I pretty much know one decent circuit currently in Mac forest which I’m afraid I will get bored of if I keep going.

I could do with knowing another decent route… are there any apps or devices I can buy/use to help teach me?

thanks
Christian

You could look at Strava Heatmap and follow the lines 🙂
http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#14/-2.05939/53.23694/blue/bike

Or if you don’t like cheekies, then you could extend it by going up Cumberland Clough and/or 3 Shire Heads

could get a garmin and download some routes to it, that’s what I have done for the same reason, bored of riding the same stuff

There’s these things called maps. Standalone, no batteries, no need for satellite reception, doesn’t break if you drop it, cheap. Tells you all about the geography of an entire area, not just what someone else defines as a “bike route”, so you can find something new that suits you

They even do a waterproof version…
https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/explorer-map-the-peak-district-white-peak-area.html

Or Aqua 3 for really nice, printed on plastic, custom efforts that are indestructible.

http://www.bikemaps.co.uk/mountain-biking-bundles.htm

Bundles 4 or 9 will keep you going for a bit. Good, easy to follow maps that can be combined with os maps for the cheeky stuff.

Comes highly recommend

taking a map out of your pocket every 5 min is a pain

Luckily maps don’t show the most fun parts of Macc Forest and the Goyt….

taking a map out of your pocket every 5 min is a pain

…except stopping every 5 minutes and taking a map out of your pocket means you also have to look round and *learn* an area, and what it looks like. The next time you probably won’t need the map, because you’ll know where you are, rather than being a slave to yet another piece of IT hardware.

As for the cheeky trails, its hardly difficult to find them – just keep your eyes open!

As an aside, I do have a big problem with the publication of cheeky routes on Strava. We seem to forget that EVERYTHING on the internet is in the public domain. You ride a cheeky trail and publish it, you’re publicly publishing evidence of your trespass. Likewise (and this is something that has potential to become an issue on the opposite side of the Peak) – you post up a KOM showing you doing 30mph on a permissive bridleway on a Saturday afternoon, then the antibike lobby can use that as evidence of irresponsible use and push for the bridleway to be downgraded again to a footpath.

The O/S map shows walking routes though… I would have though it would be frowned upon to pass through a gate which says no bikes

The only route I know is pretty awesome but it only takes me an hour to get around and its hard.

The O/S map shows walking routes though.

The OS map shows everything, learn what all the little coloured lines mean and a whole new world will open out in front of you.

There’s a lot of high horses in this thread. I don’t really see why – they guy’s just asking for some route advice!

OP – why don’t you tell us your current route and we’ll see if we’ve got any additions or alternatives.

^^
As alex say, post up your existing route(which I guess us just around the forest itself) and we will see what can be done.

3 shires/Goyt valley/Gradbach there’s loads to go at.

The O/S map shows walking routes though…

There is a vast, and I mean VAST amount of info hidden in a 1:25k OS map, if you read it right. Some of it will get you into trouble :D, some of it will help you get back out again.

I would have though it would be frowned upon to pass through a gate which says no bikes

This is the point. At least with a map you know where you should and shouldn’t be, and can make a reasoned decision about when and where you choose to go. Follow some random dude of the internet’s route, and if he decides to ride through someone’s front garden, you’ll end up doing it too. Extreme example, but you get the idea…

Ok.

I can’t really see an easy way of posting up my existing route so maybe if I describe it…

1) I carry on up the hill passing the leather smithy on my left
2) Reach a gate on the left taking me off the road. Track starts to get stoney.
3) Carry on climbing until I reach an old abandoned building in front of me
4) Bear to the right. Path gets rockier and climb worsens
5) Reach another gate.
6) Bear to the right again on non rocky road. Climb worsens again
7) Keep on road until I see a rocky path on my right
8) Take hard right onto rocky path and climb more
9) follow path downhill (gets very rocky)
10) reach road at the bottom
11) turn left
12) turn right at the church onto muddy/grassy path
13) climb a little
14) follow path down (very loose stones)
15) hit the road and take a right
16) Keep on road until I see a gate in front of me
17) go through gate and go straight on.
18) Follow fire road(s) until I reach back at the smithy missing out the down hill track(s) which I can’t yet do!

