Bakewell, Peak District

Distance 11.7km (7.3 miles) Climbing 475m (1,558ft) Time 1hr to 2hrs

Route summary A classic Peaks outing, with some stiff hills and fabulous trails, and Bakewell tarts post-ride! Start/ inish Monsal Trail car park (postcode: SK17 9TE, grid ref: SK 222/690)

1

Exit the car park at the far corner by the old station building, ride to the Monsal Trail and go right (south-east), passing under a bridge. At the end of the trail, drop down to the field towards the river and follow the bridleway along the bottom of the valley to a road.

2

Bear left on the tarmac, over the tunnel entrance. Take a right soon after, through a gate into a field, on a bridleway. When you get to a good track, head right. Go ahead at the crossroads, on some dirt singletrack into the wood (it’s a hard climb). Ride to the top and bear right, uphill again but then levelling o , along some twisty singletrack, to a gate.

3

Go through the double gates. Descend to a wood and another gate. Head right, then bear left at the bridleway fork, across a field, into the wood. Keep ahead where the tracks merge, down through the park, towards a small clump of trees. Turn right just before the trees, to the road.

4

Turn left on the road. Shortly after the tarmac bears right, go left on a bridleway, back to the road. Turn left soon after (Edensor Tea Cottage). Keep ahead and climb on this road, all the way to the road at the top. Go ahead/left on this, uphill.

5

Just after the road starts to descend and before it bears right, go ahead/left on a bridleway (just after a farm track), steeply downhill through the trees. Emerge from the wood, cross the golf course, ride down to the Monsal Trail and turn right on it. Pass back under the bridge and go left to the car park to finish.

LOCATION DETAILS The Peak District is a National Park in northern England. The northern half, with its gritstone, is known as the Dark Peak and the southern half (where this ride takes place), with limestone geology, is known as the White Peak. Steep moorland and woodland trails o er a wide variety of great riding.

GETTING THERE Take the A619 over the stone bridge (River Wye). As the road bears left, go right on the B6408 (industrial estate) and park in the Monsal Trail car park on the left. There’s a railway station in nearby Matlock.

MAPS & BOOKS Ordnance Survey Landranger 119: Buxton & Matlock. White Peak Mountain Biking: The Pure Trails by Jon Barton (Vertebrate Publishing).

FACILITIES Check out www.visitderbyshire.co.uk for a few options. There’s a YHA in Bakewell (0870 042 9290) and Greenhills Holiday Park in Ashford-inthe-Water, just outside Bakewell (01629 813467). You’ll find lots of refreshments in Bakewell, plus pubs and village shops along the first half of the route, and the Edensor Tea Cottage shortly before the final climb.