HOPE, PEAK DISTRICT
DISTANCE 36.8KM (22.9 MILES), CLIMBING 1,400M (4,593FT) TIME 3HRS 30MINS TO 5HRS 30MINS
THE ROUTE: A typical tough, rocky route using some classic Dark Peak tracks for a rough, but never too remote, ride, with bail-out options if required and some great refreshments along the way
START: Hope car park (postcode S33 6RS, grid ref SK 171/835)
1 Head right out of the car park and right on Pindale Road. Cross a bridge and keep right. On a steep climb when the road turns right, continue ahead on a rough track past some houses for a long rocky ascent.
2 Bear right at the top to a road and go left, then quickly bear right on a stony track parallel to the road. Climb, then head right to a track crossing with gates and turn right on the Limestone Way. Take the grassy then very technical rocky track down to Castleton. Turn left on the tarmac, keep left at the island in the road and then take a right (Castle Street) past two pubs to a T-junction.
3 Go left and continue ahead, leaving Castleton. Keep ahead/right at the road fork, on a dead-end lane, uphill, and continue straight on as the official road ends. This track gets steeper and bears left, through a gate (there are big hidden drop-offs here!). At the top, join the tarmac to a T-junction and turn right, then take the first road.
4 As you start to descend, turn right off the road and immediately fork left, downhill. Pass through some gates until a gated area, and keep ahead/right, climbing to Hollins Cross. Go left at the top, back downhill, past Backtor Farm. Keep left to a road and go right on this.
After 1.3km, turn left on an easy-to-miss bridleway into a tunnel of trees, uphill. Drop and cross a stream, then climb steeply to a track crossing and turn left.
5 Proceed on this undulating track (which becomes a long rocky descent) then go right on the tarmac. Cross the A57, climbing past Rowlee Farm. Climb to the top and keep ahead, past Lockerbrook Farm. Pass through a gate, go up a rocky track, then keep ahead on a long rocky downhill. Head through another gate, then right on the quiet road and follow it past Fairholmes Visitor Centre.
6 After 1.3km, turn right after the car park, by a cattle grid, for a steep climb. Go right at the top, along the field edge. Head through a gate to a junction and turn left, through another gate, down to Hagg Farm. Continue down and over the road, cross the water and bear left.
7 Climb to a sharp right bend. Go left here, through a gate, downhill, then right on a bridleway. Ascend to the top and turn left. Follow this undulating, rutted track, which becomes a rocky downhill. The route heads onto tarmac after a gate. Follow this, around a sharp right turn by a farm, and go left on the road at the bottom. Keep ahead, back to Hope, and go right to the car park.
THE LOCATION The Dark Peak (aka High Peak) has steep, rocky terrain with lots of technical riding and amazing scenery, but can be tough going.
GETTING THERE Hope is on the A6187, just south of Ladybower Reservoir, which is on the A57. The car park is in the centre, so it gets busy. There’s a railway station in Hope.
FACILITIES There are toilets in the car park. Hope and Castleton have accommodation and camping. There are cafes on the route, including the Café Adventure, Courtyard Café and Grasshopper in Hope, and more in Castleton. The Fairholmes Visitor Centre cafe is basic, but makes for a welcome stop. The 18 Bikes bike shop in Hope is opposite the car park.
MAPS & BOOKS Ordnance Survey Landranger 110: Sheffield & Huddersfield. Peak District Mountain Biking: Dark Peak Trails by Jon Barton (Vertebrate Publishing). For the latest trail info, see @KoftheP on Twitter.