White Peak Loop

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As it’s fathers day today, Joe got to choose the itinerary, and it was a run-out with the bikes. A route recommended by our neighbours would pick up the White Peak Loop trail – it is an ambition in these parts to join the main off-road cycle trails into a single loop, connecting seamlessly the towns of Cromford, Matlock, Bakewell, Buxton and Ashbourne. Once complete this will be an amazing place for off-road cycling.

Our neighbour had already made a witty comment about how steep this track is (for our hybrid bikes) as it heads upwards from beside the Parks Inn car park at Harpur Hill. He wasn’t wrong and our bikes struggled to gain traction up the steep hill – wrong kind of bike, tyres and electric motor spring to mind. Clearly his mountain bike didn’t have a street legal motor on it, judging by the size of the rear wheel hub!

Anyhow, we made it to the top of the peak where we would join very quiet country lanes. Perfect for cycling but the one thing about this part of the Peak District is that the terrain is very rugged and mountainous in sharp contrast to the the usual area we stay – Carsington Water.

View down from the White Peak loop
Almost at the top of the White Peak loop

Our return would encompass a stop at the Parks Inn for a couple of pints of draft Bass. Not a common ale these days but was always one of my favourites.

An apt Fathers Day card from my daughter Sue.

Fathers Day 2021 – The White Peak loop

Before any wise cracks that we could have walked the route quicker, I hadn’t turned the tracking off for our picnic nor the ale stop!

White Peak loop, 2021