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Wow what a day. After two abortive attempts on Cut Gate from the south I was beginning to think that perhaps my enthusiasm from my previous trip was misplaced.....
In order to miss the shitty bit north from the tip of Ladybower, I did the logical thing and went round via Doctor's Gate and the looooongenden trail.
Took my road bike for the section from Ladybower to the top of Snake Pass, which made it slightly less unpleasant.
Doctor's Gate was great but proper hard in places. I think I'm getting well soft in my old age... the last time I rode it was with the missus when she was pregnant 😍
Anyway longenden and Woodhead sucked but Cut Gate from the north is just sublime. Absolutely amazing
Its all rideable (with a few attempts) all the way to Ladybower. Everything. It's so dry. Just brilliant.
DO IT. TOMORROW.
GPX
Nice mate, take any pics??
Deeply sorry Conti, I'm a bit of a luddite, don't have a GPS. I've just plotted it on bikehike to check the distance but no idea how to save it on the site...
I could download it to my PC, but that won't help you.
Gosh this is embarassing.
Perhaps you could help me out by telling me what GPS to get. 🙂
I've downloaded a tcx from bikehike, whatever the heck one of them is.
If you've got a map handy,it's pretty simple...
Park somewhere at Ladybower (I parked right at the bottom of Hagg Farm (which I think is opposite the Beast)
Ride all the way west up Snake Pass to the layby on the right about 500 yards before the summit.
Take the signposted bridleway out of the layby in a North Westerly direction.
Cycle down Cut Gate (with a few portages unless you're God)
You end up in the back end of Glossop. Find a way up to the Longendale Trail (ie head north), which I think starts at Ha..........
Oh jesus wept. What the **** am I talking about. Read the excellent description on this website...
http://www.mountainbikerides.co.uk/routes/128-the-peak-district/18-doctors-gate-a-cut-gate-path.html
I'm such a moron.
Anyway. Doing Cut Gate from the North is just basically better. The uphill is all rideable, albeit in bits. And the downhill is also all rideable.
From the south there's loads of pushing up and the downhill is not as interesting.
anyway, I'm waffling. Give it a go.
PS, what GPS do I need.
Sorry PoopScoop. No pics, was on my tod.
Sorry, brain's fried after 63km on a 15kg bike.
No worries about the pics, sounds like a great ride for sure!👍
Cheers generalist -I'll try and plot it out on ridewithgps.
Just looking for the best cut gate route to enjoy the best of it and not miss anything out. Gonna raid it one of the upcoming weekends with a friend.
On this - what do cut gate lovers think of out and back vs a loop going only one direction?
Well I’ve only ever Cutgate as an out and bag and I love it both ways. Totally different experience but both good.
I always start it from Langsett as it’s easier to reach from the M1. If I want a shortish day I turn round at Slippery Stones, which makes it about 25km and for a full day I head off to Ladybower and add a loop there, either WLT or Gores Farm.
North to South you’ve got a climb that’s almost all rideable then a fast steep descent. Other way the climb is a push for me but then an amazing long singletrack down that goes on for ages. Never feels like I’m repeating myself. And I love the top bit that’s neither up nor down but not flat!!
Personally I’d rather do an out and back loop on Cutgate than miles of road riding and a descent down Doctor’s Gate that’s too hard for me.
Took my road bike for the section from Ladybower to the top of Snake Pass, which made it slightly less unpleasant.
Did you carry the other bike over you shoulder?
Always out and back from Langsett for us.
Yeah please answer slowoldman's question!
Always done it out and back with a loop of some classic ladybower trails in between.
Personally I’d rather do an out and back loop on Cutgate than miles of road riding and a descent down Doctor’s Gate that’s too hard for me.
What Tom says. /\
We did the Glossop Ring (which sounds like what the op did) once. Wouldn't bpther again.
Out and back with a loop of WLT is much more enjoyable.
Loop it via Dukes Rd and Derwent Edge - best ride in the Dark Peak.
Did you carry the other bike over you shoulder?
Nope it was all very civilised. Drove east from Manchester to the top of Snake Pass and used 4metres of finest Pragmasis to chain my mtb to a road sign. Continued driving east past Snake Pass Inn to the the lay by at the bottom of The Beast. Took my road bike out of the van and headed back west up the Snake Pass. Unlocked my pride and joy mtb from the signpost and replaced it with my road bike. Headed down Doctors Gate, longendale, cut gate then one last up and over to descend the Hagg farm track to arrive right next to the van. Bike in the back, drive back up Snake Pass. Unlock road bike from street sign and chuck it in the van too. Continue west down Snake Pass to Glossop and thence home.
Strangely enough it didn't require any more driving than the single bike option would have.
Ca you tell I'm a project manager.. 😁
Can anybody actually clean doctors gate? I’ve never even come close.. devils own route that one!
Doctor's Gate is a nice run.
North to South you’ve got a climb that’s all rideable then a fast steep descent.
