Distance: 35 miles approx.
Climbing: 1200m / 3960 feet (plus some undulations)
Time (dry): 7 hours
Time (wet): Start early...
Times are dependant mainly on how fit you all are,
how many punctures you collect and how long you stop at the Grindleford cafe.
Bummer! It's on two maps! And even then, they don't cover the start/finish
point! Waterproof maps (OS Outdoor Leisure sheet 1, Dark Peak
& sheet 24, White Peak) are a good idea - sadly the combined cost of these will be about £22!
Experience shows Aqua-3 maps, by Chartech of Hope, are the best in the field.
See www.aqua3.co.uk
or call 01433 621 779.
This is another bloody long walk. Such a shame we can't ride on footpaths, it would be a fantastic run. All the way from Sheffield to the middle of nowhere and back again, without needing to smell up the countryside with petrol fumes or park in some farmer's gateway.
While fabulous weather is a serious plus, a bit of rain probably wont kill you on this one. And we take no responsibility if it does.
Starting about 8am should see you round by about 3 in the afternoon, not to mention dropping you at the Grindleford station cafe at a good time for a mega chip butty and a pint of tea.
The first time this route was tried, it was indeed a means to an end - that end being, a good looking path we'd seen from the other side of the valley, several miles away, a couple of times. 35 miles might seem like one hell of a walk for just a few minutes of high quality down-hilling on foot, but the rest of the trip was pretty fine too.
The start point is the Jet petrol station on Bradfield Road, Hillsborough Corner, Sheffield (SK 335897; on the A6101, just off the A61). If you're local you'll know where it is, if not, you'll need a street plan anyway so there's no point me trying to describe it further.
From here, head west towards Malin Bridge on the A6101, crossing the main tramway at the traffic lights and following the Malin Bridge spur. Once past the Malin Bridge terminus, take the next left onto the Rivelin Valley road - this is still the A6101. After passing the fire station on the right (400m from junction), the road curves right - shortly after this, take the bridleway to the right, then turn left immediately you're over the bridge - only a few yards after leaving the road.
This is the Rivelin Valley path. Stay with it. Past the first pond, you soon get spat out back onto the road pavement, but taking the next right over the single-lane bridge and then immediately left will put you back on the path. Past the playground, over the bridge, keep with the track fairly close to the river. At this point you get onto the Dark Peak map! Eventually you do wind up back on the road, just by a set of S-bends where the road crosses the river. This place is known locally as "The S-bends", because we're sooooo creative. And we don't make up stupid names where there's an obvious one. Cross the road, through the gateway, drop down past the (very few) remains of the old mill and you're back on the path. Alternatively go down the steps, up to you. Stay with the path near the river. This can be tricky, at one point you do need to stray away then come back down to it, but once you've crossed from the left side to the right side of the main river (just before the next pond) do not cross back (not counting the numerous mill races and ponds). Eventually you get onto tarmac on a 'C' road linking the A6101 and A57 roads (SK292873) just before Rivelin Post Office
Boring! Slog up the A57 for a mile, then left and over the Rivelin dam wall road. Follow this road as it swings right beyond the dam and becomes a track, then climbs.
Around the top end of Redmires, then up to Stanedge Pole. An easy slog of a climb! Past the pole, descend towards the edge, where again you have a choice. Either down the Long Causeway, which is long, lumpy and painful, or down the more interesting Salt Road (Bridleway). Personally I vote for the Salt Road every time. As the causeway swings right, turn off left and hurtle towards the sheer drop that is Stanage edge. Once there - and while you're still on the top - turn right. A few dozen yards on from here, the clearly-ish defined path drops down (all rideable), hairpins very tightly left through a full 180 degrees and fair plummets away down its narrow paved rock path. This is the Salt Road. Follow the rocks down the hill! Two gates near the bottom shouldn't be a problem if your group is organised, and a clean (counted from the pole) is worth a point.
This brings you out in the car park, from where you turn right on the 'C' road and troll off to the bottom of the Long Causeway (SK 227844). Over the cattle grid after the hairpin; follow the road round to the left at the next junction (don't go uphill!) then drop down for a few hundred yards. It's easy to miss the turn, but you're looking for a triangular junction in the road - the difference being, the bit of the triangle you're going down is grass not road. Never mind. Down past the buildings, swing sharp left then keep following this as it degrades ever further away from being a road. This is Hurstclough Lane and at a couple of points there are right curves to make, the other option being into a field on both occasions, if memory serves. They always go past so quick it's difficult to take a look, but be careful as you may meet a big scary 4x4 coming the other way at any time! The lane gets increasingly rutted, steep and twisty as it drops, before bottoming out and leaving you with a short stiff climb from the clough, with the golf course to your left.
At the road (Saltergate Lane), turn left and drop some more, being wary of traffic and blind bends in potentially lethal combination. At the main road (A6013, just south of Bamford) turn left, over the railway bridge, then immediately right. This is signed as a dead end road, but at the end, take the footbridge over the river (parallel to the main A625 road). Once over this, get on the road and after 200 metres get off it again courtesy of the left turn over the narrow road bridge. About 3-400 metres later, take the hairpin left (still tarmac) and, er, keep going until the tarmac runs out, at which point, carry on along the track! A short stiff climb is followed by a similar descent, then another stiff climb (back on tarmac) takes you up to Offerton Hall.
