Trying to work out a loop using Cutgate and coming back over Derwent Edge.

Critique my plans if you have experience in this area please. It’ll be late afternoon on a Wednesday so I expect minimal walkerists. I am always polite and say hi and chat about the weather with friendly folk.

Park near the Ladybower Inn, up the side of the res, over Cutgate. Right at the res onto the road.

Ride the road all the way to Smallfield. – is this road a right slog? Doesn’t look too bad on a map.

Off the road at Smallfield onto a Bridlewway past Hobson Moss and Roundhill – Is this BW any good? Looks like a reasonable rideable incline from the OS maps. What kind of ground shall I expect? Slabs or dirt n rocks?

That bridleway just sort of strangely ends and becomes 2 fps. So fp to Low Tor and then to Back Tor.

FP to Dovestone Tor and then all the way along Derwent Edge, salt cellar, white Tor to Whinstone Lee Tor and thence to Cutthroat bridge and down.

Any areas which you’d change for better downhills? I don’t mind hills but would like to avoid hikeabike if poss.

Thanks

Not been over from Smallfield, but it looks like people go over there on Heatmaps.

Personally, if I was doing Cut Gate I’d park at Langsett (loads easier to get to), over to Howden, down to the Whitstone Lee Tor climb, down to Cutthroat Bridge, over to the other side of the res, up Hagg Side, down Gores, clockwise round to Slippery Stones, back over Cut Gate.

I think you’d get more for your money with that^^

Edit: if you really wanted to go along past Dovestones there’s shady hike-a-bike options up from Derwent

Up Cut Gate from Howden is almost definitely a hike-a-bike, but is fun back down.

I rate that highly jekyll – one of the best loops in the Peak IMHO, esp in good weather.

The road dip up out of Ewden beck will have you working, that is a decent climb, but nothing to worry about – talking 60 or 70m of ascent. Then the Dukes Rd is all rideable (as it’s been dry) along and up to the edge which is superb – it becomes a slabbed causeway around the time it turns into a fp, below Back Tor, so may need to give way to walkers here.

Only other thing I can think of just for info is that it’s not a great ride for bad weather or winter – Dukes Rd would get v boggy in parts, and is quite exposed on the moor – there’s no shelter or windbreaks at all.

It’s a brilliant way of linking up two gems of Peak trail – have a great ride and throw some pics up!

@jekkyl – It will be busier than you think and as you know that riding on the footpath is not allowed, you’re being a bit silly. What will you do if you encounter walkers, or the NP Ranger?

If we all use the RoWs responsibly then it makes life easier for everyone. It does sound like a nice route but don’t be selfish, find another way back.

What Garry says. It’ll be perfect now, but not an option if it’s even a bit damp.

The climb up from Ewden is a bit of a pig, but fine on mtb gearing (watch the descent down first – very quick and the sharp right hander in the woods comes up suddenly. I know a few roadies who’ve screwed it up).

The Dukes Road is peat and loose rubble. All rideable.

The hardest bit of climbing is Howden up to Cut Gate. I’ve seen it cleaned in a oner and I’ve ridden most of it, but for me there’s always a wee bit of stalling/pushing/faffing. No hikeabike though.

What will you do if you encounter walkers, or the NP Ranger?

Be nice, say hi…?

Walkers – it’s not rocket science – exactly the same as any other encounter with them. It’s not like you’d go treating them as skittles on a bridleway, now is it?

Rangers? Generally pretty chilled out in my experience. You might get a gently slapped wrist as part of a reasoned conversation, but a solo rider, midweek, on a sustainable trail (the FP is all slabbed) in the middle of a dry period is approaching things sensibly. No harm done.

(As best I can tell, the only reason for the change in access designation is that it’s the county boundary. In S. York’s, the Dukes Road and Foulstone Road have been nominated as bridelways. As soon as you get into Derbyshire, they change to footpaths. Joined up thinking at its best…)

That footpath (actually not a right of way at all I think?) from Back Tor to Whinstone Lee Tor always seems busy with walkers, but on the flip side I’ve also seen folk on motorised bikes up there. It’s one of the few bits of cheeky I’ve had grief off walkers on, but I do pick and choose times quite carefully. It’s also pretty good fun (the last bit at least).

I’d be interested to hear what it’s like, I’m a big fan of Cut Gate both ways (especially since it’s rare I get out to the Peak) but variety is good and all that.

