Ashbourne Tissington Trail end to High Peak Junction best route?

I’m doing a dad’s taxi run to Alton Towers tomorrow but not going in myself. That gives me most of the day to ride the old rail trails.

Plan is to park in Ashbourne (where’s best?) and get the road link to High Peak Junction in first, then up the High Peak Trail and back down the Tissington Trail back to the car.

So which is the best route to do the link, map says I’m going past Carsington water, but which roads are quietest?

Thanks in advance.

Do you actually want to go to High Peak Junction? There are two horrendous 1:8 sections from there up to Middleton Top on the High Peak trail

^^What MCTD said!

Ride to Middleton Top then do High Peak Trail from there.

I did use to ride those climbs for fun waaaay back though! 🤣

If you want to avoid too much road I would ride up Tissington Trail a bit to Tissington, then from there ride over to Bradbourne. Then you could scoot over to Carsington if you fancied and ride around there, or go from Bradbourne to Brassington and meet the High Peak Trail at the top of Brassington.

The right hand side (as you look at in to a map) of Carsington Res is more interesting that the LHS. And would make up a bit of extra distance if you wanted for not having to drop down to High Peak Junction.

There’s a car park at the bottom of the Tissington Trail just outside Ashbourne.

If you head south from Ashbourne there are some nice lanes and villages to tunnel through around Wyaston and Osmaston before heading back north towards Carsington.

Thanks all.

I’ll park at Ashbourne Mapleton Lane, head up the trail to Tissington, and do MuffinMan’s link route. Then Up the High Peak and down the Tissington.  I’ll not do down to Carsington, but if there’s time in the afternoon, I’ll drive down there and do a loop.

I would head west and go up the Manifold valley to Hulme end, then through Biggin and pickup the bridleway which cuts across to the High Peak trail, and then Tissington trail back

I am planning to go for a ride with my 70yo Dad on the Tissington Trail on Saturday. We are staying near Ashbourne. We have a car. He will be on my Commuter Ebike – a Carerra Crossfuse – and I will be on my Arkose. I was aiming for a circular route North on the TT, the SE on the HPT, then cuttingback across probably Carsington, Knockerdown, Bradbourne. We will have all day and can modify, even out and back if necessary. Can anyone recommend a decent lunch stop, ideally a pub?

Can anyone recommend a decent lunch stop, ideally a pub?

The Miners Arms in Carsington village is nice enough and does decent food. Gets busy though if the weather is nice. Plenty of seating outside in a nice setting

Not sure if the Knockerdown is open or closed at the moment. Could have been a classy exotic car hang out as Caffeine and Machine wanted to take it over but the locals objected. Their place in Warwickshire is fab

dont park at the leisure centre carpark in town right at the very start as the first section in the tunnel is under water. Mapleton lane is the one you want, if thats full you could try the next one up which is thorpe station carpark

If you don’t mind a mile or so detour , then at the junction where the HP and Tissington trails meet at Parsley Hey, you can nip off to Moneyash. The Old Smithy cafe does excellent bacon !  Or there a pub next to it.

Also just off the Tissington/ HP (north of Parsley Hey by a mile or two so will be the HP strictly) there’s the Royal Oak. Food always smells fabulous when I’ve been in for a beer during/  after a steady ride.  You’ll need to book though as it’s always busy / full.    It’s got some bike racks too to lock the bikes up.

Thanks people!

Can confirm the Royal Oak and Smithy well worth a visit.

If you nip across the A515 from the Royal Oak, Tagg Lane Dairy do amazing ice cream with milk from their Jersey herd, as well as nice coffee and cake.

Those climbs are a bit unexpected for a disused railway, but they aren’t anything that should trouble a moderately keen cyclist.

Don’t fancy the Dimmingsdale gnar for the day? Loads of techy trails to explore

Cheers all, a grand day out!