Chris and I decided to give Route 68 a try, which we can pick up at New Mills - a short cycle from Marple. You can follow it all the way to Buxton - a round trip of 30 miles.
The forecast for today was fine in the morning with rain in the afternoon, so we were breakfasted and ready for the off at 8:30 to get the best of the weather, which was a pretty good effort, as those of you who know what a peach I am in the morning will appreciate!
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| Long Hill - aptly named - was more than a match for me! |
We warmed up nicely on the rolling hills around New Mills - enjoying the crisp spring morning. The air was cold and fresh, the sun just about warm, and the roads very quiet. It wasn't long though before the hills started to get a bit steeper. You had to be quick with the gear changes on some as you could turn a perfectly innocent looking corner to be faced with a hill that came from nowhere. A couple of times I didn't make it and had to loop back to avoid horrific gear crunching as I shot through several gears at once. My poor bike.
The effort we put in up the hills was rewarded though - the views were fantastic as we got out into the Derbyshire countryside, and for every uphill, there was the exhilarating rush downhill, with eyes streaming and face beaming! I couldn't keep in a 'yee hah' as we descended a particularly long and steep road, drawing some odd looks from passing walkers.
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| View from the top before the descent in to Buxton |
As we cycled across the top of the hills heading towards Buxton, we encountered virtually no traffic - in fact there were more walkers than cars. We were glad that we had hybrid bikes rather than road bikes though, as the road was more of a trail in parts, with rocks and shale that were so slippery we had to walk a short section. Hopefully we will pick up a few mounting biking techniques in Valencia that will help with that - stay tuned for an update in a couple of weeks.
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| Old Road - more trail than road. The edge of Buxton is just visible in the background. |
I couldn't help thinking as we whizzed down the hill into Buxton that we would shortly have to cycle back up that hill. This was also the first thing Chris said when we stopped! Luckily he had spotted a sign for coffee and cake, so we headed down to Pavilion Gardens where there was a cafe, and stopped for some refreshment. Of course, I hadn't brought any money with me - it was a miracle that I got out of the house fully dressed, so money was a step too far. Luckily Chris is more organised in the morning and had some cash, otherwise (he drily mentioned) this post would have been No Coffee and No Cake on Route 68!
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| Coffee and apple cake in the sunshine. |
Fuelled with cake, we set off for the return to Marple. To our great delight, there was much more downhill heading this way - it took us about 2 hours to get there, and 1:30 to get back. The rain clouds were gathering as we returned, but luckily we made it back without getting wet and I am now recovering smugly in a nice warm, dry house, on a comfy chair, watching the rain come down.
This was our toughest ride yet, but also the most enjoyable. My love for my new found sport just got a bit bigger. Now that is worth celebrating.
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