CYCLING IN THE PEAK DISTRICT - 21 ROUTES ON LANES AND TRACKS IN AND AROUND THE NATIONAL PARK by Chiz Dakin
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CYCLING IN THE PEAK DISTRICT
21 ROUTES ON LANES AND TRACKS IN AND
AROUND THE NATIONAL PARK
by Chiz Dakin
JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS,
OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL
www.cicerone.co.uk
© Chiz Dakin 2017
Second edition 2017
ISBN: 978 1 85284 878 1
Reprinted 2021 (with updates)
First edition 2011
Printed in Singapore by KHL Printing using responsibly sourced paper.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Route mapping by Lovell Johns www.lovelljohns.com
© Crown copyright 2017 OS PU100012932.
NASA relief data courtesy of ESRI
All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.
Acknowledgements
To Reuben, for your patience, support and love. Without you, this book
may not have made it off the starting line and your ongoing encouragement
and critical opinion has been a constant rock of support.
‘1st edition thanks’ to Cycling UK (CTC at the time) and Sustrans for
their help over a footpaths issue; Alastair (Yorkshire Water) for aiding con-
cession to cycles on the Ewden track; Rob and Emily (NT) for help with
making routes through Bobus Moor/Lyme Park practical and Andy, John
and various members of Oread Mountaineering Club for route testing/
being photo models.
For the 2nd edition, thanks also to Craig (NT W Yorks/Marsden Moor)
for renewing the NT concession to responsible cyclists across Bobus Moor
after the PBW link wasn’t developed as originally planned; to NT Lyme
Park for opening up the Cage Hill route to cyclists; to the Canal and River
Trust for welcoming cyclists to canal towpaths (and dropping that irritating
permit!) and to Georgia and the staff at Cicerone who have been so patient
with me during editing and for their work on the new (and hopefully easier
to use) maps.
And finally to Rob – for ‘JFDI!’
Front cover: Crossing the Ogden Brook near Tintwistle on the Tour de Peak
District (Day 3)
A6
2 6
Offerton Route 5 – Middlewood loop via Lyme Park
Green
10 Mellor
Rive
0
MARPLE
r Goyt
100
B61
150
0
25
A6
A627
01
HAZEL GROVE Doodfield
150
Strines
NEW MILLS
A523
A5143
High Lane 200
A6
MHALL Middlewood
Disley Newtown
Parkgate
Poynton
Higher Poynton
49
1
A5
Nelson's Pit Cage Hill (National Trust)
(Visitor Centre)
300
Lyme Park
Macclesfield (National Trust) Black Hill
Canal
West
A523
100
Wood Parkgate
300
Lanes 300
Roundylane Farm Harrop Brow
Adlington 350
trail
B5470
y
Norman's
Middlewood Wa
ne
Hall Farm Kettleshulme
Gritsto
285
300
300 35
0
250
Riv
er m
450
es
400
or
e
at
St
s
ne
kg
ld
350
La
ar
ie
tP
df
d
300
oo
oo
es
W
W
D
250
200
150
100
50
0m
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18km
67Cycling in the Peak District
The Italianate mansion at Lyme Park
Rise up a stone-cobbled track through shady woodland, with a shallow
stream to the right near the start, for just over 1km. You may smell the fresh pun-
gent aroma of wild garlic early on. As the track gets higher, the valley begins to
open out, with good displays of bluebells in spring. The stone track ends with a
wooden gate into The Knott car park.
Follow the tarmac access road over a gentle rise and downhill over a cattle
grid to reach the main car park of Lyme Park and an information centre.
Lyme Park is a National Trust property that was previously owned by the Legh
family between the 14th century and 1946. In the early 18th century it was
extensively redesigned by Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni, taking a style
similar to that of an Italian palace.
Continue out to a T-junction beyond the car park. You could just turn left
and follow the exit road out past the entry fee hut to the A6. But it’s far nicer to
cross straight over the junction (beware of cars turning right) then take a faint
unsigned grassy track roughly paralleling the descending road. This soon gains a
line of hawthorn trees; follow these leftwards at a fork then merge with another
70Route 5 – Middlewood loop via Lyme Park
wide track just before rejoining the exit road. Continue downhill on this and out
to the A6 past the entry fee hut.
Note The track from the West Park Gate and the main vehicle access road
have long been permitted as cycling routes, but permission/restriction of other
options appears to change at short notice.
Inexperienced riders may wish to dismount to cross this busy road; otherwise
take a dog-leg left then right onto Light Alders Lane. An initially steep hill soon
gives way to a gentle rise up this quiet back-road. Turn left at the T-junction at the
top and descend back towards the A6. Just 50m before reaching the main road,
turn right into Beechway, then left at the end onto Thornway.
Take the second right into South Meadway, and wind through residential
housing to a T-junction. Turn right onto a traffic-calmed road and descend for
nearly 1km, over the Macclesfield Canal to a T-junction at the end of Andrew
Lane.
Turn right; the road climbs over a gentle hill to a junction just before
Doodfield Stores (very easily missed!). Turn left into Torkington Lane, which
makes several sharp bends before crossing the Middlewood Way. It’s not pos-
sible to access the trail from this bridge, so instead follow the road parallel to
the trail for another 250m, to reach an access to the trail between houses on a
sharp bend right.
Turn right along the trail to head south and back to either Middlewood
rail station (2.5km) or Nelson’s Pit (Visitor Centre) car park (3.5km) at Higher
Poynton.
The small, pleasant green at the crossroads in Disley
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