Peaks & PuddlesCycle routes and blog posts about cycling, walking and exploring High Peak.
“If the Authority is at all serious about enabling a sustainable future for itself, it needs to ensure that every car park it manages also has secure cycle parking available, in good numbers, as soon as possible.” That’s the challenge I put to the Peak District National Park, and I’m beyond chuffed that they’ve already responded.
Due to the “Extreme” red heat warning and risk of moorland fires now being at a “critical” level, the Peak District National Park has this morning suspended all public access to Access Land.
Where better to talk to Dame Sarah Storey about cycling safety on fast rural roads than Derbyshire‘s A5004 Long Hill — briefly a cycling paradise while closed to most vehicles. So it was odd that the BBC’s Countryfile failed to mention this fact while using it for background footage in a piece that has been much-criticised online.
The fifth book in the best-selling Lost Lanes series of cycling guides is set to focus on Central England – with author Jack Thurston (finally!) spotlighting some of the best Peak District cycling, amongst other routes around the Midlands.
The A5004 Long Hill between Whaley Bridge and Buxton, one of the Peak District’s most spectacular roads, is closed for up to five months for major works to fix a landslip. With concrete barriers blocking the through route for motor vehicles, could this be Derbyshire’s next unintended “Snake Pass”-style cycling event? Yes: you can absolutely bet it will be.
One of the three-stand cycle racks at Tesco’s High Peak Whaley Bridge superstore recently disappeared, replaced by a random electrical cabinet, halving the store’s already lacklustre cycle parking overnight and just a few years after it was put back to normal.
If you’d hoped to join everyone else taking a spin on the Peak District’s most epic new traffic-free greenway, it appears you’ve missed your chance. As of today, the Snake Pass has reopened to motor traffic with what Derbyshire County Council laughably calls a “safety first approach”. But has this month of tranquility proved the case for regular, or even very occasional, advertised, motor-free days on Peak District roads?
Ready for another whole year of adventures by bike in and around the western edges of the Peak District? Whether it’s Derbyshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester or all three, there are still so many cycling highlights ahead yet to be featured. But if you’re looking for fresh inspiration for your 2022 cycle heat map, let’s start here.
Over ten years on from its surfacing in asphalt (tarmac), the Peak Forest Canal towpath between New Mills and Whaley Bridge is crumbling. Now Derbyshire County Council have agreed — and are looking into a patching job.
It’s not just about shorter days and longer sleeves: the start of autumn actually heralds a brilliant time to get out on the bike. Here are six seasonal cycling delights for falling leaves and vibrant views in and around the western Peak District.
3.8 miles
34 m
