Ah, the romance of gravel and mountain biking in the Peak District.
Imagine, if you will, the gravel beneath your tires, that distinct crunching sound echoing through the expanse of the landscape.
And then you stop for a gate.
To proceed you must solve the puzzle of the latch. If you solve this one, don’t get too smug, there will be many more mechanisms than you can imagine.
Inevitably the gate will open towards you, forcing you to dismount and push your bike back further than you would think necessary.
Immediately you find yourself ankle deep in cowpats. You struggle to close the gate which is now the wrong side of your bike.
And you are off again. The spout of your water bottle now covered in muck. Keep going, not far until the next tea room.
A tale of 2 Peaks
Located in the bewitchingly beautiful triangle between Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds, the Peak District is divided into 2 regions: the White Peak and the Dark Peak. (Feel free to imagine a land of two towers inhabited by ogres, elves and dwarves in your own time.)
Despite being part of the same national park, these two areas offer distinctly different landscapes, geology, and biodiversity.
The White Peak takes the southern end of the Peak District. Its name comes from the white limestone bedrock. It is a gentle landscape, with lush, rolling dales and verdant valleys where the rivers meander through tranquil farmland. For cyclists there are many charming villages and market towns to break up a ride with a tea, coffee or scone.
The Dark Peak covers the northern end of the Peak District. It gets its name from the gritstone that has been quarried to make millstones. It is a wild, rugged landscape with heather-covered moorland, peat bogs and exposed, windswept plateaus. For cyclists there are many hardy villages and proud towns to break up a ride with a real ale or pie and chips.
The 3 amigos of the Peak District
The slippery and shifting gravel, the rough and reliable gritstone, and the squelchy, mysterious bog. This triumvirate of terrains provide a unique test of one’s riding skills.
Gravel, a composition of rock fragments, comes in a variety of sizes, ranging from tiny granules to larger pebbles. Its loose and shifting nature makes it a unique and challenging surface for the cyclist. Gravel paths require excellent bike handling skills as the surface can shift unexpectedly. However, it also provides excellent drainage, so after a rainfall, gravel trails can be some of the quickest to become passable again.
Gritstone, on the other hand, is a coarse, hard, sandstone. It is more stable and provides excellent traction for cyclists. Gritstone’s ruggedness and ability to weather the elements make it ideal for mountain biking. Its textured surface provides excellent grip, but it can also be abrasive, so care must be taken.
Bog, provides a different sort of challenge altogether. Bogs are wetlands that accumulate peat, a deposit of dead plant material. They’re often waterlogged and can be deceptively unstable. Traversing bogland requires a good sense of balance and strong navigation skills, as the terrain can be both unpredictable and challenging. It can be a formidable adversary, ready to swallow a misplaced wheel whole! However, bogs also support a wealth of biodiversity and can be places of remarkable beauty and quiet serenity – so keep a sense of perspective, we are supposed to be having fun.