Ladybower MTB Route ridden by Stefan

Distance: 18 miles (29km) inc 6 miles (10km) on road.
Time: 4.5 hours
OS map Dark Peak

Start SK 173893 at Fairholmes, just below the dam wall of Derwent. Turn right onto road for ¾ mile. After passing Gores Farm on your left you will curve round a left hand corner. Just as you begin to descend take the bridleway left, signposted ‘bridleway to Snake Road 2 miles’.

Climb up this steep but mostly rideable track into a conifer plantation. Well used by mountain bikes, its surface is a mixture of stones embedded in sand and pine needles. It is generally firm but does have some puddles and mud patches.
The track becomes less steep further up, then starts to descend slightly. As you pass Lockerbrook Farm watch out for black rabbits. Cross the stream and go through the gate before climbing a short distance up a wider track. Less than quarter of a mile after the farm you should come to a point where the track forks, one half curving round to the right while the other descends left.

Choose the right-hand option and cycle down the well-surfaced gravel farm track to a very steep section with Z-bends. You should come to Rowlee Farm.
From here go straight across the A57 Snake Pass road and downhill on the small tarmacked road marked with a dead-end sign. Cross over the River Ashop then climb uphill to, and through, a large gate. About 300 metres after this gate take the first left turn, a track leaving the road at an acute angle. You will have a steady climb of about half a mile on a compact rubble-type surface before dropping down to pass through a gate and ford at Blackley Clough.

Go along to the next gate. From here the track is downhill on a rutted grass surface with some mud. Go straight on through the next two gates. Just after the second gate is a stone guide post, ‘Hope Cross’. Follow the ridge to another large gate. After this gate the track forks. You should bear left slightly, on the sketchily defined path which rises gently towards the edge of the conifer plantation.
Follow this path parallel to the woods edge, along the ridge for about three quarters of a mile. You should come to a wall, stone cairn and an empty gateway (hole in the wall). Only 300 metres after this look carefully for a small turn off right. There may be a small cairn by it but it is not very well defined on the ground. Follow this grassy track downhill, through a gate below Top Plantation before forking slightly right.

At the four way fingerpost go straight on, cycling across a field (do not turn right down into the woods), then into a ‘funnelling’ of walls which takes you into a walled lane. Pass through two gates. After the second you will come to a tarmac drive and Edge Farm. Curve right and descend to meet a road at a T-junction.
Turn left. Follow this rather shady embanked lane for roughly a mile. Pass through the village of Aston ignoring all turns off until you come to a T- junction at Thornhill. Go left following the sign ‘Ladybower 2 ½ miles’. There is a good downhill stretch before the road curves right to cross the River Derwent, then a very short climb to the A6013 where you should turn left.

On meeting the A57 go left again. After no more that ½ a mile turn right, just before the Ashopton Viaduct, on the road marked ‘Private Road’. Curve immediately right (do not go through the bridlegate straight ahead of you) and climb uphill past a number of houses. The surface becomes gravely. Pass through a wooden five-bar gate. Very soon you will come to a hair- pin corner left but go straight on through the large gate.

You should be on a smooth grass path which climbs gently then drops to a gate. After this gate drop down to a T- junction with another track. Go left uphill then pass through a gate with a sign saying Ladybower Wood Nature Reserve. Continue riding along to cross a stream and come to another gate. After this gate you will be on a pleasant narrow moorland track amongst heather.

Above Cut Throat Bridge (just before a stream clough) the track forks. Take the left option onto the moors and away from the road. On meeting another track turn left again. Climb up onto Derwent Moor. Cycle for roughly a mile to a cross junction of paths at Whinstone Lee Tor.

At this point there are five options: two left, straight on, right at about 90 degrees to the path you are approaching on and a second right turn slightly below this which drops in height. Take the last of the options, i.e. right, downhill. This path, with some boggy patches traverses the moor just above a gritstone wall.
After about ½ a mile, at the top of Grainfoot Clough, there should be a metal sign pointing out Derwent left and Moscar right. From here turn left and pass through an empty gateway with stone pillars. On joining a small path similar to the one you are now on, turn left again and descend to a bridlegate. Go through the gate and continue down the path as it follows the right hand edge of the plantation. Pass through another bridlegate then down to a ford.

After the ford the bridleway goes through a large gate between two very old small barns. Turn left through a narrow gateway onto a very steep grass hill. Follow the path down until you meet a hard track beside the reservoir.
Turn right onto this track. Ride along the east edge of the reservoir. You will curve left and cross Mill Brook then soon reach a small tarmac road. About ¾ of a mile along this you will come to a telephone box and Jubilee Cottages. Just past this point keep following the tarmac road (rather than the track) which curves left below the wall of Derwent Dam back to your starting point.