Just past the buildings, follow the track / road to the right, then at the left hairpin go through the gate and up this path instead as it sort-of follows the contours (Peak District jargon for "it goes up"). Eventually this spits you out onto Shatton Lane at SK 201815, just below Shatton Mast. Guess what? That'll be, er, up then, following the hardcore track past the mast then round the side of the hill. At the junction of tracks, follow round to the left; this will bring you out facing a wall where the track turns back to the right. This is an ideal food stop in fine weather. Go left (Signed "Stoke Ford"), round the end of the walls. At this point you're basically following the outside of the field boundaries (until they run out), then you're going to fall off the map and onto the White Peak sheet at SK 208800. Just for fun, the paths amongst the vegetation here are many and varied - not all are actually paths - and it's easy to miss the turn off (fork down and right) as the most clearly defined path starts climbing again, but you're heading for Oaks Farm (SK 210798). At the farm, either go down the walled and nettled path below the buildings, to the road, or back along the driveway to the road then double-back along the tarmac. Either way, you're heading for the path that drops away from the road at SK 213797.
Follow the obvious route down across the fields to Stoke Ford. Cross the stream then take the right-most path up the other side. There's only a short steep bit, then take the more level choice - don't go vertical! Stay with this path for about 600 metres - just when you think you've missed something, you'll drop slightly, round a gully and up a very short steep bank. A few dozen yards later, just after the remains of the wall, hairpin left onto the well-defined track that climbs up the spur valley. Simply follow this to the stony track, then left onto that and up to the tarmac road. Left again (back off the tarmac) and you're pointing at Sir William Hill. Don't sprint for the first summit, it's a false crest! (Idiot! everyone knows that!)
Over the real summit and plunge down the die-straight, loose hardcore track until you reach the tarmac, where your brakes had better be up to the job! Look out for traffic from the right here as well as from the front and for people getting out of parked cars just before the gravel runs out. At this point, hoy over the stile and take the path that goes down just left of the fence - a fantastic trail with little rocky drop-offs all the way, just enough to keep you thinking the whole time. This is the path we'd admired from afar, never knowing just how good it was.
This ends at Leam (SK 232793), but double back right and there's only thirty yards of tarmac before a Land Rover width track takes off down from the other side of the road - more fun! Straight on at the crossing of the tracks, then down through the numerous hairpins. Some care is required as there are one or two places where you can go the wrong way by taking a hairpin where you shouldn't - if you're ever facing uphill, you've gone wrong. The gate signals the end of the hairpins but not the end of the descent, so over you go and carry on down, eventually reaching the B6001 (Hathersage to Grindleford road) at SK 240786. That bit was "Drift-o-rama", and if you remember what I've already said about our naming conventions, you should be able to work out why. Head south (same direction as the last section of the descent) to Grindleford, and turn left onto the main B6521 road. Drop to the river, over the bridge, then climb up the other side for about 600m to the Grindleford Station entrance. The cafe is down at the station and the chip butties are rather generously proportioned. If it takes your fancy, the place is licensed as well, but you've got a tough technical climb to follow...
Finished your food? Good. Over the railway and as the tarmac runs out, round to the left, past the first buildings, then turn right and steeply up to the gate. This is Padley Gorge. The accepted best way up here is to the left of the river at all times - this should be fully rideable with enough skill and power.
At the top of the gorge, through the gate and into the open again, this area will be swarming with hundreds of people on a warm day, so take care. You're now back on the Dark Peak map. Keep following the stream, past the narrow wooden bridge, then continue up the left side until the next bridge (also narrow), then up the cobbled track, hairpin right then turn sharp left and up the valley side to the gate onto the A625 (SK 262805). More or less straight over the road, but NOT up the obvious path, which goes up the bottom of Burbage Edge. Instead, about 20 yards up the road there's a much more discrete path that climbs steeply away from the road. This is much better, keep climbing and this will bring you to the top edge of what any local climber will know as "Burbage South". Careful you don't fall off the edge, it can be a fatally long way down.
After about 1km, just after you start descending again, take the right turn and follow this path back to the main Houndkirk Road - it's a hardcore / rock / sand track, although it is also legally a road. Left onto Houndkirk then, and follow it all the way back to Ringinglow.
Such a choice of routes back to Hillsborough from here... The best one probably being, left then right at Ringinglow and follow this road (Fulwood Lane) for a couple of miles. After the road plummets down the hill (sharp right, hairpin left, sharp right), go left at the give way, then follow this road round to the right and down again. Left again at the next give way, then down the hill and hey presto! You're back at the top of Wyming Brook Drive! You're now heading for Rivelin Post Office, in order to go back down the Rivelin Valley, the way you set out so long ago. Either:
The Top Track: While still in the parking area at the top of the 'Drive, go down the path to the right and through the stream. Straight up the other side (steep), and follow this path along the top contours. Don't be tempted to turn left and descend at any point, just stick with it. Don't fall off it, either, it can be quite a drop, even when the greenery prevents you from seeing it. After about a mile (seems further) this drops you onto a wider track. Bear right, then down and cross the stream at SK 285863. You have a choice of bridleways here, both re-connect further along. At the road (Lodge Lane), climb for all of about 30 yards, then turn left again and follow this path, again sticking as high up and as far right as possible, behind the golf course. There are more tricky bits and big drops along here - one person has been saved from falling here only when a fellow rider managed to grab his ankles!
This path will eventually drop you out at the top of Coppice Road, another lumpy track. Hairpin left and descend all the way to the A57. Careful of the sharp right at the bottom, just after the small water bar that can be used as a jump - people have finished up in the ditch here having failed to make this turn! Left onto the A57 and down for about 400m, then take the right turn onto the 'C' road. This is where you came out at the top of the Rivelin Valley, many hours ago.
Wahey! However you got here, you should now be back at the top of the Rivelin Valley. So you should know the way home. If you're too tired to do the valley path, you can trundle home on the A6101, it arrives at the same place, it's just less fun getting there.