Back to: Peak to Peak Route Home
1. (0 miles) Peak Forest has only one crossroads and the ride begins on the Northward side of this. Follow tarmac road 400 yards to a small group of houses marked 'Old Dam' on the map. Turn right up here (Old Dam Lane) up tarmac climb 500 yards
then take left turn down to small farm. Before the house turn right through the iron gate. This turns immediately North and is a stony farm road. On the map this area is marked as Oxlow Dam. Follow up between trees and through two gates for a distance of three quarters of a mile. cresting the top the rutted track drops down to another iron gate which leads out on to grass.
2. (1.3 miles) Turn left here and follow the dry stone wall on your left for half a mile to another metal gate. Turn right here on to light coloured stone quarry road. Follow this road through quarry and bear left on to the Kamikaze (called Dirtlow Rake on the map, must make a note to get OS to change this!). At the end of the Kamikaze join tarmac road for a short downhill section of 200 yards then turn right on to broken tarmac road at line of trees. One hundred yards up here then turn left on to Dentists Grade
Follow down between walls, then straight down through Pindale Valley (a very old abandoned quarry) bearing left slightly on to single track sections.
From the bottom of these head straight down past house on left to join a tarmac road at the bottom of Pindale.
3. (3.8 miles) Go straight on down the road for 1 mile in to Hope village. (Turn left for Woodbine Cafe, 100 yards on right) Back out of cafe go left 100 yards and turn left opposite church. go 0.8 miles to right bend over stone bridge, then carry straight over, on to Fullwood Stile Lane. A steep climb on tarmac here, over railway bridge to a left bend at Fullwood Stile Farm.'
4. (5.9 miles) After this bend on to Brinks Road the surface degrades and heads up to an iron gate, through and follow up steep bumpy climb. Continue on along here, surface becomes sandy then there is a second climb which is very rocky (but you can make it!). At the top of here is a wooden gate. Go through up short muddy climb then through deep water sections (in winter) to another wooden gate. Go through and up a rocky climb (with footpath alternatives on left border) to another gate with a stile where two bridleways cross. Turn right on here down rutted track to another gate at the corner of a wood, through here and continue on down very rocky trail which is the top of The Beast.
5. (8.2 miles) Go through the wooden gate on this rocky track. Once through the gate mount up straight away and head straight over the boulders as shown in the picture below. The Beast zigzags down to a left bend. Bear left here and the trail goes left again to a short climb then drops down and turn right over the bridge (signposted 'To Snake Road').
Granny gear climb leads up the steep track to a wooden gate on to the A57.
Foot and Mouth diversion: Go straight across road and up tarmac. Continue on through three gates which gets you to the top of climb. Turn right up though a fourth gate and continue as from 6.
Turn left on this and ride past ruined mill on left (ignoring forestry road on right near here)
pass Bell Hag Cottage on right going downhill towards a small crossroads. Turn right up steep tarmac (marked as Rowlee Farm on National Trust sign) Go up through farm and gate on to hard surfaced switchback road climb. Carry on up here, trail climbs, dips then climbs again to meet up with another trail at it's highest point.
6. (10.7 miles) Turn right down the hill then immediately left up a short pitch and through a wooden gate. This earth and grass double track climbs slowly following the boundary of a wood to it's left. Follow to a small wooden gate at the top of the Screaming Mile.'
7. (11.2 miles) Go through and turn left (marked as Bridleway to Derwent Valley and Bridgend Car Park) then follow at high speed, through a larger gate (bear left as a gate is sometimes open, where the wrong trail goes right) and on down to the road, on the left bank of Derwent Reservoir. Turn left on this road and follow to a mini roundabout. Turn right here for snacks at the Information Centre. Back on the road climb up from the mini roundabout past the Derwent Dam which is impressive when water is flowing.
8. (13.2 miles) Keep on road after Derwent Dam. A left bend and downhill lead to a left turn on to another Bridle Road marked as Snake Road.
Straight on here brings you to the crossroads at the top of the Switchbacks. Bear slightly left to drop down to the first gate. Through the gate and you're shooting the berms.
Through the second gate leads down rocky bends, Jump on to tarmac from cobbles then straight down to main road.
9. (16 miles) Straight across road, through gate, leads back across bridge. Turn left then bear right for the big push back up The Beast. All the way up through the gate to the cross trail then turn left back down to Hope.'
10. (19.6 miles) After another visit to Woodbine Cafe go back across the crossroads (next to church) and up the steep tarmac climb then straight on to the bottom of Pindale.'
11. (20.7 miles) Straight up Pindale turning right at the top then left on to the road. Follow the road all the way to the top (avoids riding back up Kamikaze). At the top the road bends left, go right here back on to quarry road then immediate left and follow back to gate on left (keeping left). Go through gate and stay close to wall on right, track leaves wall to go left a little then right to gate. Through here then follow straight on through two gates and down to gate at end of trail. Turn left through here then right on tarmac down to T
junction at Old Dam. Left here gets you back to the start. (23 miles)