STW Peaks pootlers – 23rd jan peaks loop?

Been following the thread and will try and make it as well, pending managment approval.

I'm a dark peak regular so appreciate all the variations being suggested, but I intend to follow Pook, after all it's his pootle we're on.

I'll consider it a magical mystery tour with potentially good company (never having met anyone 😀 )

Original Cavedale ride with a detour down the Beast. Whats wrong with you folk? If your itching to get out go and buy a turbo-crosstrainer 😆

😆

the decent through the quarry doesn't really add anything, its ok but nowt special, could easily drop that to include the beast later on… if needed

same route as planned earlier, starting from barber booth, or have i missed something?

Its the naughty uns (like pixies) tugging at the corners of the route…stop it I say! 😆

While the cat's away eh?

Having said that, I like the jacobs loop…

The full Kinder Scout Circuit out of the V Graphics book is about 15miles and over 1000metres ascent I beleive

If you wanted to cut a little off without really loosing anything, other than a sloppy (especially so after snow melt (Assuming it melts in time)) slog of a climb, you can ditch the hollins X/mam tor bit out and just climb up the road from barber booth to mam tor. I've done this the last couple of times
As for the wet grassy/peaty 'bridleway' bit across rushop edge, you could always 'misinterpret' the not so clear footpath/bridleway sign just as you make it to the ridge and take the much better ridgeline path across rushop edge

Cavedale is far better than pindale imo, though theres one bit off the main track in pindale, a sort of steep chute than drops into the main track, after the wide open bit thats fun

I like the Kinder circuit. Its the one I always rerun as its doesnt contain mud-post Mam. The snow is the naughty bit.

So we have a change of plan it seems? I'll sort all details on friday in one definitive post. T'internet in the grand hotel on brighton has succumbed to snow by all accounts

Pook – when do you leave Brighton. Im down there on Sat.

I'd be more than happy doing the exact same route as last time. i'll still end up pushing a large chunk of whatever one we do

Nice route change 😆

Pook – I hope you at the hotel bar!

Of course I'm in the bar will, but hora, I'm heading back up north tomorrow. Got to plan this ride properly….

I love it on Kinder and not been up or down Jacob's Ladder since my first mountain bike – a Specialized Hard Rock. Big squishy saddle, rigid everything, a Biopace chainring and even a Shark Fin 😀

One thing to note though, I did try this circuit last year after snow. Climbing up Coldwell Clough was a non-starter. We got as far as the third(?) gate (after a bridleway heads left off to the reservoir) with a combination of pushing, throwing, swearing and just a touch of riding. Even when we retreated back down it was an effort – fun, but an effort. Me and my mate were fairly fit then too, but it would have taken us a long time to do the whole circuit.

Might therefore be worth a local volunteering to check conditions. I'm guessing the drifting will be pretty deep up there. Otherwise we'll be building kickers and trying out tailwhips into the drifts. Oh, hang on, that could be fun 😆

Well this weekend is the start of the thaw? someone on STW will have had a pootle up there wont they?

Most likely. Any volunteers??

"Climbing up Coldwell Clough "
I presumed/hoped we'd be going down the muddy/drainage ditched side of coldwell clough and up the tarmac/stony side (ie down Jacobs Ladder also (and rushop edge, roych clough, mount famine .. ie down the good bits, not up them (except for oaken clough)))

To me Coldwell Clough IS the tarmac/stony climb up towards Edale Cross. But a tarmac/stony climb covered in 4 foot show drifts (as it was last year) is a push. If we're pushing/carrying I'll bring my fully rigid 🙂

The initial road climb is probably better consider previous weather conditions.

I'll still be pushing up the road mind you. I didn't buy a Spesh Pitch to actually start riding it uphill, ok? 😉

i.ll be there riding on sunday. I shall report back:)

Just as a quick aside, I have been discussing how to actually get to the meeting point if the snow conditions persist. Snake pass and Holme Moss are shut at the moment so if that does not change it could be a problem. People coming from the north may be better going via Manchester or Sheffield. I have had a look on Google maps and if I go M62/M60/A6 it gets me all the way to Chapel-en-le-frith all on major roads and apparatley only takes 8 minutes longer.

If anyone has more local knowledge nearer the time then the people who are having to travel a fair way would be grateful for a road report!!

I shall be coming from Nottingham. Will be going Chesterfield way, then hathersage etc…

I'd be surprised if the snow is still caused travel issues on roads by then, however stranger thing have happened!

i live in between whaley bridge and chapel-en-le-frith, so i am fairly local, but i wont be able to get a ride in before next saturday after this weekend. i might be able to get out tomorrow or over the weekend, but im not making any promises.

robdob, through woodhead or Stockport/New Mills etc?

"But a tarmac/stony climb covered in 4 foot show drifts (as it was last year) is a push"
Sorry, I just assumed that if it was unridable, it must have been due to a very sloppy surface, completely forgetting about the possibility of a snow drift

"I'll still be pushing up the road mind you"
Tut tut
Thats a middle ring climb that one ..

Apparantely Woodhead pass had just reopened but snake pass hasn't. Checking google maps says that M62/m6/a6 route is only 8 mins longer than holmfirth/glossop etc. I think i try it anyway as I've never been that way.

Careful if you go that way- naughty Pook pointed me that way back in December and some of the climbs back up from dips were sheet ice almost the whole way 😯

it'l have all gone by the 23rd. I can guarantee it….

<scuttles of to find a 2 bar heater and massive extension lead>

Be interesting to see what it is liek up there at teh weekend, think that it will just be rain tbh 🙁

This weekend will be cold, wet and slippy. Next weekend it will be dry, sunny and rideable all the way.

(Pook, I have some blow torches that may help)

Pook, nice work already on Winnats Pass, apparately it's open now. Fast work indeed!

I'll give everyone a tip. Don't look at the satellite pictures of the Edale area on Google as it looks dry and dusty, well heavenly really. It just made me sad. :-/

it'l have all gone by the 23rd. I can guarantee it….
<scuttles of to find a 2 bar heater and massive extension lead>

What we all need is some top of the range Troutlights, I reckon they could be used in daytime to dry the trail as you ride.

It's like this…

right then chaps,

At
10am
January 23rd,

we shall meet at

Barber Booth layby, here, to get ready for about a 10.15 set off.

We will be riding the Kinder Loop, which you can find in the VGraphics book*, basically as follows…

Edale, Hollins Cross, Mam Tor, Mam Nick, Rushup Edge, Pennine Bridleway, Mount Famine, The Ashes, Oaken Clough, Jacobs Ladder, Edale.

14 miles, 2400ft of elevation. Should take about 3 hours.

Yes parts will be a bit damp/boggy, yes it may be cold, but I think we're all of the thinking that as much off road as possible is the best way to do things!

As yet, some of the roads in the area are closed, but we're not expecting much snow over the next week so I should think that Edale will be accesible from all ends of the country come the 23rd.

See you all then

Chris aka Pook

* the nice bloke who runs the route planning website is fearing legal action so has closed it down sadly.

i like that route. i had a look on tracklogs, and it looks like only 3 big climbs, which is nice 🙂

My V Graphics book says its 3100ft (946m) elevation?

ive got 839 on tacklogs.

I don't really care. It's a nice ride.