[Closed] Peak district, winter/beginner route advice please?

moon on a stick as well? - riding in the peak district can be great, but not necessarily ideal for beginners. i've had people complain about the flat road/trail around ladybower - it was too hilly apparently!

there are some nice easy-ish bridleways around linacre reservoir.

over to someone else...

Was out around Hayfield yesterday, it's slightly sludgy rather than muddy and riding pretty well. I'd happily do a route around there with a beginner, as long as they can ride a bike competently and are reasonably adventurous. I think you probably have to make a judgment call on your mate as to whether they're going to throw a strop at the sight of an unruly boulder or if they'll just take it in their stride - Chinley Churn, Coldwell Clough, Middle Moor, Lantern Pike.

There's nothing there that's desperately technical or frightening bar the odd short section - steps on Middle Moor, maybe the short descent to the walk-through farm above Peep o Day. There's now a nice caff in Hayfield as well on Kinder Road - the one that leads up to the reservoir.

Or... start from Hayfield and head over and do a loop over in the Mellor/Roman Lakes direction. There's nothing particularly technical there, but it's nice riding and you can grab a tea and some cake at Roman Lakes.

The V-Graphics Dark Peak guide is a good starting point btw. But only you know your mate and what he might or might not consider acceptable. Some people like being thrown into the deep end a bit, some don't.

sherwood pines? green route coffee/cake red route to improve mates skills and bail out easily if too hard
edit or is it blue anyway about an hour

I have the VG dark peak disc, although I've just rewired so no idea where it is! Which route do you suggest round Hayfield?

We have both done sherwood and I think it's too tame for both of us.

My mates a natural sportsman with reasonable fitness and although no big risk taker he is unlikely to spit his dummy..

im in derby but hope to get up to the peak soon, anywhere i can pick through possible trails (not beginner) and sort out a route or should i just search specific ones via google and here?

Erm, being local I don't really use the Dark Peak book, but I'd probably do an amalgam of the Chinley Churn and Rowarth routes out of there. I think.

I'd do something like up 20 Trees onto Middle Moor from Hayfield / Monk's Road / Lantern Pike / down the obvious bridleway to Hayfield again / Sett Valley Trail / right, then right and left on the road up past a quarry below Chinley Churn / up New Allotments / left at the top of the climb then all the way down to Peep of Day / Cross the road / Coldwell Clough descent and the finish down behind the campsite.

That probably won't make much sense, but most of the stuff round there bar the track under Kinder Low End is pretty good.

www.monkeyspoon.com/tracks is a good website for giving an indication of the technicality of some of the best Peak trails and the map tool lets you plot out your own routes

cheers!

I'm not local to the Peak but I've done that loop to the south of Hayfield with a beginner and it was not a success (road to chinley churn and back up to peep o Day). It was really wet, raining and my mate struggled on the track back up. Maybe on a nicer day it would be OK for a beginner, or if your mate is a naturally tenacious type then he'll just take to it.

Thanks for all the advice chaps

You're welcome. Oh, and more importantly, Rosie's caff in Hayfield is closed on Mondays as I found out yesterday. Nice baps in the local shop in the middle of the village if you want a bite though.

I took a mate of mine who is pretty fit (commutes on a bike every day) but no MTb experience on the following: edale car park, Jaggers clough, hope cross, down the roman road, hope etc, up the broken road, down the toboggan run back to edale from mam tor. That's pretty mud free, and he loved it.

Hayfield as suggested is good too