Only ridden there a bit but I did find it quite underwhelming. I’m sure there is lots of good stuff there but the classic BW routes seem a bit dull. It doesn’t have the charm and scenery of the Lakes/Dales either.

Prefer Calderdale from my (admittedly limited) experience.

There’s more to the Peak than Bleaklow and Kinder…

I got interviewed by Granada TV quite a number of years ago when mountain bikers were causing concern in the Peak and from where we were filmed I pointed out that there were legal, sustainable, excellent tracks and trails on every hill we could see to ride without ever needing to go into sensitive places.

Now I walk in the same places and see the tyre tracks through the edges of the peat, see the skid marks down the steep grassy areas, see the litter, see the inner tubes.

People buy mountain bikes and some of them think they are entitled to go anywhere, to ride anything and to not care about it.

Just because you don’t like mountain biking any more or actually ride mountain bikes – don’t let that feed your prejudices crikey. 😉

Is it only mountain bikers that drop litter and erode paths then?

Just because you don’t like mountain biking any more or actually ride mountain bikes – don’t let that feed your prejudices crikey.

Wrong on both counts, but use it as a way of ignoring what I’m saying anyway… 🙄

No, of course mountain bikers aren’t the only ones who drop litter or erode paths. They are the people riding bikes in the areas I’m talking about though.

crikey – Member
There’s more to the Peak than Bleaklow and Kinder…

I got interviewed by Granada TV quite a number of years ago when mountain bikers were causing concern in the Peak and from where we were filmed I pointed out that there were legal, sustainable, excellent tracks and trails on every hill we could see to ride without ever needing to go into sensitive places.

Now I walk in the same places and see the tyre tracks through the edges of the peat, see the skid marks down the steep grassy areas, see the litter, see the inner tubes.

People buy mountain bikes and some of them think they are entitled to go anywhere, to ride anything and to not care about it.

ooooooohhhhhh pissssssssssssssssss offffffffffffff 😆

anybodys entitled to go anywhere! millions of walkers over the years have made it what it is today not a sudden influx of mtb’ers

i love the fact a dog has more rights to be there a man on a bicycle trying to keep fit! 🙂

Now I walk in the same places and see the tyre tracks through the edges of the peat, see the skid marks down the steep grassy areas, see the litter, see the inner tubes.

I hadn’t realised it was that bad – where are you talking about?

I’m off out for a walk, I’ll see if I can get some photos but the cloud is a bit low. I’m not going to say where, I’d rather not advertise it…

As a suggestion to the southern shandy-drinking mincers who don’t like the Peak, but find themselves mysteriously drawn north – if you stay on the M6 a little bit longer, then turn left, instead of right, you’ll find yourself in Cheshire. Which will be much more agreeable to your delicate sensibilities. Hey – why not go the whole hog and bring the road bike? 😉

Hmm, as an ex- motorbike trail rider, I have seen what eejits on over powerful race bikes can do to trails. Of course the same doesn’t apply to MTBs, the power is down to the rider, but I worry about a time when Peak Park etc. try to limit MTB use because of some of the issues people have mentioned.
I was up over Lockerbrook on Sunday and couldn’t believe how many MTBs were out which is good for the sport but might get the NIMBYs all in a lather. We do need to keep an eye on our rights.

Never properly ridden in the peaks (wharncliffe is as close as I’ve got in that direction on a bike) but it doesn’t really seem like my kinda riding. From all the pictures etc I’ve seen it looks pretty boring and techy whereas I prefer fast twisty and jumpy. Guess I need to give it a go but straight line rocky descents sounds boring as hell and not worth all the climbing it looks like you have to do.

If you don’t like the Peaks don’t ride or moan about it?

With your thinking. You could also argue that alot of the gnarly lakes descents are fairly ‘straight’?

Who cares? I’m sure where you ride its infinitely better. Everywhere has its positives. Its riding.

The Surrey Hills- you could probably happily ride it all day long, all year long on a hardtail yet I’ve lost count of the amount of gnarly full sussers round there. Surely not all of them are landing ragged gnarly massive jumps?

Wharncliffe etc are great if you live next to it. I wouldn’t drive to it. Same as Clayton Vale/Philips Park. Lee Quarry is okish and Rivi is a XC ride over moors. Calderdale is great but some will moan about it.

Those that moan about an area tend to be abit angry with themselves. Maybe need a girlfriend/have sex. You know.

Are you cruising?

Tom – it is boring as hell, you’re best just driving by.

If you want your riding a bit easier and tech-free can I suggest Sherwood Pines is relatively close. There’s even a blue route.

I’ve just moved back to South West Sheffield and only had time for a couple of standard Houndskirk / Blacka area rides but loving it so far.

Tonight’s plan is to head out and find some of the cheeky woodland trails ahwiles et al talk of.

FOG – Member
…I worry about a time when Peak Park etc. try to limit MTB use because of some of the issues people have mentioned.

this happened years ago.

I was up over Lockerbrook on Sunday and couldn’t believe how many MTBs were out which is good for the sport but might get the NIMBYs all in a lather. We do need to keep an eye on our rights.

surprisingly, things are looking to slowly improve for mountainbike access…

little acorns and all that

If you want your riding a bit easier and tech-free can I suggest Sherwood Pines is relatively close. There’s even a blue route.

