Normally any self-respecting MTB’er wouldn’t go near this ride. However: -
then perhaps, just perhaps, this is the route for you!
It is an out and back trip on the Tissington Trail which has been constructed on the line of a disused railway line (God bless that Beeching chap). The surface is well drained and hard all year round. One way is slightly down hill (we’re talking railway gradients here) so you can indulge your speed craving over a 15 mile stretch, if you make the effort. The opposite direction is slightly more sedate but never the less a very respectable average speed can be returned again depending upon your commitment to that training schedule.
It doesn’t even get onto the scale in respect of technical difficulty, a fully rigid rig is more than adequate, but it’s as physically demanding as you want it to be. Basically it’s a cyclists motorway without speed cameras. Move into the outside lane and see exactly what you have got under your bonnet. But be warned it’s a well used trail so keep your head up when you’re pounding the pedals to squeeze that extra mile and hour, you don’t want to canon ball into a member of the ‘red sox’ fraternity do you!
I first rode this route as an excuse to visit a friend who had suffered bereavement, Hence I started off at Parsley Hay and rode the first half down hill to Ashbourne, talking a short excursion off the trail to Mapleton make my visit.
That was a day in January 2000 with a strong gale blowing out of the North. I completed the out section in well under the hour and recall the average speed to that point being just under 17mph. Which is frankly amazing to a 40-something born again biker!!! I had hardly had to turn the pedals at all and had not stopped once. The trip back was a nightmare, my overall average speed for the total journey falling to 10mph. I clawed my way back to Parsley Hay straight into the gale, taking over 1.5 hrs (excluding frequent prolonged rest periods) to complete the return trip. At one point a troop of ‘Territorial’s’ on a training jog were definitely catching me. So this easy training trail can have a sting in it’s tail, it’s definitely susceptible to the wind. But then aren’t we all? More recent trips have been less of a problem thankfully.
Route finding is a doddle. Anybody that gets lost here needs professional help. From the car park at Parsley Hay just follow the signs to Ashbourne. There is only one turning to make and that is signed. Less than one mile into the route the trail forks. Take the right hand track and just keep on going. Don’t stop until you come to a café and bike hire shop on your left, almost exactly 15 miles from the car park. You can refresh yourself at the café or go through the well-lit tunnel into Ashbourne itself and use one of the many available alternatives. I always patronise the bike café 2 of their excellent bacon butties make the return trip much more palatable.
Whilst the riding is totally straightforward, the scenery is the best the White Peak area has to offer. Views are generally to the West over Dove Dale and Wolfscote Dale. The railway line itself is an impressive piece of work too. Deep hard rock cuttings, followed by impressive embankments. As a Civil Engineer myself I can well imagine the hard graft that must have gone into the construction of this line and the adjacent dismantled line that now forms the Midshires Way. Today we would want plenty of horsepower in the form of man size Tonka Toys and plenty of high explosive to loosen that hard rock. No doubt it would be completed late and over budget too. When this line was constructed they used real live horses, picks and shovels! Respect.
If you prefer a circular (well triangular actually) route and don’t mind 8 or 9 miles of tarmac, then from the Ashbourne cycle café take the B5035 (the guy in the café will give you directions) and follow it through Kniveton, past Carssington Water and almost to Middleton. Just before you enter Middleton you will see signs up the hill on your left to Middleton Top Visitors Centre (café alert). Climb up to the visitor’s centre where you will be at the start of the Midshires Way, another dismantled railway line. Follow it northwards and it will spit you out at the fork in the trail mentioned above, less than a mile from the Parsley Hay car park. This bumps your trip up to about 40 miles in total.
If you fancy a bit of muddy technical stuff than you will find a disused quarry about 5 miles down the trail at GR SK159567. I have seen it being used by 4x4’s and Motocross bikes. Looks worth the short off route diversion if you’re into that sort of thing.
In addition there are various other routes that cross both the Tissington Trail and the Midshires Way. It wouldn’t take long to sort out a more radical ride using these trails as the spine.
The whole route is on OS Landranger 119 Buxton & Matlock, Bakewell and Dove Dale. But quite honestly only a dork could get things wrong after looking at the map for only a couple of minutes!
Start and Finish Parsley Hay Car Park (SK147637) Click for Link to Start Point Map
| Ride Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 13 October 2001 (and various other times previously) | ||
| Time in the saddle | 2 Hours 24 mins | ||
| Total Ride Time | 4 Hours 45 mins (including visiting friends in Mapleton) | ||
| Average Speed | 12.91 MPH | ||
| Maximum Speed | 25.3 MPH | ||
| Distance | 30.97 Miles(including my detour into Mapleton) | ||
| Off Road | 100% | ||
| Terrain | Well drained hard pack, well fast | ||
| Map | OS Landranger 119 Buxton & Matlock, Bakewell and Dove Dale | ||
This ride and article are dedicated to Andy who built a beautiful home in Mapleton but sadly died before he could enjoy living there. A true friend - remembered with a smile.
Last Updated 19-10-2001
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