Great news! The Alpkit Foundation has given Peak District MTB a grant to produce a free route guide to areas around Bakewell.
You can download the route leaflet here or pick up a copy in local bike shops and cafes in the area as well as the Alpkit store in Hathersage.
The routes include a beginner / family route along the Monsal Trail and then further two loops use the trail to explore some of the best descents in the area. This route will be great in the winter: whilst the Bakewell golf course descent is often pretty muddy most of the rest of the route is on rocky trails and is a bit more protected from the weather than the trails in the Hope Valley.
The Alpkit Foundation was set up in July 2015 to help overcome obstacles that prevent people from Going Nice Places and Doing Good Things. At Peak District MTB we realised that the most popular routes for mountain biking suffer from erosion, especially in the winter. One solution is to encourage people to explore the “routes less travelled” and introduce people to other areas of the Peak District. We also thought it was a good opportunity to introduce the idea of mountain biking advocacy, responsible riding and “Be Nice, Say Hi” to people who might not be familiar with it. This should help us not only promote mountain biking but improve the perception of mountain bikers which is pretty handy when it comes to negotiating improved access.
If you have other ideas for routes less travelled or you have a business and would like a stack of these leaflets to give out to your customers, get in touch. If they are popular, we hope to make more.
