Cycling around Wirksworth

[Amanda]

Hello, having recently moved here I wondered if anyone out there knows of any mountain bike routes around Wirksworth, I know there is the trail but when I have been out walking I haven't noticed many bridleways around. I am enjoying the lovely lanes, but thought I would ask in case I am missing some goood tracks. Thanks.

[mary ann]

There are some. The best thing is to get the 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map OL24, which covers the White Peak District, which shows the bridleways very clearly.

Meanwhile, here are 2 routes:

1. From Wirksworth via Bolehill across Cromford Moor, down towards the R. Derwent valley, then around to join the High Peak Trail back to Black Rocks.

From Harrison Drive opposite petrol station, cycle down track to the right of primary school, across bridge over railway and onto track to Bolehill. (It is technically a footpath but used to be a lane so should be a restricted byway, and it is a good surface. No one minds cyclists.)
In Bolehill, turn left at the phone box (for another day, go right and you get onto a lane that is not a through road but fine for bikes and gets you up to Wirksworth Moor) as I said, turn left at the phone box and continue straight ahead on lane up steep hill. Turn right onto Oakerthorpe Rd. Continue on this road about half a mile and then left onto A BRIDLEWAY! Straight ahead past farm, then bear right, not left and follow fairly faint bridleway across the fields, down hill, straight ahead. Then spot a field gate ahead, slightly right, which is the bridleway. Don't bear left on the more obvious footpath. When you get to the lane to a farm, turn right and go out to the main lane. Turn left and then watch out for bridleway that goes left off the lane. It's the Midshires Way. Old track. Stay on it for a bit over 1.5 miles, through forest. Turn left onto the High Peak Trail. (Don't go under the trail.) Cycle up incline, and then flat, around to Black Rocks, then back to Wirksworth. (If you do go under the Trail, you can continue down to streets that take you to Cromford. This is a useful route for avoiding the dreaded Cromford Hill.)

Phew! I won't describe the 2nd route in detail, but it goes right (north) off the High Peak Trail about 2 miles past Middleton Top. It eventually gets you to Grange Mill at the top of the Via Gellia.

Besides bridleways, there are a lot of very small lanes on the OS map which are often unpaved and good mountain-biking.

Have fun!

Mary Ann

[Amanda]

Great, thanks very much for that, your directions look good. I will deffinately give it a whirl, probably on a dryer day than today! Will also aquire an OS map centred on Wirksworth. Cheers Mary Ann.

[AdeB]

A bit of a late response, so you probably know about these by now, but there are a couple of tracks here that could be incorporated into a larger ride...

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=53.07357,-1.566585&ll=53.073299,-1.562333&spn=0.016965,0.034976&sll=53.081242,-1.560525&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&num=1&z=15

From the point marked (assuming I got the link right!) the "road" shown going north east from the top of Gorseybank up to St Helen's Lane is in fact a track.

Also from the point marked, Pratthall lane (going south, and appearing to join up with nothing) is also a mountain-bikeable track - it does actually join up with Taylor's Lane, so you won't need to turn round and come back.

If you see a bloke running with a back and white collie (I sometimes go this way), please don't run me over ;) !

[Amanda]

Great, thanks for that. :)