CYHA News

Peak Performance

What better way to welcome in the Spring than by a weekend blowing away the cobwebs from the back of bike in the limestone hills of the Peak District. Jim carefully picked a flat route making the most of  the former railway lines in the area, but there were still some steep bits linking them to the hostel at Alstonefield. Luckily Dave and I had managed to squeeze in a couple of practice rides before we went, which definitely helped with the leg-work, but I could have done with a rubber ring strapped to my saddle to save my bottom.

In our Newsletter for May and June we have plenty of opportunities for further healthy self-torture, with a packed programme of walks and cycling to whip us into shape for the summer. Not to overlook the opportunities to over eat with all the pub visits we have lined up.

 Ali

By train _^^bike in the Peak District

A couple of weeks ago, CYHA visited the Peak District to travel on the High Peak and Tissington railways, taking our bikes, as no trains have run on them since Beeching's axe fell in the 1960s. However the train spotter's loss is the cyclist's gain, as the tracks provide miles of flat traffic free routes through the White Peak, with cuttings, tunnels, and views from embankments.

However to get to the nice flat railway trails, we had to drop from Alstonefield YHA at the top of one hill, into Dove Dale and climb the long steep hill back up the other side, but once there, progress was swift along the Tissington Trail to Parsley Hay and onwards to our first tea stop at Middleton top on the High Peak Trail, where a huge steam-powered winch used to pull trains up a 1:8 incline.

We then left the trail courtesy of Sustrans route 54 round Carsington reservoir, through a ford and up another hill to Tissington. This climb was rewarded by tea and cakes at the Old Coach House tea room, scene of the 2010 August bank holiday Tea Shop Rebellion. This time, we basked outside in the sun, rather than sheltering inside from torrential rain. One sting in the tail remained, the climb from Dove Dale back to the hostel. We had earned Lily's French (!) curried chicken and apricot tart.

On Sunday, the railway theme continued with the Manifold trail, reached by a thrilling/scary (delete as appropriate) descent with hairpin bends from Alstonefield to the trail itself. We picnicked on pasta salad by the river before climbing a rocky (ostensibly) cycle track, part of route 54, to Hartington for the first teashop of the day. From Hartington, we rejoined the Tissington trail, with the drivers peeling off to face the hill out of Dove Dale one last time, while non-drivers continued on the flat to Tissington for a return visit to the Coach House while they waited to be picked-up.

Distances cycled: Saturday 34 miles, Sunday 20 miles.

 Jim