WHERE The Pennines, Northern England StART Derby FINISH Berwick-upon-Tweed DISTANCE 355 miles WORDS Mark Waters PICTURES Mark Waters 1 ALONG ENGLAnd’s BACKBONE Eleven CTC members accompanied Mark Waters on a CTC tour along the Pennine Cycleway this summer Photos: Mark Waters he Pennine Cycleway runs for 355 miles minor roads. The Pennine Cycleway is no exception, along the spine of England, from Derby to although there are a number of short off-road sections, T Berwick-upon-Tweed on the Scottish border. in addition to the towpaths and old railway trails. Sustrans founder John Grimshaw calls it ‘the best Most of these off-road sections are rideable on any National Cycle Network route of the lot’. That it’s hilly bike. No so the one outside Buxton. We climbed a goes without saying, and it was the water draining off steep hill out of the town, then the route turned off onto these hills that provided the power that made England a tiny tarmac lane that was even steeper. This soon the manufacturing capital of the world a couple of disintegrated into a rough stony track that no bike other centuries ago. The signs of that industrial heritage are than a full-bore mountain bike could cope with. Thank still there, particularly in the South Pennines. DO IT goodness for the two-foot gear! Luckily, we had only The ride is not all hills, however. After we left Derby, YOURSELF a couple of hundred metres of walking before tarmac the twelve of us followed quiet lanes to Ashbourne, Sustrans produce returned. then joined the first of three old railway tracks en route: a series of three Most of our group rode touring bikes of some maps covering the Tissington Trail. We stayed on it almost all the way the whole of the description, but there were a couple of small wheelers: to Buxton. It was a spectacular start to our journey, Pennine Cycleway an Airnimal and a Brompton. Neither rider struggled, a gentle ride up across the roof of Derbyshire, with (which is NCN and in fact John, the Brompton rider, was the strongest expansive views of the beautiful White Peak. route 68). Visit of the group and rode most of the off-road sections sustransshop. Later on, we’d ride two other rail trails: the easily. The Pennine Cycleway requires strong legs more co.uk. You can find Longdendale, north of Glossop; and the South Tyne, more information than a specific bike. If you don’t have them, you’ll find which runs from north of Alston to Haltwhistle, near about the route at out on days two and three. Hadrian’s Wall. There were two serene canal towpath pennine-cycleway. Day three began with an outrageous hill out of sections too. Aside from these flat bits, the Pennine co.uk. To discuss Holmfirth, of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ fame. We the route in detail, Cycleway involves some hard graft. The compensation contact the CTC rode uphill through the interestingly named village of is the world-class scenery you pass through. Helpdesk on 0844 Upperthong. On the top, we hoped that the route might 736 8450. remain on high ground. It doesn’t, and soon drops PEAK DISTRICT CLIMBS down into Melham, before another up-and-over to It’s a common misconception to think that National Slaithwaite. Cycle Network (NCN) routes are traffic-free. Most are on We left this nondescript small town on a steep, mile- 28 CYCLE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011 ALONG ENGLAnd’s bACKBONE GREAT RIDES 2 3 long climb, only to find ourselves once again amidst surfacing the whole of the main street. 1) Canal towpath sections a bleak and unremarkable upland. This time we didn’t enable you to miss out some The scenery changed dramatically when we found descend as far, only down to Scammonden Water, a hard climbs by road ourselves on Widdop Moor. It was our first real taste reservoir that lies next to the M62. 2) Like most Sustrans routes, the of remote uplands and it was stunningly beautiful. This majority of the Pennine Cycleway The Pennine Cycleway crosses this motorway. But is on quiet lanes took the edge off the headwind and distracted us from how? Poor signposting confused us, and we wasted 3) The further north you go, the the remainder of the day’s climbs. It was a relief to precious energy hauling bikes along improbable better the scenery becomes reach Colne. There’s even a bike shop there, right on tracks before someone spotted a small tunnel under the route – some new brake blocks, perhaps? the motorway. A steep descent into Sowerby Bridge The final section of the day’s ride changed again: the followed. route suddenly became a rural idyll. We cycled along small lanes with dry stone walls, in a landscape dotted NORTHERN DELIGHTS with sheep and cows, through brilliantly green fields We had two options from Sowerby Bridge: a tough CTC TAKES and picture-postcard villages. We looked out on big climb out or the town; or the canal towpath to Hebden YOU THERE skies and dramatic hills. Cake-filled cafés appeared in Bridge (on NCN 60). Everyone chose the towpath, and This article describes just the right places at just the right times. It’s a route a CTC tour (ref: 1129) very pretty it was too. Similarly scenic is Hebden Bridge, that took place from you don’t ever want to end! And it carries on like that once a place of mills, clogs and industrial endeavour, 25 June to 2 July until Berwick-upon-Tweed. but now one of traipsing tourists, street buskers, gift 2011, costing £290, If you were pressed for time, you could start the shops and ice creams. As for us, there was no time to inclusive of hostel Pennine Cycleway by riding north from the Colne Valley. accommodation, dally – we had the infamous Hebden Bridge cobbles It’s simply fantastic from then on. But that would miss all breakfasts and to ascend. some evening meals. out the preliminary two days of climbing, which earn My first encounter with these had been while walking Almost all tours for you the ‘right to ride’ and enjoy what is undoubtedly the Pennine Way in the early 1970s. To climb them with the forthcoming year one of the best routes ever. a heavy rucksack is one thing; to push a bike up them are advertised from Just don’t pack too much in your panniers, and make the end of November. is quite another. Somehow we all managed to grovel Many book up sure you fit low gears! our way up the slimy stones. Then all we had to do was very quickly. See get back on our bikes and ride up the remaining mile cyclingholidays.org or Discover more route information and touring ideas of hill to Heptonstall, where there were more cobbles – the advert on page 83. at ctc-maps.org.uk CTC.ORG.UK CYCLE 29.