Peak District 200k - 2024
The adventure holiday for 2024 waited until October due to a busy summer with our wedding and the olympics. Both Jordan and I had limited annual leave, and therefore we decided on a long weekend bike-packing in the Peak District.
As is customary, minimal planning was done. We booked an airbnb for Friday evening in Darley Dale and downloaded the Peaks 200k GPX from bikepacking.com.
Day 1 - Darley Dale to Castleton
We awoke well-fueled and well-rested, having enjoyed a steak pie in the local pub the evening before. We could hear the rain pattering on the roof of the airbnb and so we decided upon a leisurely start to avoid the worst of it. To joint the official route we rode along the road to Bakewell and we were pleased to see the first climb (of many!) continued up smooth tarmac. On the descent we hit our first section of off-road and got a feel for the kind of terrain we’d spend many hours riding over. Medium sized rocks, puddles, and mud.
We soon realised the route was design for those glutton for punishment. Each descent quickly rolled into the next ascent, with very little smooth flat riding in between.
Much of day 1 was spent traversing the ‘Edges’ that the peak district is well known for including Curbar, Millstone, and Stanage edge. The weather was lovely - dry, cool and mostly sunny. At lunch we descended into Hathersage and enjoyed a pork bap with chips, then quickly regained all the altitude we had lost.
The route looped out of Hathersage to the Redmires reservoir where we had great views over Sheffield. From here it worked around to the edge above Ladybower reservoir and then descended steeply to the banks of the reservoir. The miles along the shore of Ladybower were lovely smooth off-road.
We were taken by surprise at the lack of refueling spots en-route, and as we ascended to Hope cross we decided it would be wise to divert to Hope to collect supplies. In Hope, with the sun beginning to go down, we made a plan for the evening. This was to continue in the light around the inner loop, aiming to make it to Bradwell just as it got dark. Here we would stop at a pub for dinner, before heading to Castleton YHA to camp for the night.
The first part went well, and although the light faded just before the descent to Bradwell this meant we were treated to the most spectacular moon-rise.
In Bradwell the wheels began to fall off when neither pub would serve us food, and by Castleton it had fully fallen apart because the YHA must see ID to allow visitors to stay. Luckily we found Castleton camping both cheaper and more welcoming.
We rode for nearly 8hrs, including 2hrs in the dark, covering around 100km.
Day 2 - Castleton to Chinley Head
The forecast on Sunday was atrocious. Storm Ashley was bringing heavy rain and high winds. The first drops of rain fell as we were packing the tent away at 8am, though overall the morning was not as damp as feared.
From Castleton we went up to Mam Tor and down the ridge dropping into Edale. We returned to Hope Cross, having been there about 15hrs earlier, and then around to another limb of the Ladybower reservoir system. At this point, just as the weather reached its worst, we entered the most remote part of the trip which involved heading over the moorland to Upper Midhope. The ascent was hike-a-bike, and the descent was technical so slow going. It was a relieving moment when we joined the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) to head westbound to Glossop.
Though smooth riding, we were battling a stiff headwind along the TPT. This became dramatically easier once on the downhill section heading past another set of reservoirs.
In Hadfield (nr Glossop) we set our target for the day as the campsite at Chinley head and we initially made good progress. It was only at the final hill from Birch Vale over to Chinley that our progress stalled. The climb was steep and muddy and we were tired. There were several false summits but fortunately we managed to reach the top before nightfall and the descent to the road was quick in the fading daylight. To go to the campsite we needed to descend away from the route into Chinley. Whilst this meant the following morning would start with a steep climb, it meant we could enjoy a shower and an evening in the local curry house.
Approx 7hrs for 85km.
Day 3 - Chinley Head to Darley Dale
From the campsite we needed to head back up to the Pennine way bridleway. This was a steep climb which started on a small road and became a muddy bridleway. Once on the bridleway our navigation was simple, we followed the Pennine way to the Monsal trail. This was nice but quite muddy. Geologically the riding on day 1 had been more interesting and smoother riding (though more sandy meaning worse for the drivetrain). The final 10km to Bakewell was along the Monsal trail. Smooth and slightly downhill we made light work of this section.
We found an off-road route from Bakewell back to Darley Dale that was pleasant and better than rejoining the road.
Overall the route was an excellent mixture of technical mountain biking and challening terrain sprinkled with sections of easier progress. Undertaken in summertime it would be doable in 2 days, especially if you decided to stay in accommodation and therefore avoid the need for camping equipment. If this were the case then starting in Bakewell a good end-point for day 1 would be Edale.
