[Closed] Peaks Descents: cave dale or the beast

IIRC jacob's ladder isn't too bad at all coming down, just impossible to get up. Whereas cavedale just bamboozled me when I tried to get down it, I'd be going ok for a bit then realise I'd ended up stuck and had to pick the bike up and put it down the other side of a rock. Possibly too much line choice was my problem?!

Cave Dale.

JL is easy.

I've renamed the Beast as the Pussy Cat - it's just a good rocky track. Cavedale has defeated me so far (just 2 attempts)

do cavedale on a downhill bike awesome !

cavedale.

dont see point of doing it on a dh bike,

Cavedale isn't that hard

I always have trouble working out which trail is which - can someone put a big arrow on them exactly???

Cavedale's harder than the Beast by far. Only had 3 attempts on Cavedale and it was always that first bit after the gate that got me - never found the right line through that bit.

Cavedale finishes in castleton, beast finishes by the res

cavedale is the hardest i would say definatly ! the beast i dont think i very technical its just quite loose, and jacobs ladder is steep and loose but cavedale is definatly the most rewarding !!

Cavedale > The 'Beast' > JL.

edit: that's a ranking, not a route (though it would be quite some route)

I've always found Cavedale miles harder than the Beast. The Beast is pretty straightforward once you've ridden it once or twice and know the lines. Cavedale starts off tame enough, then after the gate goes pear-shaped pretty quickly. There are a few lines possible, but commitment is required more than anything.

Used to ride with a guy who'd cleaned it on a rigid SS...

ahh good to see i'm with the consensus and wasnt having an off day. 😯
as you say, its all doable but early line choice is key I think on cavedale as its so unforgiving if you stray onto a dodgy line as i learnt....

Cavedale is by far the hardest. Best done first thing so the walkers don't have chance to cover the loose greasy rock in gloopy mud just to add to the slipperiness. It's perfectly doable (although tricky on an xc hardtail) - you just have to be prepared to go where the bike takes you.

The Beast is fun. Easy enough to get down, a bit tricky to ride *really* quick though.

The thing about JL is that it's very easy to tie on some real speed and find yourself getting out of your depth. The bottom bit after the gate is getting really rutted, and after the hairpin is now proper rocky - the last couple of times I've done it I've ended up using the gate to stop at the bottom, simply because there's no where else smooth enough to brake on. 😳

Now - how about chucking Chapel Gate into the mix - obviously taking the gully on the bottom bit below the gate. 🙂

Is it me or does Cavedale get into limestone territory rather than granite like the Beast. There's some bits near the end that are like ice when it's wet!

(was VERY proud of myself on the [i]one [/i]occasion I cleaned Cavedale)

Cavedale is harder as it robs and punishes any drop in momentum at all. Whereas Beast you can pick lines, slow, speed up, turn, pick, speed.

Hardest still is that footpath down from the top of Hope Cross to the side of the reservoir. Nothing in the Peaks beats that.

Jacobs Ladder is great. You always receive grins and encouragement from the walkers as you pass them on there 😀

I don't think I've cleaned Cavedale (~3 attempts). There's a bit after the gate on the rocky section where it gets funnelled a bit and it catches me out everytime and I know I could do it each time, it just mocks me.

But I don't think its a great descent anyway - better to be had over on Mam Tor (*sour grapes*).

Slightly OT- whats the name of that descent from Rushops Edge that brings you out onto the road into Edale? Long long long and Lush.

Edit: Jimmy (see this post!)

Hora

Hardest still is that footpath down from the top of Hope Cross to the side of the reservoir. Nothing in the Peaks beats that.

is that the muddy one we came up the top bit of on the last pootle?
is it all permissive or 'cheeky'??

hora, thats Chapel gate, i think. A top descent, get 2 people to go down and open the gates before you.

Cavedale is very hard, I can get it about 2/3rds of the time (and I've cleared it on both my XC FS and on my HT) but so many times I've ended up with a stupid dab or a daft choice of line.
The Beast is just a rockfest, a little bit of commitment will see you through that every time although, as mentioned, it's very hard to ride it fast and well. I think the best I've ever seen it done was Cy on his Cotic Hemlock with some huge burly Magura forks which just ate rocks!
JL is rubbish as a descent (IMHO), it's much better as a climb.

rather than granite like the Beast

I think you mean sandstone vdubber67.

