View over rolling dales near Royal Cottage (Route 15)
Parking
Visitors to the UK should be aware that parking in urban areas is strictly controlled. This can include:
time-limited free parking (on-street or designated car parks)
pay-and-display machine ticketed parking (on-street or designated car parks) at rates of up to £20 a day in urban areas
complete parking restrictions denoted by yellow lines or signs only.
In all cases, the precise governing rules may be discovered only by reading obscure signs, and these rules may change in a very short distance! Failing to follow the rules can be an expensive mistake, punished by fixed fines or extortionate clamping/tow-away operators.
However, it is often possible to find free on-street parking close to many routes – just ensure that your vehicle is parked with consideration for those who live nearby (and have to put up with visitors invading their world every summer) and doesn’t block any entranceway, driveway, road etc. Remember that farmers often need spontaneous access to apparently overgrown field entrances, and that agricultural vehicles may need a wide turning circle close to and opposite gates.
Car crime, usually meaning vehicle break-ins in pursuit of valuables, can be a minor problem, best avoided by following sound advice:
avoid leaving valuables (or simple evidence of a lot of luggage) on show
car crime is generally worse closer to larger towns
isolated locations can be risky – but remember to park considerately
‘safe’ daytime locations may become much worse overnight.
View along Ladybower Reservoir from Bridge End car park (Route 1)
Accommodation
It should be noted that although accommodation is widely available throughout the Peak District, many accommodation providers assume arrival by car, which isn’t always helpful for cyclists. More remote villages may have no or just one option for accommodation, but searching a few kilometres off-route can yield some pleasant options. See Appendix C for details.
Always check that any accommodation has a secure place for your cycle(s) overnight when booking and that there is somewhere near enough to eat/drink in the evening. Pubs with rooms often provide the most convenient option for both of these (they usually have a cellar or other secure storage place for bikes).
Single-base trip to the Peak District?
Good bases of a reasonable size from which to explore the Peak District are (roughly south to north):
Ashbourne (Routes 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, TdPD)
Wirksworth or Matlock (Routes 4, 6, 8, 9, TdPD)
Hartington (Routes 8, 9, 10, 12, 15)
Chesterfield (Routes 3, 7, 10, 11)
Bakewell (Routes 10, 11, 14, 16, 17)
Hathersage (Routes 1, 11, 14, 16, 17, TdPD)
Buxton (Routes 1, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, TdPD)
Macclesfield, New Mills or Whaley Bridge (Routes 5, 11, 18, 20, TdPD)
Glossop (Routes 5, 11, 18, 19, TdPD)
Marsden, Meltham or Holmfirth (Routes 13, 19, TdPD)
Smaller villages with charm and more than one B&B or pub accommodation, plus a reasonable place to eat out in the evening (usually a pub), include: Monyash, Tideswell, Longnor, Litton, Bradwell (a quieter alternative to Castleton) and Edale.
Typical Peak District view of a small farm shed and tree in a hay meadow (Route 10)
Food and drink
As is to be expected of such a diverse region covering a number of counties, the Peak District has several distinct regional specialities, many of which are only found in certain parts of the area. Visitors to Bakewell should not miss the opportunity to make their own Bakewell Pudding at the Bakewell Pudding Shop (don’t make the mistake of calling it a Bakewell Tart – locally this is regarded as a highly inferior mass-produced product compared to the real thing).
Visitors to the west of the region may get the opportunity to sample the unique taste of Staffordshire oatcakes – particularly filled with hot melted cheese. To the north (and spreading increasingly south through the region), the Yorkshire Pudding often comes in giant form, filled with roast beef, sausages or lamb – the latter of which, one of Derbyshire’s best-known specialities, is on offer at many of the region’s pubs and restaurants. Lamb shank with rosemary washed down with a pint of real ale is a well-earned treat after a hard day’s cycling!
No food and drink section would be complete without mention of the vast array of real ales on offer in the region’s large selection of pubs and inns. As well as the region-wide offerings from the Marston’s Brewery (of which Pedigree is the most common), other regional treats include Stockport’s Robinson’s (Unicorn), mostly in the north-west of the region, and Theakston’s beers (XB, Best and Black Sheep) towards the north. More local micro- and not-so-micro-breweries such as Peak Ales (Bakewell/Chatsworth area), Thornbridge (Bakewell area) and Hartington’s Whim Brewery can also be sampled in many pubs. Even the YHA in Castleton has got in on the brewing scene with its own micro-brewery onsite!
Wine aficionados are not so well catered-for with local products, but Renishaw Hall (near Sheffield) held the distinction of being the most northerly vineyard between 1972 and 1986 and has produced award-winning wine since then. More recently, Holmfirth vineyard started up in 2009 and is winning awards. Fortunately, despite the general lack of locally grown offerings, restaurants and increasingly pubs are fairly clued up in their understanding of the best wines to import.
In this book, key places where refreshments can be found are noted in the information box at the start of each route. However, please note that places come and go over the lifetime of a guidebook, many pubs still shut between lunch and early evening (especially midweek), and not all places are open every day of the week. It’s worth checking current information online before relying on anything – especially for stop-offs in the middle of the afternoon, on a weekday or outside summer. A list of cafés and pubs currently known, with greater information on opening times, can be found at www.peakimages.co.uk under ‘Cycling’.
Money
You should be able to find a cashpoint (ATM) in most towns these days, but it is wise to carry sufficient cash for an overnight stay, a meal and a day’s supplies (say £50–£200 depending on your budget) as many villages do not have one and credit and debit cards are not universally accepted by smaller businesses.
Electronic payments such as Android and Apple Pay are still a novelty – only time will tell how well these become accepted in the future. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, although American Express often isn’t. Purchases of less than £5 or £10 may be refused if not in cash.
Accommodation is pricey in the UK and often costs in excess of £60 a room per night unless staying in shared (hostel) dorms.
Bike setup/Choice of bike
Riding along the Carsington Reservoir Dam Wall (Route 4)
The ideal bike for the rides in this book is a gravel bike (which is also known as an adventure road or adventure bike) – or any of its close variants such as a cyclocross bike, a hybrid (as long as it isn’t too heavy) or a lightweight