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We’ve got a family do in Darley Dale in April, and my teenage son is keen to cycle part of the way (we live in Cumbria). Plan to get a train to Picadilly or airport with bikes then ride, but unsure best route (road or gravel, not MTB). Peak main roads seem permanently busy/unpleasant, using Monsal trail would seem sensible for part of it, but how to link from start and at the end? Any recommendations? Thanks!
You can get all the way out to Hayfield on canal towpaths (from town) and then the Sett Valley Trail.
From New Mills / Hayfield is difficult to describe, there are lots of options (some quite hilly!) over towards Miller's Dale where you can pick up Monsal Trail. Get off at Hassop, cut through Chatsworth House estate and you're pretty much there.
Find someway to get to Buxton then pick up High Peak Trail near Pomeroy - this then takes you all the way to High Peak Junction on the Cromford Canal. Short ride along canal into Cromford. Then a bit of road into Matlock (get some fish and chips in Matlock Bath!) - at side of bridge in centre of Matlock there is a cycle track that takes you all the way to Darley Dale.
Not familiar with trails between Buxton and Manchester, but Sustrans is showing some routes...
Find someway to get to Buxton
Direct services from Piccadilly twice an hour to Buxton. It does cut out the sometimes highly variable riding out of Manchester but then you end up in Buxton and the safe cycling links out of the town are near nonexistent.
Better getting off at Dove Holes and getting straight into the quieter lanes
The last bit is easy, Monsal trail from Buxton (yes there is some 50mph road), all the way to the end, past Bakewell drop down onto Coombs Road (gravel ish), drop down to The Peacock in Rowsley (caution, steep) then there is the traffic free trail from the old station car park that takes you right down the valley to Darley Dale and Matlock.
±!!The last bit is easy, Monsal trail from Buxton (yes there is some 50mph road), all the way to the end, past Bakewell drop down onto Coombs Road (gravel ish), drop down to The Peacock in Rowsley (caution, steep) then there is the traffic free trail from the old station car park that takes you right down the valley to Darley Dale and Matlock.
past Bakewell drop down onto Coombs Road (gravel ish), drop down to The Peacock in Rowsley
The bit from Coombs Road to the top of the descent into Rowsley is currently shut due to resurfacing - not sure when it re-opens. You can drop down the farm track about half a mile before Rowsley, but it's quite rough - you'll get down on a gravel bike, but it'll be a bit chattery
Link works fine- what a great site! I hadn't seen that before, seems a good planner.
I hadn't seen that before, seems a good planner.
Hmm, that route out of Manchester and especially between Marple and New Mills isn't great. Hague Bar Road is worse (and a lot hillier!) than just sticking on the Peak Forest Canal the whole way. The towpath all the way from Romiley through Marple and on to New Mills is fine.
The easiest route from a navigational point of view is to get on the Ashton Canal at Piccadilly, follow it to Ashton Canal Basin (east) then turn right and follow that the whole way to New Mills and onwards towards Buxworth.
Thanks a lot crazy-legs, that’s exactly the sort of useful local info the map doesn’t tell you. Ease of navigation would be a priority, along with avoiding heavy traffic, so your canal route looks ideal.
Hmm, that route out of Manchester and especially between Marple and New Mills isn't great.
Actually I agree, that was just the default offered up by cycle.travel I do ride quite a bit around Marple and along the canals.
I've modified the route in this link to show the way I would go around there. As you say, mostly sticking to the canals to Whaley Bridge. Beyond there perhaps others more knowledgable would comment but I would certainly aim to jump on the Monsal Trail at Miller's Dale. Crazy-legs suggested heading from New Mills to Hayfield along the Sett Valley trail and in that case it's possible to pick up the Pennine Bridleway from there to Miller's Dale. That stretch is quite lumpy though.
Crazy-legs suggested heading from New Mills to Hayfield along the Sett Valley trail and in that case it's possible to pick up the Pennine Bridleway from there to Miller's Dale.
It was more of an "option" than a suggestion. I actually prefer the route that you've put in the revised link - carry on the canal from New Mills to Buxworth, bit of back road, over to Dove Holes and then over the moor and drop down to Miller's Dale.
There's a couple of steep bits on it (up and down!) but they're pretty quiet roads and it's a fairly direct route.
A note to the OP if you're riding the canal towpath from Manchester - you will need a decent front light! There are a couple of long unlit tunnels, one at Woodley in particular. Also the Monsal Trail tunnels, although lit, are considerably easier to ride with a bit of extra light, both for seeing and so walkers etc can spot you coming.
If you get a train to Manchester airport, there is a great cycleway following the A555, then possibly get onto the canal at High Lane to meet the Peak Forest canal into New Mills, then follow Crazy Legs or others directions. N.B there is a slight horrible bit of the A6 to ride from the end of the A555 to High lane (we usually ride on the pavement).
it's possible to pick up the Pennine Bridleway from there to Miller's Dale. That stretch is quite lumpy though
It's actually the Roych, or at least the first bit is, so full-on mountain biking, which is fine, but worth knowing in advance. You can dodge round it easily enough albeit with some road climbs - eg: via the Wash up to Sparrowpit, then down Perrydale, which is lovely, to Peak Forest, across onto the Stich then either down to Wormhill and the Monsal Trail on the road, pretty quiet ones, or pick up the Pennine Bridleway instead, less rocky round there.
If I were in Hayfield, I'd probably head up the Highgate Road climb, all the way up to Peep o'Day, cross the main road and drop down Maynestone road into Chinley then as above via The Wash back road, there are two, the lefthand option is less relentlessly steep. You can link all this stuff with minimal main road use, but admittedly it's slightly nadgery.
I'm not sure that helps much, mostly it just underlines that there are multiple options and there are hills you can't really avoid 🙂
I know the Manchester to Marple bit pretty well, the canal tow paths are nice and dry (for the moment) and you can't beat them for ease of navigation, i'd jus take it all the way to Buxworth if i were you https://cycle.travel/map/journey/716162