Our start was 09:00am in Matlock from the Station on a route myself and Lindsey had pre-riden a few weeks earlier. Thankfully the weather was far better this time around.
Early on we were off road on the towpath of Cromford Canal. This lovely flat riding didn't last for long as we quickly turned skywards onto the High Peaks Trail. Despite my warnings of "don't underestimate the climb" which is around 2 miles of effort mainly in the easiest gear you can select, Robin and Mick soon put a gap between myself and Lindsey. Strangely after 15mins of hard climbing I hallucinated that the Mountain Goat Robin had to stop to regain composure and heart rate. Soon after Mick became a victim of his gear setup not really being suitable for such an arduous climb.....but eventually we all got to the top and were rewarded by a stunning vista.
From then on it was mainly fast easy riding. A coffee and bacon sandwich at a trailside cafe gave us the extra energy needed to make it over the tops and down to Millers Dale - a great long road descent.
Now on the Monsol Trail we just about managed to avoid the day trippers on hire bikes they couldn't ride, dogs that weren't on leads and people that were just clueless that it was a shared use trail. Thankfully once past Bakewell it went back to peace and tranquility on the section to Rowsley .
Despite a nice looking railway cafe we were put off by the queue so pushed on. I remember a lovely looking pub further on called The Church Inn.
Food ordered we waited and waited. 1hr later our tuna sandwich and jacket potatoes arrived. Excuse for the wait? " Chef had to cook the jackets from scratch"
Onwards ...and we weren't all "level" at the crossing which resulted in Robin being left the wrong side.
The last few miles into Matlock were all off road following the railway line.
An issue free highly enjoyable ride with stunning scenery away from manic motorists which really is my sort of riding these days.
Thanks Mick and Robin and of course Lindsey for making this a really pleasurable day out on a bicycle.