I've only attempted cavedale once, and failed. I'm not convinced it's worth the climb. Seemed like alot of effort for only one short down.

What's with all this dabbing being a bad thing?

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Cave Dale definitely harder. Beast is pretty easy, really, no real line choice required.

Its 100% cheeky. You go down some large slab steps then a tiny 1.2metre wide twee-low spring loaded gate brings you out into big rooted step downs with a gully to your right. Its not even safe to be a footpath IMO more a goat trail!

Chapel Gate- thats it!

No mate, Chapel Gate's legal - even for motors I think.

I'm not sure which one you're thinking of... There's a footpath between the start of Chapel Gate and Upper Booth. Could be that?

Hello all, hora, you're talking about chapel gate. Legal all the way.
The type of stone in the area is gritstone.
From hope cross to the res is beast I believe. The climb back up is wooler knoll and not entirely legal.
Cavedale is def the toughest, followed by beast and then jacobs. Have you been down the toboggan run yet hora?

Den - next time you're about let me know

[i] rather than granite like the Beast

I think you mean sandstone vdubber67.[/i]

Sorry people, it's gritstone (yeah yeah yeah, type of sandstone etc - still grit.)

Cavedale harder than the Beast. Chapel Gate harder still. The thing (footpath) Hora's on about harder than all three put together.

Brown, can you send me a link to that hard descent?

Have you been down the toboggan run yet hora?

I went down weekend before last. In Summer that will be amazingly quick but the top 2/3's were a mire of mud 😕

Once you've cleaned it in summer(?) conditions try Cavedale with ice on it. My only encounter very exciting and dab-tastic.

Brown no! It'll bloody kill someone that!!!

Sounds like Hora is talking about Parkin clough.

Cheeky descent off Win Hill - Parkin Clough?

Never tried it, but on the list next time I'm up that way mid week. Proper mental I'm told.

Soo funny how it looks ridable on these pics. I honestly wouldn't recommend anyone ride down that-you only have one line choice. Just one. Not negotiable and IMO you are not in control for the majority of the descent. At least on the other descents you can brake, move, slow, adjust, turn even stop. If a Walker was coming up you would hit them and cause a serious accident as there is no where for them to jump like on Cavedale, Beast etc etc.

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Cavedale - tried it on a few bikes, never managed to clean the section from the gate.Okay from about 100 yards down but still a challenge. More mental really, bike will do it, you just have to believe!

Beast I just think is fun (on my Pace 405 anyway), speed is definitely your friend.

Parkin clough is ace 🙂 Only done first half and then turned left. Looked down the second section and it is proper difficult.

Parkin clough [url=

here[/url]

Pook

Den - next time you're about let me know

cheers, will do. wont be this weekend, poss next or following

Pook, is it possible to create a ride that includes Chapel Gate, Jacobs Ladder and say the Tabogon?

Only done Cavedale the once (back in icey/snow cover Jan) and its more difficult then the beast. Whilst they are both fun and techy; descending down the beast you can just hold on and let the bike take you. Unlike cavedale that requires abit more thought to it.

I do like the look of Parkin Clough too!

The main issue with Park In Muff is the exposure on the right hand side. One bad move and you're rolling down a steep bank into a stream. I pussied out of a couple of steep rooty bits for this reason!

Cavedale is harder than the beast- you have to focus a lot more but I've found the speed that lets you get away with murder down there now and can clean it every time- it seems to have got easier lately, like a lot of it's washed away til the gulley when it gets rockier than ever.

[img] [/img]

My one of choice at the minute that I find a real challenge is off Rushup Edge, it takes a huge amount of thought simply because of the speed combined with the size of rocks. It's not more technical than Cavedale, but I'd say moreso than the Beast. And longer.

This one, but past the gate where it gets silly-

[img] [/img]

I want to go back to the Peaks 🙁

Jacob's Ladder
[img] [/img]

Cavedale
[img] [/img]

The Beast
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/gingerfox/tags/peakdistrict/

Spokescycles isnt that Chapel Gate??

Chapel Gate is harder than The Beast especially after the gate on the right imo,and one of the hardest in the peaks apart from Parkin Clough..