FTFY.
Personally I’d rather do an out and back loop on Cutgate than miles of road riding and a descent down Doctor’s Gate that’s too hard for me.
Yup.got to agree with you generally I just wanted a proper long ride and had hated Cut the last two times I did it from the south so thought I'd try something new. Also needed to get some proper day rides for my logbook and practise navigation, so wanted something slightly new. . From the north Cut is simply unbelievably good. If you're a good descender then it's probably not so well balanced, but for me as a shit downhiller and keen uphiller I think it's amazing. It must be at least 10km from north America to Ladybower and every single bit of it is rideable ( though definitely not in a oner). Can you think of any other 10km sections in the UK like that?
That would be an awesome goal though. Cut Gate clean......
BWD
Doctor’s Gate is a nice run.
Does it all go, even the zigzags?
Does it all go, even the zigzags?
If you're brave enough. The worst of it is that you'll almost certainly get wet feet through one of the numerous boggy sections lower down.
A better alternative is to man up and ride a loop via the Roych or Jacobs and Cut Gate instead. Top marks for your road bike lunacy though. I once rode over from Glossop to Ladybower on a mountain bike to the start of a Peak Pootle. I have no idea what I was thinking, the Snake Path is a more entertaining option, but nadgery.
I think he's being literal. As in the stop start mire by the river half way down that is bobbins on a bike might be good fun for a trail runner.
You could clean CutGate I reckon thegeneralist - very tough but wouldn't need heroic fitness. More concentration and knowing the trail - there's a tricky step up IIRC on the way up from Langsett that's always caught me out.
Loop it via Dukes Rd and Derwent Edge – best ride in the Dark Peak.
Fires up Google...
To avoid lots of disappointed people flaming me, I think I should temper my enthusiasm from yesterday... Had a great day, and it served its purpose as an epic ride to get the miles in. However, by far the best part of the ride was Cut Gate. As more or less everyone has said, doing Cut Gate there and back (twice if you wished) would get you far more technically interesting riding than the full loop would.
Garry Lager, any chance of a few more details? Found a few things on the OS map, but can't be sure I'm linking them together in the best way. Am I right in thinking theres some FP involved?
cheers
Plenty of footpath mate. No one will mind, though, given the route's excellence.
There is some road link needed, with a medicinal climb out of Ewden beck, so it's not perfect. But overall it's a really good ride if the weather is there - one for summer.
Plenty of footpath mate. No one will mind, though
Agreed. That's why they resurfaced Rushup, to encourage us to try out other venues 🙂
Anyway, this route, I'm assuming you do Cut Gate North to South then East side of Ladybower..
Do you go up that stunning sandstone flags ascent just near Ashes Farm, then up to WheelStones?
North along Derwent Edge to Back Tor?
Then NNE on the FP to Round Hill?
Then Bridleway just north of Hobson Moss Dyke?
Down to Smallfield, then back along the road via the aforementioned Ewden.
was any of that right? C'mon, tell us where the route goes 🙂
I was quite serious about Doctor's Gate being a nice run, mix it up with any number of loops over Blealow or head right over to the Kinder side along the Pennine Way flags.
Was also serious about Cut Gate as part of an extended loop via Cut Gate and/or Jacob's Ladder and Ladybower - very similar to the Peak Horsepower loop - you can minimise your exposure to road riding by cutting across to the disused railway over to Dunford Bridge from near the Flouch and from Glossop over to Hayfield, by cutting up from Charlesworth via the odd dubious track and then onto the Pennine Bridleway - or Middle Moor in reverse.
It's quite a long day but a very good one with dry trails anyway. Out and back from Langsett is good for Cut Gate too. Do the North America section either up or down for variety.
Is there a path north out of Slippery stones? that follows the river derwent. Long black dashes and dots on the OS, what does that represent? There also appears to be a fp that follows the river on the right hand bank which gives way again to the long black dashes and dots labelled 'far small clough' down to the A628. Anyone know if is traversable from the top of slippery stones to the A628? if it follows the river then likely flat? and an easier riding...You could park at Fairholmes then...
If you keep heading North out of slippery stones, you will very soon hit boggy wilderness. Great with a pair of walking boots on, not so great on a bike.
A good challenge is the 3 gates ride. Linking Chapel Gate, Doctors Gate and Cut Gate. Done clockwise.
A bit of cheeky over Mill Hill to link Chapel Gate and Doctors.
Thanks Ben. The dashes and dots are the county border, presumbly twixt Derbyshire and Yorkshire in this case..... not really suitable for bikes then! haha.
Long black dashes and dots on the OS, what does that represent?
Depends which one you mean, the one running through the middle of the reservoir/river is the county boundary, the one that looks like a bridleway/footpath is a "path" in the same way they're shown on Scottish maps, i.e. there is a path on the ground but it's not a right of way, although in scotland you could presume it is. Judging by the topography and it being marked by stakes it'll be a bog!