Despite a chill wind blowing and a little mist in the air, the promise of sunshine later in the day brought out a very good number of cyclists coming from the east, west and south for today's ride.
The early part of the ride is mainly flat (yes we've heard that before and still don't believe it!) though, having crossed the Goyt on a picturesque pack horse bridge, there is a rather steep climb up to the Peak Forest Canal incised in the hillside above the valley! Still canal towpaths, bright spring sunshine and the wonder of the Roving, Changeline or Turnover bridges (take your pick) Roving Bridges explained here: kept us occupied until we took a short spin along the lanes to pick up the Middlewood Way to Higher Poynton and another short run on the lanes to enter Lyme Park by the West Gate. The rough track up alongside the wooded stream is a delight in bluebell time but this was not bluebell time but it is still a very pleasant wooded glade up which to cycle.
A brief brew stop in the National Trust cafe fortified us for the ride out of the Park, past the Hall and deer park to the East Gate where there is a rather splendid rocky descent to a bridge which has been closed for some tie now presenting you with the choice of lumping the bikes over the barriers and trusting you are not as heavy as a four by four, or using the "temporary" footbridge which is not in the slightest cycle friendly. After crossing the stream though there commences avery rough and rocky ascent which has always defeated me as it did today but Lisa gave it a really good go. Unsurprisingly Roger had risen to the challenge magnificently and was waiting for us all at the top - what a shame no-one had seen his exploits!
A brief climb along Whaley Lane brought us to the lovely swift bridleway that takes you through Diglee Farm and back down the the canal in the valley at Furness Vale and on to the Pear Tree Cafe in Whaley Bridge for a welcome lunch sitting in the sunshine.
We said our goodbyes to Lisa before lunch and Graham after as they took the canal straight back to base to beat the traffic back home to the West! We felt the need of a bit more climbing, well I did anyway - I'm not really sure how many agreed with me in the end! However there is a wonderful "BBC" ( If you don't know you haven't been on one of our Saddo rides yet!) straight out of Whaley Bridge past Bings Wood that takes you over the knoll to Buxworth (pronounced and sometimes spelt Bugsworth) where you follow the national route 68 along the rather steep Dolly Lane and just when it starts to tumble down towards the river, you keep straight on along a rough and rather wet bridleway which I think would make a really great down but we were going up! The challenge was met by all of us, some on two legs rather than two wheels and after a well deserved rest at the top we hared off down Laneside Road to New Mills. A rather undemocratic vote was taken on whether to continue on the boring, flat and muddy canal or take an absolutely beautiful contouring (therefore flat!) old lane high above the Goyt Valley in beautiful sunshine affording amazing views back to Lyme Park on on to Manchester in the distance. Well there was no choice was there really!
The only thing is I forgot about the crossing of the River Sett which can only be done on a steep downhill followed by its inevitable companion! It was a BBC indeed and the climbing continued until we crested Brook Bottom Road when the views opened out in all their splendour. After the Fox Inn at Brook Bottom (Oddly placed high above the Goyt Valley) the road become a rough but very cycleable track and we eschewed the delights of an early descent at the Fox and also a little later at the Banks in favour of the traditional end to this ride - the plummeting descent that starts near the Golf Clubhouse, passes Linnet Clogh Scout Camp and becomes a challenging rocky track plummeting down to the Goyt Valley at Bottoms Hall and thence onto Roman Lakes.
Thanks everyone for great company and indulging my delight in mainly flat contouring tracks and bridleways!
Rob Newton
And Roger's can be viewed here:
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