Chapel gate gets stupid after the gate, walked down there a while ago and the rain gullies and drops in it now look fun, by the looks of it loads of people were going down the mud at the side

yeah seems bit more torn up after the gate at the moment,but still rideable.

by the looks of it loads of people were going down the mud at the side

Thats cares me ALOT more. That and ruts in grass etc. Guaranteed you will be high-sided off your bike or over the bars with a nasty collarbone. Think about it- you glance upto another ride for a SECOND and its allover the place with your bike like a wagging dog. **** that!

Far better to stick with the rocks and drop offs IMO.

Parkin Clough looks crazy. I'm going to have to ride that soon.

Thing is with these descents, and why the Peaks is so good for biking, is that they're all a bit different. Rode Cavedale on Saturday for only the second time and it's a great descent right from the open grassy section at the top. The rocky sections are fun but only half of the story; the place is like a natural freeride park with loads of hips, bombholes and drops up the valley sides. I was even eyeing up, somewhat over-enthusiastically, some big drops off the cliffs when it opens up underneath the castle.

The beast is fun because it's so fast. Once you have done it a few times there's plenty of options to take more challenging lines, hit the drops etc. And there's a couple of good corners to rally it around. Just have to watch out for the showstoppers!

Chapelgate is probably the hardest out of these three IMO. A couple of sections where there's only really 1 line and if you're not on it you better hope you've brought your magic tyres or you're done for.

What about the PBW along Roych Clough? There's some pretty tough lines along there if you hit all of the drop offs.

Chapel gate- cool. I never really know the names of absolutely all of them, despite living just over the hill.

My favourite Peaks ride is up Pindale, down Cavedale, up Mamtor Broken road, along Rushup Edge, down Chapel Gate, up Jagger's and down the Beast, back up the valley side and down the Roman Road. A day guaranteed to leave you knackered.

My favourite Peaks ride is up Pindale, down Cavedale, up Mamtor Broken road, along Rushup Edge, down Chapel Gate, up Jagger's and down the Beast, back up the valley side and down the Roman Road. A day guaranteed to leave you knackered.

Pook. Thats it but instead of starting at Pindale start in Edale- climb up to Mam Tor then over to Cavedale for the start of the ride? Then after the Beast could either climb up past the farm for the descent down from Fairhomles, up past Beast then up and over (where we saw the angry farmer/sheep on the quad) back to Edale? Right, I might have a reccy this weekend.

i'll have a think, with a lot of road it's doable. Or with a rest halfway through the day!

Toboggan has to be the last run for sheer brilliance. So Edale is the start and finish.
So, Edale, Hollins, Mam tor, Rushup, Chapel, road to rushup, pennine bridleway, up to jacobs. road to Toboggan, drop to Edale.

Not too graceful but it makes the links as suggested...

Anyone got an uplift service?

Toboggan as in the cheeky descent into Buxton??
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=404626&y=373850&z=115&sv=404626,373850&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=791&ax=404626&ay=373850&lm=0

or somewhere else...?

Different one!

WHERE?!

Nobody has mentioned Doctor's Gate yet. Hardest legal trail in the Peak in my opinion.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?rlz=1C1DVCB_enGB337&q=mam%20tor&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

Click on B then street view- ignore the trail straight up- it follows the line of the road from the bus stop for a while.

I don't think I've ridden Doctors Gate before? From memory half of the Doc Gate ride is tarmac?

Oh that one? Mam Tor 1st descent. The Chute.

Doctors Gate isn't worth it IMHO, it's only about 80% rideable at most and to get to the start point at the summit invloves a LOT of tarmac, all uphill. It's OK if it's been dry for a long time and it's pretty remote, not many walkers on it as a general rule.

I'm not a DG fan either. Just not that good.

the chute? damn, i thought i'd christened my very own descent 🙁

I love that descent off mam tor. Pick your line through the ruts and hope they end well. Its great fun although very muddy when its damp

Mam Tor Broken road is pretty hard if you take the pro-lines 😆

http://willwaters.fotopic.net/p22825275.html

[img] http://newimages.fotopic.net/?iid=ydk834&outx=800&quality=70 [/img]

Wow. Thats pretty much a flat landing as well. I take my hat off to you Sir!

Anyway what about the one off Derwent edge bringing you down the back of the pub,kinda steep few hairpins thats a good un...