Hi,

I recently got the Mrs into doing some biking with me, only light mind, clumber park etc, and I thought I’d take her round the Monsal Trail.

Has anyone done it on a Sunday and can tell me where the best place is to park if I was heading from Sheffield.

Is it worth a ride?

Thanks for any advice.

Park at the cafe/bookshop at the old hassop station. Just north of bakewell.
Very slight uphill towards Buxton, so nice easy roll back.
Worth doing? Is a disused railway line. Flat straight and smooth. It’s not a trail you go round, it’s a to b then back to a.
On a Sunday will be pretty busy with families walkers etc. nice view from monsal viaduct.

Yeah she isn’t a trail rider and never will be I’m just glad to have her out and about. Plus now she has a bike she loves she doesn’t mind me buying shiny bits as much.

Will be busy but not unbearably so if your pottering
Cattle market in bakewell has large pay and display and its a short back road section to very start of trail from a gate at rear of carpark, bit cheaper than parking in centre of town, walkable to centre at end if you want a mooch round the ‘tart shops’
Worth doing? Old railway out and back, some great views quite stunning when you emerge from the tunnels, cycling through the tunnels is a nice novelty, more interesting than high peak or tissington trails
My wife sounds similar to yours, she enjoyed it and found it easy enough, it would make a change from Clumber.I had the child trailer on and kept in high gear to make it bit more of a workout for me, plan on doing it again now little one is in a weeride seat and more interactive rather than the trailer

Park here to avoid bakewell traffic
Gates locked at 5 I think but if you park just outside its free anyway

Monsall trail is really busy with walkers, dog walkers and cyclists with dogs on 20ft extending dog leads entangling other cyclists. There are tunnels history and some precipitous cliffs, I would recommend it at a quiet time and it would be best approached from Bakewell here link uphill on the way out and downhill all the way back. Sunday with fine weather and all the other traffic will make it an obstacle course. My 12 yo says he enjoyed the tunnels but it’s a bit too flat.

All are right about it being busy.

Can park at Coombs road by the old viaduct for free, a short push up to the end of the trail. Nice food at Hassop station, also just of the trail in great or little longstone.

Could also park by the wye just of the A6 at the north end, and then ride down to the bakewell end, stop for lunch at Hassop on the way back up.

It’ll be very busy with walkers and the like.

If you make it to Miller Dale there is a lovley secret tea garden in the old station house, turn right through the fence at the end of he buildings and its just up to the left, much better than the mobile trailor cafe that frequents the carpark?

There is also a place to get a brew from at the cycle hire place at the Wyedale end, not tried it but did look busy enough last time we were there walking

thanks everyone. think we might give it a miss Sunday and head somewhere else.

we have done clumber and rufford so maybe i will take her out to ladybower or somewhere else.

Cheers everyone took the Mrs here today. Wasn’t too busy and she really enjoyed it.

The view from the viaduct is beautiful and the tunnels are a little different.

Thanks for the advice and any recommendations where I can take her similar would be brilliant.

How about a loop of Carsington Water? Few more ups and downs on a plain loop of the lake than at Monsal, but nothing gnar. Sounds to me like you need to look at where your local Sustrans type trails are too for riding out of the door.

Yeah, I still ride with my mates but she wouldn’t get on with where we go.

Round clumber through the woods was perfect and she is fine with ups and downs.

Thinking of taking her round lady Bower as I’ve not done it myself. Any reason why she wouldn’t enjoy it?

Thinking of taking her round lady Bower as I’ve not done it myself. Any reason why she wouldn’t enjoy it?

In terms of the kind of stuff I assume most people on here like, I’m an absolute beginner but I regularly do Derwent/Ladybower and have done for years. There are a few wyas of doing it, I favour the longer route which starts at Fairholmes carpark, going down to the main road and going round in a figure of 8. I did the route with my dad a few years ago when he was in his mid 60s and I was very overweight and even then it wasn’t too difficlt.

I guess the main thing to watch out for is old dears driving up the road sections which go past the main car park, as the road is only just wide enough for cars to get by a cyclist in most places.

There are a couple of fast downhill sectiosn on the opposite side of the dams which I always enjoy and the track down that side has been relaid over the last couple of years so it’s an easier ride for less experienced riders.

Ok brilliant thanks mate. I will have a look from where you said start.

I’m so used to riding where I ride and none of this sort of stuff. It is nice to finally have the Mrs biking though.

Ladybower loop will be fine, couple very short sharp climbs but nothing severe
Another one to consider is a lap of Langset reservoir, from car park along road over dam, through farmyard Bridleway to join minor road that leads to track around res, up to north America farm (bit of a stoney climb) and back down ro res then through woods on other side back to carpark, maybe shorter but climb and surface up to NA Farm is good introduction for her to more of your kind of stuff, if she is feeling confident you could turn left at farm ruins and do little bit of Cut Gate track before coming back down the hill to the res

Also consider an out and back along Tissington or high peak trails, starting from Parsley Hay, or you can link then into a loop using Sustrans routes that use bridleways / minor roads and permissive tracks

Round Ladybower would be fine I think.

Tourist people publish two maps that take in Clumber/Sherwood Pines that would suit as well I think

Link to download here

Adventure Pine Route and Ancient Sherwood here

There’s also the Dukeries trail round that way, point to point but you can link it up by train.