We met up at The Grouse pub in Birch Vale, our starting point. From here, the crumbling concrete of Moorlands Road stretches ominously up the hillside in an endless long straight line. When you start a ride at the bottom of a valley, your only option is to go up, so up we went. At the top of Moorlands Road we progressed through the wooden gate and from here the terrain becomes grassy rutted moorland. The climb continues up, passing "the line of death" which we will leave for another day, and eventually summits after 3 kilometres at an altitude of around 450 metres. This is a great spot; you are surrounded by the hills of the Peak District without a building in sight. That soon changes however, as we descend the rutty gulley to Hills Farm, and then accelerate down the farm roads to Peep O Day. We then took the little known gentle grassy singletrack bridleway, cutting left, back across the hillside to Phoside Farm. Matt from Marple Physio has ridden around the Peaks for years, but had never known this little gem, and I had another hidden bridleway in store as we crossed onto Highgate Road. Hidden round the back of Stubbs Farm is a rocky, rooty, narrow and twisty section of Pennine Bridleway descent. It is a technical bit of XC riding which bounces you around a bit, before sending you down the classic Campsite Descent into Hayfield. The Campsite descent always leaves you grinning (well, apart from the times you fall off and break something..ribs, clavical, wrist...etc!). A final uphill took us to a short fast descent beneath Lantern Pike and back into the bottom of Birch Vale. The good thing about starting a ride at a pub in the valley bottom, is that you finish with a smile on your face with fantastic descents, followed by a pint.
For information on future events, contact john@frenchlawconsultancy.com or johnkitching@hotmail.com
Ride leader: John Kitching, French Law Solicitor
Event sponsored by www.frenchlawconsultancy.com
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