A small, emotionally distant gang of us are planning to ride this route on Saturday.

Where’s the best place to park please? Start is at Old Glossop, but were’re headed from the Stockport direction so Mottram would also be useful.

Also, is that a decent route? I’ve told people it’ll be not be hardcore, but should be a pleasant ride. Suggestions for a 5-ish mile extension would be be appreciated too as it looks fairly low level, I think we’ll be round fairly quick.

What route are you doing ? There isn’t many low level routes around here as Glossop is in a hole. 😀

There’s a link in my post, but basically Old Glossop, up the south side of the reservoirs, cross at the Woodhead road bridge and back down the north side. Through Hadfield, Hollngworth then a loop north of Mottram Moor road into Mottram. Over Mottram Hill to broad bottom. Follow the railway a bit toward Simmondley, Whitfield, Glossop.

That looks quite amicable as Glossop routes go. There’s a big paid for car park in front of the town hall in the centre of town, but the obvious free parking is at the bottom of Doctor’s Gate just before the bus turning roundabout thing. This:

http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=404575&Y=394815&A=Y&Z=120

I’ll have a proper look at the route in a minute – edit: it looks okay, I don’t know all of it weill, but if you want easy riding, yep. I’m very fond of the Longdendale trail and if you want an easy but interesting route round there, check out the Northern Horse Route, which goes up above the trail from Crowden and is just interesting enough without being remotely technical. You can add on little loops on tracks on and off the main trail too. Or head up on the Pennine Bridleway route over the top:

https://www.justgoride.co.uk/ext/routes/1190

Fair bit of climbing / faffing there so won’t be a quick quick route.

You should be able to park on Dewsnap Lane (top left corner), or just a bit further up on Hobson Moor Lane, or on Church Lane just south of Mottram

are you on MTBs or road bikes?

EDIT – if MTBs, consider an extension up the Pennine Bridleway from Hollingworth / Tintwistle to Swineshaw reservoir, then past Walkerswood to Brushes and back to Dewsnap Lane

EDIT 2 – DEFINITELY use the Northern Horse Route rather than the main road. If you use the map from BWD thee that add on a bit as you go to the end of the Longdendale trail

Fair bit of climbing / faffing there so won’t be a quick quick route.

To be fair, the Longdendale Trail is pretty much the only flatness around there 🙂

Car park in Padfield right at the start of the trail.

Remember the shops there are local shops for local people.

Tour of Glossop, Hadfield, Hattersley, and Gamesley – Is this one of those sociology experiments?

Route looks perverse, esp when you have quality stuff in the hills immediately to the north (Wild bank, Harridge, Alphin)

Route looks perverse, esp when you have quality stuff in the hills immediately to the north

Tend to agree. I’ve not done all that route but can’t see why you would do the longenden trail except as a link between Doctors Gate and Cut Gate.

We took the kids on it about 7 years ago and they got in a right sulk about how dull it was.

Thanks Gents, a couple of good route improvement recommendations by the looks of it. Cheers.