This sort of riding is also boring. Give me a decent bike park style descent with some proper (not Llandegla) sized jumps, step up/down, big berms and I’m happy 🙂 Or just a set of decent dirt jumps.

Saying this I’m still gonna go up to the Peaks at some time to hopefully be proven wrong. I’m sure there must be good routes somewhere, if the smug riders are at all willing to share their “better” routes.

This has gotta be a troll thread, shirley.

Somebody says they’ve travelled to the Peak to ride, did a few miles of bridleway mile-munching stuff and say it’s a bit rocky 😆

The irony of that basic Hope triple 8 is that it goes tantalisingly close to a lot of decent stuff but then suddenly gets itself all politically correct wrt redsocks and avoids the best descents 😆

Speaking as a southerner, there’s nothing in the peaks either up or down that’s particularly difficult to ride. Straight lining little rocks on a long straight descent really isn’t as hard as you all seem to think it is.

P****n C****h anyone? A classic case of “Straight lining little rocks on a long straight descent” if ever there was one 😈

P****n C****h anyone? A classic case of “Straight lining little rocks on a long straight descent” if ever there was one

I was up there the other day – littered with broken riders and bits of snapped off bike. Typical of the sense of entitlement common among modern mountain bikers, think they have the right to leave broken bits of themselves all over etc 🙂

Back in the day I did an in-depth piece about mountain biking in the Peak with Blue Peter and pointed out all the nice roads where people could ride bikes safely instead of on the nasty, boring rocky stuff etc… 😉

Or just a set of decent dirt jumps.

But thats a totally different style of riding!

Clayton Vale here isn’t very long but has some nice berms. I can happily spend 40min-1hour there and feel ‘satisfied’.

@tom there’s a hell of a lot of jump spots around the peaks mate, which are very easy to throw into the middle of rides. I imagine most are kept quiet because I’ve spent almost all my spare time digging them!

I love the place personally

[/url] Untitled by Jeevester, on Flickr[/img]

that looks dull.

crap image link 🙁
http://monkeyspoon.com/Pictures/SitePics/08’02’09%20RushupEdge+Hayfield+JacobsLadder%20Gav%205224.JPG

that looks dull.

agree. Is that cutgate? TBH (risks flaming) I’ve never really been a fan of it. 90% of it is meh.

I must admit that when I first moved up from London to the Peaks I was desolate. Spent the first few years riding double-track in Wales and double-track, straight descents in the Peaks with a dry stone wall on one side of you and a bunch of sheep staring at you on the other.

Felt depressed. The Peaks has a good mix though and you can get up there and witness some beautiful things

Both pics taken with the same crap phone by me:

Im a southern bmxer who cut his mtb teeth in the peak district, living in sheffield.

I now live in surrey. There was lots of scare mongering that id need to sell my full sus and get a rigid 29er. If anything, the reverse is true. Im riding harder, steeper terrain that involves a far bigger range of skills far more readily than i ever did living in sheffield and knowing a good chunk of cheeky stuff.

Much prefer hardtail in peak district, makes the climbs less effort and the descents less of a waste of the imbing

[video]http://vimeo.com/36664122[/video]
[video]http://vimeo.com/45688262[/video]
yep it’s all crap

Somebody had better tell Steve Peat and Chris Akrigg that they’ve been doing it all wrong

http://www.vimeo.com/45688262
yep it’s all crap

…and thats one of the reasons that that cheeky is getting badly eroded and **** quicker. It used to be dusty and tight/quite thin single track- its now wider and wider and eroded more..

People shouldn’t ride it in the wet.

This thread is funny. The OP expresses his opinion of one days riding in a new area.
Followed by four pages of locals getting all upset because one individual did’nt have the ride of his life on that route.

This thread is funny. The OP expresses his opinion of one days riding in a new area.
Followed by four pages of locals getting all upset because one individual did’nt have the ride of his life on that route.

Its what makes northerners excellent warriors in war. 8)

…and thats one of the reasons that that cheeky is getting badly eroded and **** quicker. It used to be dusty and tight/quite thin single track- its now wider and wider and eroded more..

People shouldn’t ride it in the wet.
Cheers Hora, it was mostly frozen then. I’ll let the uber local know he was in the wrong suggesting the route 😉
If you waited till the Peak was dry you’d never ride!!

People shouldn’t ride it in the wet.

Cobblers! Just cos your too much of a mincing, closet-Southern shandy to ride in the rain? You won’t dissolve, you know? You massive gayer! 😀

TBH its the OP’s fault for expressing an opinion that is so clearly wrong…

Cheers

Danny B

And then willy waving about how much more awesome it / they are. Or getting grumpy because someone has ridden it sub-optimal conditions, which from my experience of living in Sheffield is about 362 days of the year 😉

I personally really enjoy riding in the Peaks but can see why some might not enjoy it. Different folks and different strokes etc.

Twang thats the start of potato alley. A bridleway 😉

Its not just around Ladybower, lots to enjoy around Bakewell and loads in-between. If you know where to look, and how to link the good trails its some of the best riding in the UK,

Best the rest keep away and leave it to the regulars that appreciate what the peaks really does have to offer

But what would I know after riding there for 10 years

You lot are too easy to troll, and that looks fun antares 🙂

All rocky straight lines in peaks – http://www.flickr.com/photos/91477487@N06/9099502029/