BTW those bike maps look good thanks 🙂

Right,
I can picture the loop your doing exactly… You’re missing out quite a bit of decent (legal) stuff.

I’ll try to post up a bit more of a route explanation tomorrow… It’s late and I’m in bed..,!

Cookci my email is in my profile, I’ve got a couple of legal routes that are dead easy to follow if you want them.

That route you posted is about as basic as it gets round the Forest, it’s dead easy to add on anything from 2 to 20+ miles of legit legal stuff if you have the time and legs

Carlos

You’re missing out Cumberland clough!
After passing the church and the loose stone short descent, when you get to the road instead of going right go left.
. Climb to a main road
. Turn right, signed for Buxton.
. Climb lots
. Turn right onto another main road, probably busier.
. You can see a tea shop on your left, turn into it and then almost immediately turn right off road uphill, opp car park entrance.
. Over the brow of the hill you can see the cat n fiddle pub.
. Stop at cat n fiddle and order a coffee and a whisky, enjoy the real fire, you’ve earnt it.
. Relunctly leave pub and head off road on a bridleway heading away across moorland directly opp pub.
. Bridleway way is nice n flat heading to a gentle decline, enjoy some speed for a change.
. At the road turn right, downhill at speed on tarmac.
. At the bottom of the hill there is a metalled track leading to a farm, this is a route to 3 shires head and gradbach where you could extend the route even more, I’ll let someone else type that out coz I cba lol.
. Carry on up a hill and round the bend to the right.
. Take the off road track to the right, gate has a rope loop on.
. Track climbs gently and then descends, this is Cumberland clough, excellent track, lots of tech and outstanding scenery as you traverse a valley edge with a river down to your left.
. At the bottom cross the river and exit, cycle through the carpark and turn right.
. Cycle Longside the river peacefully for about a mile or so.
. Take the first left (I think) up a horrible road hill.
. At the top you should recognise where you are. To the right is the road to the church, straight on will take you downhill to pass the res and left will take you off through a gate and into the forest.

I reckon this extra bit will add about an hour or do depending how good you climb and stop at the pub. Cumberland clough is better than charity lane imo and well worth the climb.

cookci – that was out classic Thursday night ride in the 90s.

Cat&Fiddle and Cumberland is the obvious extension.

For some reason, even though we avoided most cheeky trails back then, we’ve always done the full length of Cumberland (turning right halfway across the moor).

Another way of varying it (and it is a real shame there isn’t better legal riding in there), is to do it roughly in reverse (although, again, we would usually come off Charity Lane early (that’s #9 the really rocky descent in your ride) and cut through the wood.
When you get to that abandoned building (#3) take the other fork west towards Teggs Nose, turn left at the road and then wiggle down to a rocky, gravelly descent (used to be a barely-rideable classic until resurfaced). Still fast and fun.
It eventually turns to road – turn left at the hill crest corner to return all the way to Langly via Tegg’s Nose Reservoir.

Sounds like you’re doing Charity Lane and Bottom Of The Oven. That’s the warm up over with… 😉

Following on from Jekkyl’s comments, the 3 Shires Head bit is the best section of the ride. 4 bridleways/byways down to the bridge. All of which are tough climbs and fun decents. Put ’em together in any order you like.

Nice responses thanks guys 🙂

I shall print this off and take it with me on the next ride.

Jekkyl’s route is a good starting point. As already mentioned, your existing route is the warm up 😮
From there on is plenty off extensions to go at.

I may have some route notes saved as word documents (I used laminate them and stick them in my pockets for quick referance).

Drop me an email and I will see if I can find them and sent them to you.
bthorlz75@gmail.com

There’s so much to go at round there. All that to the south of Buxton around hollinsclough. And to the west of Buxton which appears to be far more accessible from the Mac forest route, just a cheeky left just before the cat n fiddle and right there’s the goyt valley, 2 resovoirs and a forest to go at. In an ideal world I’ve won the lottery and go out up there on my bike every day to explore. :o(

Cookci we sometimes ride around kerridge and bollington and Rainow then down teggs nose for a change. Far bit of road to link up the tracks though.

