4 idiots in their 40s are going to stay in Castleton in mid March. We’ve never been before.
We’ve got potential for a shuttle and were looking at a north-south Cut Gate ride but it’s going to be a boggy hell isn’t it?
We’re all of average fitness and will be dragging big, heavy full sus bikes wherever we go.
Happy to winch slowly up climbs for great DHs rather than miles and miles of xc misery.
What should we ride?

Thanks!

Do you know the area? Does one of you have a garmin type device with maps? Will you have all day?

We’ve never been. We have maps.
One of the geekier ones might have some sort of computer thing. I don’t though. We’ve got time for an all dayer on the Sat and a short one on Sunday (both subject to hangovers and rugby viewing of course).

Yes we’ll have proper maps and a routeable gps.

If you like good descents, try to work a route/s including cavedale (comes into Castleton), Jacobs Ladder (drops into Barber Booth), The Beast (descent from Hope Cross on Win Hill ridge down towards the A57), Lockerbrook descent (after the beast, cross the road and head past hagg farm, the descent takes you to Ladybower) and the Whinstone Lee Tor descent to cut throat bridge. Also Devils elbow at Blackamoor is good. And if you want pure DH stuff, drive over to Wharncliffe. The area has an awful lot of decent riding

Ah, there’s the geekier one up there^ Good old hot-fiat and his toys.
Cheers riklegge, we’ll have a look at those descents.

I’ll happily map you out a route but if you give until Monday. I’d suggest…up broken Road, round mam tor, down greenlands up to hollins cross, down to the road, up to hope cross, potato alley, up past the farm with the shit load of broken machinery 😄 down gores farm descent to the res, brew and cake at fairholmes cafe, up the other side to descend whinston Lee tor and cutthroat..cross the Dam at ladybower and climb through the forest to descend roman Road to hope and back along the road. That should near enough a day ride with group faffing. I’ll map it out if you give us a day or two.
See the tracks I reference here:

OS Tracks Map Info & Help

Oh, and regarding Cut Gate- it’s a good ride, but given where you are staying and the faff involved, I’d probably just miss it out in favour of the (just as good or better) more accessible riding.

Looking at Jekkyl‘s route above, that looks pretty good, personally I’d swap the potato alley descent for the beast, or even push back up and do both.

Depends on the riding you like…

Up ladybower way there’s les arcs, Narnia, ‘quick before it’s destroyed’ and lots of cheeky lines cut in around there.

Or if you just like traditional in t’hills riding around, then there’s stuff like win hill (which has a nice trail cutting down off the side of it).

I’d avoid things like potato alley, the beast… Just because they are just large rock fests which are more likely to flick up a rock and crack your bike, than be fun in anyway. Unless that’s your bag.

Also you could head upto Wirksworth, not too far from Ashbourne…cyclable if you’re really keen, but only 20 mins in a car, and there you’ll find Black Rocks…lots of DH trails about 2 – 3 minutes long. We just tend to loop them, and grunt unto the Trig point where there is another fantastic descent or two. You can spend as long or short a time as you like around there because you’re looping lots of trails so can call it quits whenever you like or if the conditions are not great.

You can then drop down the incline, mooch along the canal path towards Ambergate and you’ll find loads of similar trails there. Not sure Ambergate is that good at the moment…last summer the forestry commission were clearing trees so carved up the ground so we’ve not been back since, but there are other areas and trails in that vicinity.

No idea how best to tell you where the trails are…I could try to export some GXP files for you if you decide to head out that way.

Buy the Vertebrate Publishing guide to the Dark Peak, follow the routes you like the look / sound of and start conveniently near to your base. Simple.

@jekkyl thanks for that. Plotted out a route based on yours in pencil last night. Looks good. If you’ve a gpx then that would be appreciated, if not I can soon build one.

We’ll cheat and cajole our non riding house elf into uplifting us up Mam Tor as a kickstart.

cool. sent you a pm

+1 for Jekyll loop but also add rushup edge. Did it yesterday and was perfect

Tilly’s for breakfast

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g499576-d10372990-Reviews-Tilly_s_Of_Castleton-Castleton_Hope_Valley_Peak_District_National_Park_England.html

I did an almost identical route to Jekyll’s a couple of years ago, and it was an outstanding day on the bike. Option of The Beast instead of Potato Alley, but I prefer the latter, because I can actually ride it!

Thanks for all the replies. We got back from our trip yesterday. It was superb and we’ll definitely go again. Thanks especially to @jekkyl who generously plotted out a route for us.

The weather on Saturday was a bit harsh, but thankfully we had the wind (and hail and snow and rain) on our backs 95% of the time. We bailed at the Ladybower Inn, having been tempted by the beer, warmth and chip butties. On Sunday we got shuttled back to Fairholmes by our house elf, to re-do the stunning Cuthroat descent and complete the rest of the route back to Castleton.

All in all it was one of the best weekend’s biking I’ve done. Topped off by Lister and I heading over to Manchester to see Bob Mould play at the Academy on Sunday night.

Plus points for adding Bob Mould to the weekend.

Pretty much a perfect weekend of riding and fun.
The weather made it for me. Judging by how many people we saw out and about in the grotty weather I’m not sure I’d cope with more people in better weather. I reckon another winter trip will be in order.
Amazed by how fast the terrain ate my brake pads though. Brand new pads halfway through day 1, rears were down to the backing plate by the end of day 2!
Bob was a brilliant gig, a great finish to the weekend.
Good medicine all round!

I always carry spare pads for the peak District, I’ve learnt the hard way in the past.

Spare pads deffo – just need a bit of slop to eat them.

Nice one 👌😃

Re Blackrocks. Yes some good little numbers (I’m only a half dozen miles from there). BUT its filthy wet in there at present, and also you can sometimes get a bit of grief if its a Saturday afternoon (I’ve lived in Derbyshire over 25 years. Love it. But it has more than it’s share of miserable ‘getorfmoilaaand’ fheckers.