Looking for some route advice in the Peaks. There are 4 bridelways from Hollins Cross, is there an obvious answer to which ones are better ridden up or down?
Down to Backtor Bridge for definite. Up from Greenlands. Down to Castleton (roughly south east). And across/up (then down) from Mam Nick…
Ps. Can also go down from Mam Nick to Greenlands and then back up. Generally I tend to ride up the broken road on Mam Tor, short road section to Mam Nick and then round to Hollins Cross from there. And then either left or right depending on length of ride I’m doing. If down to Backtor Bridge I’ll combine it with Jaggers Clough, Hope Cross back to Hope.
Whatever you do don’t be tempted to ride up the one that comes straight from castleton!
It’s really not pleasant!
These days I always go from Mam Nick down toboggan run, then up diagonally from greenlands to Hollins, then down Backtor.
It's unquestionably the best way to do it as it's all rideable and you miss at least one annoying section of tarmac descent into Edale.
Extra kudos if you clean Greenlands to Hollins.
Slight hijack of sorts. Once you are up on Hope Cross, whats the best way back to Hope? Is it the Roman Road back to Fulwood Stile Farm or across to Hope Brink and down to Edge Farm?
Cheers
Depends on ground conditions. Roman Road should be fun whatever, Hope Brink less so in the wet.
There is a third cheeky option between those 2 which is fun and doesn’t usually have walkers coming up. Stickman on that darned strava. Pretty obvious when you’re up there.
I've been up around that area quite a bit, where the heck is Hollins Cross? I really do need to learn the names of these places and trails....
I’ve been up around that area quite a bit, where the heck is Hollins Cross? I really do need to learn the names of these places and trails
at the end of the flagged part of the great ridge on mam tor, where the trig point is and the cross roads of 4 or 5 paths
Ahhh okay. I know where that is now. I've always avoided that area really, too many walkers. I did do a nice decent from that point a couple of years back, don't know which one on the list above it was.
just to throw an alternative opinion out there, i have often used the castleton BW to winch up after parking in / getting the train to hope. I think it lets you add a nice little extension if you finish your ride with some legs left, by going from hollins to back tor and then up jaggers and your choice down from hope brink. I would never ride from hollins to castleton, it's a huge waste of altitude just to ride down a grassy hill (the footpath looks fun though). Also I agree the greenlands to hollins BW is the best climb of the lot.