Ages ago I posted this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/macc-forest-classic-loop-extension

Cumberland clough extension done! 🙂

Its awesome

I had to take my shoes off at the bottom and pour out all the water lol

Now how do i do the three shires extension pretty please?

Loads of macc locals on here, so if you want to meet up for a ride with us, or any of the others on here, just emither. Roaches are great, three shires, gradbach, goyt valley buxton… Just depends on time you have and the legs!

When you come off Dane bower hollow and go along the road towards Cumberland brook Gate, you can either go back on yourself through the gate, passed the chimney stack and into the quarry, or you can cut through the farm that drops away downa road to your left just after. They both lead into three shires. Then a good rocky climb back up the main road. Right at the top and back along to the Cumberland brook turn

Cumberland clough beats charity lane imo, I love it when you cross the stream and go through the gate and then look at what’s to come, it’s like the first time you see fight club. There’s a line I can never finish on the left as you pass the river down below, it goes over stones, roots dirt and more stones, so you can either try that line or stick to the stoney rabble in the main track. My mate likened it to when you can see a run on ssx tricky but it’s too difficult to finish. Glad you enjoyed.

Cumberland was actually “dry” today, wait till it gets proper wet. Same goes for Charity Lane, it doesn’t detract from the fun of barreling down at 25+ mph though

I have some awesome pics of Cumberland when it’ was literally a frickin river!

Have a look at the word documents I emailed you, one of them give directions for 3 shires.

As M6TTF has posted above, the easiest to navigate route is when you complete dane bower hollow and reached the main road turn right as you have already .

Then down the dip and up, just before the road bends right is a farm track on your left (was marked as private, but it is a bridleway).

Go down there and through the 2 sheep gates, turn left. Keep heading down and turn right at the dry stone wall(turning early and taking the high ground is usally less boggy). Carry on and go through a gate at the end. Then follow the path straight down to 3 shires head.

Carry straight on keeping the packhorse bridge on your left and climb, climb and climb.
End of the path turn right, end of the road turn right(main road). Uphill, round the bend and carry on. Passed the layby on your left and the start of cumberland clough is now on your left (as you slready know).
Enjoy

Excellent thanks, I look forward to trying it. How long will this add onto the already extended route approx?

I actually did Cumberland on Saturday and there was a lot of running water 🙂

30-60 minutes depends on if you stop for a break / photo stop (worth doing) and how hard you push it.

My personal choice is as per M6TTF and once you’ve dropped down off Danebower turn right on the road and take the fist track on the left, it’s a tight hairpin left on to it with a gate about 50m along, follow this through the quarry, cross the stream and follow the path right keeping parallel to the stream, go through a new looking metal farm gate and follow the wall on your right (can be boggy but not too bad today as quite frosty) drop through the first gate you come to on your right and follow the track at about 10 O’colck as you stand in the gateway across the field and then down to the left, where it meets another track keep right and right again down a very Boulder strewn and rocky section. At the gate cross the bridge (3 Shires) and turn left then pick back up M6TTF’s route round to the top of Cumberland Clough.

If you go immediately left before crossing the bridge that’s another loop extension that’ll take you over to Flash, Goldstich Moss and Gradbach

carlos – do you mean this track?
I haven’t done that one before (mainly because we usually use Orchard farm as a way out of 3 shires instead of in)

it was dry this weekend, it gets WET!!! this was at the gate midway down. it was over the hubs. the other path is the one that goes back up to DaneBower hollow – never seen it like that before

Blimey – I’ve never seen it like that in 16 years of riding it. Does explain how some of those big rocks get placed though!

Doing it with a twatnav is like reading the map down a rolled-up cardboard tube; you will miss all the exta bits just off your route that only a map can show you, as well as the general lie of the land. Worse, you will never learn the area if you don’t have a visual image of the layout in your head.