opt for -
Hayfield, Birch Vale, Up past the Quarry, Ollerset but left at the top (instead of straight on for peep o day), Bear right when you meet the stone wall and follow to the bottom, Cross the road and do Coldwell Clough, Up to Edale Cross and then continue as you've said returning via Roych and doing Coldwell Clough again but then I'd follow the road and go up past 20 Trees rather than the Cobbles, Shooting Cabin, Middle Moor, Lantern Pike and back to Hayfield.
If I'm doing a big ride like that I like to start in Marlpe at the Roman Lakes and work over to Hayfield and instead of going over Lantern Pike on the return, skirt round the edge and go down the bridalway to Rowarth and The Mill pub and then pick up the Mellor/Marple route back to The Roman Lakes.
Carl
Ahh, I was planning on going from Edale up to Hollins Cross using [url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=413135&y=384560&z=120&sv=413135,384560&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=830&ax=413135&ay=384560&lm=0 ]This track[/url].
I hear what your saying about the rest of the route being better anticlockwise as thats the way I did it before, although we went down chapel gate. hmmmm... up the ladder or down it.
Balls, I'll toss a coin on the day.
A blind man on a dark night could navigate that route, you CANNOT get lost
Provided you can read a map 😉
Carlos.. do you live in Marple ?
you CANNOT get lost
Thats that jinxed then. Best alert the MRT now.
Quite looking forward to this now. For some reason, despite only living less than an hour away, I hardly ever ride in the peak, and not ridden then in years.
No mate Macclesfield. Ride there a fair bit though
I can't see any particularly good reason to start at Roman Lakes fwiw. But anyway, I'm feeling quietly smug at having re-ignited the endless 'which way over Jacob's' debate.
If I make it along on Sunday, I shall grumble whichever way you choose to go and complain about my tyres into the bargain. Loads of options for dropping down into Edale from Rushup Edge - Chapel Gate, the direct trough off from Mam Nick or either of the two descents from Hollin Cross. Or even the road if you're terminally late....
If you do opt to go down Jacob's Ladder, might want to approach it via the bridleway running from Kinder res through Farlands Booth, Broad Clough and Kinderlow End. I reckon that's a much more agreeable approach to Edale Cross than straight up from Coldwell Clough.
Also, to get to the Shooting Cabin on Middle Moor I'd use the Snake Path/20 trees option rather than up the cobbles.
Just to fuel the confusion like....
BWD - Marple is easier to get to when with mates, Cafe at the end, eases you into it with a nice riding/chatting start and a few good decents to finish. Each to their own though eh??
On reflection to the OP's question I quite like the route above either way, so going to change my opinion to impartial
Carl
If you do opt to go down Jacob's Ladder, might want to approach it via the bridleway running from Kinder res through Farlands Booth, Broad Clough and Kinderlow End. I reckon that's a much more agreeable approach to Edale Cross than straight up from Coldwell Clough.
NNNOOOOOOO!
Broad Clough is a superb descent, goes from nice rutted singletrack (when it's dry, it's quite likely to be a mudbath at the moment) down onto super fast grass with nice little hummocks and drops. Not technical, just a fast-as-you-dare descent finishing off with a little steep bit over the bridge down to the cobbled climb up onto Shooting Cabins.
It's a bloody good job I'm not coming along on Sunday, I'd spend the whole ride moaning it was the wrong way! 😉
You've got all summer, take in all the options 🙂
confused.com
You've got all summer, take in all the options
plus 1
I think both options give you two different rides. Choose one and do the other next time.
(when it's dry, it's quite likely to be a mudbath at the moment)
It's not actually, or at least it wasn't last Saturday any roads, it was riding pretty well. Anyway... the choice is yours 🙂
Been up JL a few times never been down it tho, gotta be worth going down atleast once eh? Mt Famine/Roych/Rushup are good in both directions. Oaken looks a rubbish climb but not a great descent either IMO, but elle bank or broad clough are rather nice downwards. Hmmmm, so many choices.
Don't worry too much about the "best" way round.