the Peak District’s many rare species – the early purple orchid – comes into flower. A short detour into one of the many limestone dales will be rewarded with a view of this small purple flower: Monks Dale (near Route 11) is especially renowned for them. Meanwhile hawthorn trees create a profusion of white-flowered hedges.
Later on, the verges of many country lanes gain an infusion of pink (from rosebay willowherb, foxgloves, campion), blue-purple (vetch, cranesbill and harebells – especially towards Staffordshire/Cheshire), white (cow parsley and daisies of all sizes) or yellow (from humble dandelions and buttercups to poisonous ragwort). Many of the rough upland moorlands also turn shimmering white with cotton grass and the purple blush of moorland heather turning the harsh upland landscape into a much softer and more colourful scene needs no introduction to anyone who has seen tourist brochure images of the Peak District: this is best seen in late July to early September.
From August onwards, purple-stained fingers and lips give away those who have been enjoying the deliciously ripe wild bilberries (moorlands) and brambles (lower-lying lands); but nettles, brambles, bracken and butterbur (huge rhubarb-like leaves lining limestone dales) threaten to take over any path not frequently ridden.
Autumn then brings beautiful leafy shades of red, yellow and brown – especially on beech and chestnut trees, whose nuts are now ripe and falling before winter claims a harsh quietness in the floral world and the cycle starts once again in January.
History
Cyclists would be forgiven for thinking the Peak District was named for its abundance of hilly routes, but in fact this has nothing to do with topography, and everything to do with an ancient tribe called the Paec. These Paec-saetna were Anglo-Saxons from further south, who moved up the Dove and Derwent valleys and settled in what became known as the Peak District from roughly AD400. Over time they became a distinctly separate tribe from their southern, lowland cousins and the term Paec-saetna (or Pec-saetan) was used to distinguish them from other Dark-Age inhabitants of Mercia. (At this time England was divided into three kingdoms: Mercia formed the middle kingdom between Northumberland and Wessex.) The regional name of ‘Peak District’ is thought to come directly from this ancient ‘Paec’ tribe.
Going back much further in time, Creswell Crags is the most northerly site known to have been inhabited before the last glaciation: the site offers signs that nomadic hunter-gatherers reached the Peak District between 45,000 and 10,000BC.
More recently, many of the fringes of the Peak District were hotbeds of industrial revolution – with Richard Arkwright’s Mills giving the Derwent Valley UNESCO World Heritage status, and the Platt brothers of Saddleworth’s cotton-spinning technology a less well known but highly important part of the industrial history of the region. Railways blossomed, and industrial extraction of raw materials shaped the landscape as we see it today.
Art, culture and local festivities
The Peak District is a thriving region for artists and craft-workers of all disciplines, and their work can be found in studios, craft shops, galleries and performance venues across the region. However, Derbyshire and the Peak District are also home to a number of lesser-known traditions and cultural events. Well dressing is perhaps the best known of these, where a clay ‘tablet’ is pressed with flowers and other (usually natural) materials to make a picture. The dressing (sometimes locally also called a ‘well’), tends to be made by the locals of a village over the course of a week or so, and is then blessed and displayed near their water source. This custom is thought to have its origins in an ancient pagan ritual giving thanks for fresh water; the tradition is (almost) uniquely found in Derbyshire, although a recent revival is spreading into Staffordshire and other parts of the UK.
Well dressing at Carsington Visitor Centre (Route 4)
Other notable festivities include:
Shrovetide Football – an ancient town-wide game played over a ‘pitch’ of three miles on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday (Feb/Mar) in Ashbourne (Route 6)
Garland Day in Castleton – a celebration that originated in Charles I’s escape from the Roundhead army by hiding in an oak tree (29 May, Route 17)
Buxton Festival – a festival with its roots in new opera, that now encompasses literature, off-beat classical music and walking (July, Route 11)
Bakewell Agricultural Show (Aug, Routes 10 and 11)
Wirksworth Art and Architecture Trail Festival – an unusual but highly renowned art exhibition where many of the local houses become part of a town-wide art gallery for a weekend (Sept, Route 9)
Matlock Bath Illuminations – the inland town that believes it’s on the sea-front lights up the autumn (Sept/Oct, near start/end of Tour de Peak District, Route 21).
When to go
The best time to cycle in the Peak District is the summer. Days are longer, the weather is warmer (if not always sunnier!), and routes tend to be much drier and less muddy than in winter. On the downside, accommodation and transport are busier, more expensive, get booked up earlier and the honeypot centres such as Castleton and Bakewell can fill up – especially at the weekend. However, just a couple of kilometres away from these, peace and quiet can be found – even in midsummer. Many festivals, such as well dressings, take place in the summer.
Family of cyclists on the Manifold trail (Route 15)
Late spring and early autumn can also offer great cycling: the weather is often drier and sunnier (although also often windier) and the days are still reasonably long. Accommodation is cheaper and less busy, as are trains, planes and honeypot centres, but festivals are fewer.
Winter is not recommended for the novice cyclist; conditions can feel arctic at times, trails can be much rougher and days are short. However, for the experienced and prepared cyclist, winter offers a quiet, more adventurous angle to a cycling visit to the Peak District.
Getting there
Visitors to the UK from outside Europe are likely to arrive by air in London, Birmingham or Manchester. Regional airports such as East Midlands in the south of the region, Leeds/Bradford or Doncaster in the north tend to be served by low-cost and budget airlines, and will usually provide a better gateway for European visitors than London.
Trains run from London to Derby, Chesterfield or Sheffield, Stoke, Macclesfield and Manchester; from Manchester to Sheffield, Huddersfield, Leeds and Buxton; from Doncaster to Leeds or Sheffield; and from Leeds to Birmingham via Sheffield and Derby.
Hire cars are available from the usual corporate outlets – these days, price comparison sites such as www.moneysupermarket.com, www.holidayautos.co.uk, www.rentalcars.co.uk, www.skyscanner.net and www.lastminute.com are the way to search for a good deal.
Visas are needed by some foreign nationals – see www.gov.uk/visa-fees for more information. Short-term (6-month) tourist visas usually cost roughly £80–£100.
