13.3 miles
56 ft
Work to rebuild the Shallcross Incline Greenway in Whaley Bridge has finally begun, more than three years after the already-poor surface was severely damaged in 2019’s rain storms.
Whaley Bridge
Cycle routes and blog posts about cycling, walking and exploring Whaley Bridge.
Cycle Routes in and around Whaley Bridge
Blog posts featuring Whaley Bridge
So long, Long Hill! After over five months of nearly traffic-free peace on the dramatic road between Whaley Bridge and Buxton, the A5004 is now open to all traffic again.
With its stiff climbs, a spot of gravel and a brilliantly swooping descent, the Goyt Valley Grinder cycle route has long been my favourite quick spin up into the Peak District National Park. But as a stand-alone adventure it felt like it lacked a few extra miles and a final flourish. So now I’ve revised it for 2022, with more Goyt and more gravel!
Where better to talk to Dame Sarah Storey about cycling safety on fast rural roads than Derbyshire‘s A5004 Long Hill — briefly a cycling paradise while closed to most vehicles. So it was odd that the BBC’s Countryfile failed to mention this fact while using it for background footage in a piece that has been much-criticised online.
The A5004 Long Hill between Whaley Bridge and Buxton, one of the Peak District’s most spectacular roads, is closed for up to five months for major works to fix a landslip. With concrete barriers blocking the through route for motor vehicles, could this be Derbyshire’s next unintended “Snake Pass”-style cycling event? Yes: you can absolutely bet it will be.
One of the three-stand cycle racks at Tesco’s High Peak Whaley Bridge superstore recently disappeared, replaced by a random electrical cabinet, halving the store’s already lacklustre cycle parking overnight and just a few years after it was put back to normal.
The next big step in this adventure is here. Today I’m launching a brand new series of downloadable, printable Pocket Guides for the free cycle routes I’ve already shared. Now you can take a handy guide along for the ride and support the website at the same time.
Over ten years on from its surfacing in asphalt (tarmac), the Peak Forest Canal towpath between New Mills and Whaley Bridge is crumbling. Now Derbyshire County Council have agreed — and are looking into a patching job.
Derbyshire County Council has now completed installation of the six cycle stands promised earlier this year for the High Peak town of Whaley Bridge — its first official bicycle parking.
All good things must come to an end, but as we hit the magic number of 26 top cycling highlights of the Peak District borders around Derbyshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester there’s still plenty of possibilities ahead for this year and beyond…