| 1. A mildly testing road route away from the populated hills of Sheffield into the great expanse of the Peak District.
From Crosspool, on the A57, a steady descent takes you away from the City down into the Rivelin Valley. Then it's moderately tough work from there on in. But don't worry it's worth it. With the easy start, it isn't long before you find yourself staring out at an expansive landscape with hills in the foreground and just sheep and traffic for company. Although the main road isn't too bad, it comes as a relief to turn off, just short of the popular Ladybower Reservoir. You then face a small climb, that takes you far away from the hum of Manchester to Sheffield traffic. Before long, you're hit by the sound of silence. Some more climbing, then you come across Bell's Folly - a mysterious little watchtower looking out over a much depleted, but still beautiful, reservoir. Even on a sunny Saturday afternoon in early Spetember I was struck by the absence of walkers or other cyclists anywhere around, just the odd tiny farm building. Follow the road round, stop for a picnic, and rejoin the main road when you're happy all senses have been revitalised. Apparently, you can park up and walk down to the reservoir itself. But with the views from all sides I chose to carry on.
Overall, a fairly taxing route in as much as none of it is flat. The main road isn't to everyone's tastes, and not suibtable for a family day out. But once you reach the watchtower and take in the views, before gliding back down hill towards the Rivelin Valley on your way home, you realise its been more than worth it. And the beauty of Sheffield, you can be back home in an hour without even thinking of getting the bike rack out. |