Words by Pete. Photos by Bern, Butty , Lee, TJ & Pete
Crew : Lee, Butty, Pete , El Pres, Troll , Bern , 3sheds, TJ
Route : Derbyshire Bridge – Buxton Old Coach Rd – Berry Clough – Contour to Grouse Butts – Wild Moor – above Wildmoorstone Brook – Beet Wood descent – Plex Lodge – Bishops Lane – Burbage – the Buxton Old Rd – DB .
Eventual watering hole : The Wharf .
Conditions : Dry , overcast and quite mild . It tried to rain mid-ride , but gave up fairly quickly.
Notes :
Butty’s van and car assist Buxton Circle plan soon morphed into a southern Goyt valley based mini Buxton Circle, which was big on fun and big on descents and climbs.
In a matter of hours after picking up his new van it was being used to collect TJ and then me and whisk us to Barracks Lane . Here we sorted out who was ferrying who, and who was taking whose bike.
Apart from Lee & Bern who did a separate rendezvous and ended up late for the meet up at Derbyshire Bridge …as Lee had it in his head we were doing Three Shires instead . Most entertaining .
Tbh it was a welcome return to the delights of this side the Goyt Valley . The descent into Berry Clough was “spicey” to use one of Lee’s favourite phrases. 3sheds and Butty were in their element .
From the valley bottom the climb was more of a contouring thing but still technical enough to keep you from switching off your brain.
After this section it was very much a “make it up as we go along” with Butty knowing the territory fairly well .
We make it back to Derbyshire Bridge intact , and a brief picnic ensues before there is an excellent suggestion : to reconvene at The Wharf in Macc .
( Thanks to Butty for bringing a selection of fine snacks. And hats off to The Troll for bringing home cured Salt Beef and Horseradish sauce)
Just a brief stay at the Wharf for TJ , me and Butty but enough to graduate from a fruity 4.2% cooking IPA to a dangerous pint of “Disruptor” at 7.4% and only £4.70 …
I don’t know how late anyone else stayed ……
Appendix A : Historically accurate route description (Thanks , Butty !) :
Buxton Old Coach Road (reverse of the “Bathchair men” route), track north and west through Berry Clough returning to the Goyt’s Clough eastern track and contouring the Northshore to Grouse Butts. Tracking back south east following Wildmoorstone Brook up and over the dismantled Cromford & High Peak Railway close to the tunnel a short hike a bike over the top to Beet wood.
Then a steep descent into Bishops Lane .
(George John Trevor Spencer, Bishop of Madras died at Edgemoor in Buxton, on 23 July 1866 and it is this bishop that Bishop’s lane in Burbage may be named after).
From the outskirts of Buxton back west into the Bathchair Mens route again, this end named Macclesfield Old road for a very rough climb and fast return to the car park near Derbyshire bridge.
Appendix B : Bathchair Men ? – an explanation (from https://www.wondersofthepeak.org.uk/facts/the-goyt-valley-macclesfield-old-road/) ……