@ElShalimo, are you on the committee for PeakMTB by any chance? It sounds like their attitude to riding sensibly on footpaths – no one must ever do it, or we’ll never ba allowed anything more (despite that fact that even if we don’t, we’ll still never be allowed anything more) and if people do it we definitely can’t talk about it on the internet.

I don’t think it’ll be too much of a road slog. The start of Dukes Road is dull – just a landrover track – but eventually it comes good and turns into slabs that are interesting enough. Derwent Edge is obvioiusly excellent.

I’d sack off the bridleway to Cutthroat Bridge and when you get off Derwent Edge go straight on down a path that isn’t on the map. I know it as the Telegraph Trail. It’s shorter but so much more exciting, and dgiven how dry it is now it’ll be wonderful to ride. Here’s a link to the segment on Strava-

https://www.strava.com/segments/13354810

The climb up from Ewden is a bit of a pig, but fine on mtb gearing (watch the descent down first – very quick and the sharp right hander in the woods comes up suddenly. I know a few roadies who’ve screwed it up).

That corner was responsible for the badly set broken arm that kept my grandfather out of the army in WWII. It’s a pig in both directions (The inside of the corner going up is 1:3)

The bit between Dukes Road & Back Tor is a bog unless its been dry for a good period. The rest is fun, although there is no where to hide.

For future reference does anyone know if the cabins on the other side of the valley are still useable?

Depends how cheeky OP thinks is appropriate – Les Arcs/Telegraph Trail is particularly sensitive due to its high visibility and the amount of visible erosion through the switchbacks. I don’t think that weekday/weekend makes much difference at the moment, people are treating every day like a weekend.

That corner was responsible for the badly set broken arm that kept my grandfather out of the army in WWII.

Lucky break!

@munrobiker – no, I just think we should all use the RoWs appropriately.
If you end up on a FP by accident then fair enough but when you knowingly go there anyway it’s daft and can lead to problems for all users of the RoW.

It’s the RoW system that’s daft.

Fortunately I moved up to Scotland so don’t have to put up with nonsense like Dukes and Foulstone Roads hitting an imaginary line and suddenly being off limits to bikes for no good reason whatsoever.

https://www.justgoride.co.uk/routes/46431
for tomorrow.

Sigh. C’mon @jekkyl. The polite thing to do would be to tell us how it went and what it was like 😄😜.

Can’t just be taking advice from others and then giving none for future Googlers.

And hurry up, I leave in 30 minutes. 😉

@thegeneralist go to it mate, it’s a cracking route. The road after cutgate is a bit of a slog but get up on those pedals and get it dealt, you soon reach the bridleway. After that the dukes road is all made up, gravel path becomes slabs, miles of them, none of that is particularly technical at all but it is very scenic. After that you know where you are, WLT or the other one down. The biggest pain the arse is the 50 minutes from ladybower inn to the botton of cutgate, but it’s a gorgeous day, you’ll love it.

pics from that ride @@thegeneralist
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDFIey5nrjM/

Wahey. Good man.
Those pics look mint.
Many thanks

@thegeneralist how’d you get on mate? I went out round local lanes for 30 miles. Had a great time, super ace weather..

Anyone hook me up with a GPX please.

Wow. That was stunning. Absolutely ace. Started in Langset, mega hilly road section to Smallfield then west onto Dukes Road. Generally good fire road surface with a few rocks. Then head SW on a lovely paving slab track.

Then bits of crag and rock interspersed with the occasional bog

Amazing rocky technical riding in places.

Then down to cutthroat bridge and east up the A57, then north along the minor road to the bottom of Foulstone Road. As stated above, this is mainly dull tarmac for a mile but then improves and is great way of getting back on top again.
Then south along the ridge again, this time dropping down onto the three part bridleway that kicks you out on the east bank of Ladybower. The one with the amazing sandstone slab climb at the bottom (Ashes Farm?)
Thought the slabby bit would be rubbish in descent, but it was actually great.
Then struggled north over Cut Gate, which was actually the worst part of the day, very boggy and muddy and all cut to shit. Reall mess.

Absolutely loved the route though. Many thanks to @jekkyl and @garry_lager for the info and encouragement.

‘Just’ 53km in total, but I’m absolutely gubbed. Really tired me out.

Looks like a great ride @thegeneralist. Really beautiful part of the Peak on a nice day.

That’s a cracking loop – I’ve done that a few times when we lived in Sheffield.