of a female!
Curlew flying over Bamford Moor (Route 16)
They were much larger than I’d imagined – previously having only ever heard them in the sky above – and by staying low by the drystone wall we were treated to a display of low-flying acrobatics for several minutes. Eventually one flew away over the fields below, one landed on the moorland nearby and one disappeared into long grass at the far end of the field. Such encounters are not common, but when they happen they are all the more special for their rarity – had we been in a car, we’d have whizzed past so fast we’d never have even seen the first curlew; walking, we’d probably have disturbed them with our movement before we got close.
Cycling, however, is the perfect way to experience the countryside: fast enough to cover a good distance over the ground, yet slow enough to really enjoy the sights, sounds and (mostly!) the smells. From the pungent aroma of wild garlic, the swathes of bluebells that carpet the floor of many woodlands in spring, the haunting cry of the curlew or joyful tweet of the skylark, to the purple blush of vetch in summer or flowering moorland heather in early autumn: on a bicycle the variety of the landscape can be appreciated in both detail and grander scale.
The Peak District needs no introduction to many – it has a string of firsts and mosts in England and the UK to its credit. It was the first National Park to be created in 1959; it’s the most central National Park and the nearest wild outdoor space to the largest percentage of the population. Its ‘Wonders’ were first eulogised by William Camden in the 16th century in Britannia (the first topographical and historical survey of Britain) and it is now one of the most popular National Parks in the UK.
While the honeypots of Castleton, Bakewell and Dovedale can get very busy at the height of summer, they can soon be left behind on the quiet lanes and tracks that criss-cross this wonderfully varied region. This guidebook aims to introduce the reader to some of these wonderful routes, covering between 15km (10 miles) and 65km (40 miles) in a day and leading up to a finale of the multi-day Tour de Peak District – a five-day route running roughly around the edge of this fantastic region and within the grasp of anyone of average fitness.
Typical limestone scenery in the White Peak (Cheedale, near Route 11)
Geology
The Peak District was once a shallow tropical sea, and had you been riding 350 million years ago you would have been close to the Equator and completely underwater (perhaps that’ll be more believable to those visiting on a dull wet day!). Fringed by coral reefs and sea lilies (crinoids) with shellfish swimming around, the calcium carbonate of their remains went on to form limestone.
Later on (325–300 million years ago) the tropical sea slowly drained away when a huge river delta to the north advanced slowly southwards. This river delta dropped first mud, then coarser layers of sand and grits, today known as gritstone.
These two types of rock – limestone and gritstone – are the main constituents of the Peak District. The differences in colour and the distinctive separation of the two types of rock – roughly gritstone to the northern, western and eastern fringes, and limestone in the central and southern areas – led to the popular names of ‘White Peak’ and ‘Dark Peak’ for the southern limestone and northern gritstone regions respectively. Gritstone is sometimes also called ‘millstone grit’ due its long-standing use for millstones.
Abandoned millstones at Lawrencefield (near Route 16) – a common use for gritstone, hence its alternative name ‘millstone grit’
There is also a third, lesser known type of rock: an area of shale, formed from the early mud layers deposited by the encroaching river delta. This is often exposed on the boundary between the older limestone and more recent gritstone – the ‘shivering mountain’ of Mam Tor (Route 17) is a good example of this intermediate layer.
More recently (geologically speaking) the region was lifted and folded to form a gentle dome. Overlying deposits of coal were eroded, followed by some of the gritstone and shales, revealing the weaker limestone beneath the higher parts of the region. Being weaker, this limestone has eroded more quickly, leaving behind gritstone edges such as Froggatt, Stanage (Route 16) and Windgather Rocks (Route 18).
Wildlife
There is a surprising variety of animals to be seen in Derbyshire and the Peak District. Aside from the ubiquitous Derbyshire sheep, llamas and alpacas are farmed at many locations across the region, and there are even a few ostrich farms. Wilder creatures such as deer, foxes and rabbits are all frequently seen, but quiet footsteps can also reward you with glimpses of startled stoats and even adders.
Other less common sightings are of mountain hares and red-neck wallabies. The original group of wallabies escaped into the wild from a private zoo near the Roaches (Routes 15, 20 and TdPD) in the late 1940s. Their descendants were thought to have become extinct around 2000, but recent sightings in the Roaches and Buxton areas suggest otherwise. At least one yak also escaped at the same time; it was last seen on the moorlands in 1951, so yaks are unlikely to be part of Peak District wildlife these days – but like Scottish wildcats, you never know!
Near water or hay meadows, dragonflies and all sorts of butterflies are frequently sighted. More rarely, water voles can sometimes be seen beside streams, and the strange sucker-mouthed river lamphrey exist in our waterways (although these are usually only sighted by experts).
Any cyclist interested in birdlife will find the Peak District a fantastic location, with a wide abundance of species, from the tiny goldcrest, the redstart and the brightly coloured siskin to curlews, buzzards and geese. Kestrels are frequently seen hovering over fields and moorlands, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting small mammals. Grouse are a common sight and sound on the moorlands, but more common still is the pleasant warble of the skylark, high above the ground; lower down, the weaving acrobatics of swallows also provide entertainment.
The bright yellow siskin can frequently be seen near the River Derwent; Finches, like this chaffinch, are a common sight
In the vales and dales, dippers are often seen bobbing alongside limestone streams. Ducklings, stonechats (named for their distinctive call which sounds like small stones knocking together) and finches of all descriptions are a common sight, especially in early to mid-summer, and the lucky viewer may get to see a kingfisher along the banks of the River Derwent. On the reservoirs and other larger bodies of water, goshawks often hover high above honking geese on Ladybower (Route 1), while osprey in the migratory season and lapwings in winter grace Carsington Water (Route 4).
Plants and flowers
While snowdrops are often the first to flower, it’s usually March before more wild flowers are in evidence, with daffodils being among the first (Route 19 has a surprisingly good display up the hill to Wessenden Moor). Soon after that, bluebells form carpets of blue for a few brief spring weeks (Grenoside woods, just north of Sheffield, is a good place to see these), and wild garlic often goes rampant, creating pungent swathes of white. (Both bluebells and wild garlic prefer limestone woodlands.)
Derbyshire bluebells
Come late spring/early summer, many fields explode into flower
