plumby's JOGLE

[Lilyf]

I think we are both, more or less, singing from the same hymn sheet regarding the route into Derbyshire.

However, my suggestion was to leave the canal at Marple and follow the B6101 into New Mills (it avoids the mudbath/towpath). You just have one short climb after the small village of Strines on this section of the route.
When you are a short distance from New Mills you can see Swizzels across the valley!

I agree that Rosie’s cafe in Hayfield is nice. You’ll find it by dropping into the village, going over the river, and taking the first right up a little hill. Rosie’s is just ahead - on Kinder Road.

If you follow my route from New Mills and through Thornsett to Hayfield you will come across Sett Valley Cafe at Birch Vale. Another cafe worthy of a visit.

I’ve not been down Maynestone Road for over a month but did wonder how it had fared during the recent storms.
So if, as advised by Rareposter, you follow the A624 towards Chapel you can cut out Chinley. As you go under the railway bridge go left towards Chapel and then you can take the next right and you are on Charley Lane (as per my previous instructions).

(Following the main road into Chapel can be a bit complicated if you don’t know the area. There is a now a one way system which takes you onto the bypass and a long way round! You can actually miss this diversion by going up Burrfields Road and pushing your bike along a footpath at the top. Details available if required!)

Hopefully things will change and you will be able to go through Whaley Bridge next Tuesday.

Rareposter, do you agree that Plumby, if he can, would be better going over Long Hill to Buxton rather than going up Elnor Lane and the old road (route 68)?
I’ve not been over the top bit for many years as it became more and more unrideable on a road bike. I suspect it is still the same as it is/was used by off-road motorbikes.

[rareposter]

Rareposter, do you agree that Plumby, if he can, would be better going over Long Hill to Buxton rather than going up Elnor Lane and the old road (route 68)?
I’ve not been over the top bit for many years as it became more and more unrideable on a road bike. I suspect it is still the same as it is/was used by off-road motorbikes.

Long Hill (ALL of it) is closed.

Elnor Lane is open but that's largely a moot point since you can't actually get onto it from either end!
Old Road (route 68) is doable on a CX bike at a push but certainly not for road / touring bikes once it reaches the Long Hill end. But see above re Long Hill! That's why I routed round via Hayfield.
They're using Long Hill to stockpile the aggregate which the Chinook is then picking up and taking to the dam. No indications yet about re-opening but Network Rail have closed the lines at New Mills for the entire weekend (so no trains along the Hope Valley Line or to/from Buxton) due to the ongoing risk of flooding. To be fair, the Hope Valley Line had it's own flooding around Edale too.

Dry and warm here at the moment but further storms forecast on Sunday night into Monday.

[charliepolecat]

Excuse me if I'm wrong about this, but wouldn't the authorities be expected to provide detour signs around the Whaley Bridge area to get travellers back on track? If so, wouldn't Plumby expect to be able to just follow the signs rather than look at all the ingenious options suggested?

[RickH]

Excuse me if I'm wrong about this, but wouldn't the authorities be expected to provide detour signs around the Whaley Bridge area to get travellers back on track? If so, wouldn't Plumby expect to be able to just follow the signs rather than look at all the ingenious options suggested?

There may well be diversions signed but they will be intended for motor vehicles and may (I don't know which way they will send people) add 10s of miles onto a route, they also won't care much about hills but will probably tend to avoid the smallest, narrowest roads in favour of main roads - they could send you 30 or 40 miles on busy roads (made busier by the diversion) when there may be narrow lanes that are shorter (or at least a similar distance) & better for cycling.

[Cyril Haearn]

Best to give WB a wide berth for the duration

[plumby]

Day 3
Left Kinguisse in mist and fog which then literally just disappeared to leave hot sun all day. Shadowed A9 to Pitlochy and Perth through some genuinely stunning countryside. Real contrast as some of the A9 shadow road is like a billiard table then miles of loose stone. Nice 20 mile climb to the top of Drumochter summit leaving Kinguisse but it was very gentle.

Had a mare at mile 68. My route was meant to take me to A9 cycle lane but its been closed due to a new bridge being built. Ended up cycling down the side of the A9 plant road and the crossing (!) the A9!

Rest was great riding, Perth looked very nice. Getting some jip in left knee but hey ho. Bottom bracket noise seems to have gone.

Had two very big climbs today. Kelty a big one.

[plumby]

[RickH]

Best to give WB a wide berth for the duration

Tonight's BBC News - Whaley Bridge dam: More homes evacuated as storm threat looms

A further 55 homes are being evacuated in a Derbyshire town - with bad weather expected to hamper efforts to fix a damaged dam at risk of bursting.

The last estimate was that residents could be out of their homes for seven days yet.

[Lilyf]

Plumby.
Looking at the way things are going it might be worth you trying to sort a route that will take you from the Stockport area then via Macclesfield to Ashbourne. From Ashbourne you can get back onto your original route.
The local roads and lanes have lots of queuing traffic and frustrated drivers! As far as I am aware there are no official diversions in place.

[rareposter]

I met up with Plumby (Daniel) this morning in Romiley as I know the canal towpath isn't the easiest thing to find from there so we rode along that to Marple, along the "closed" Strines Road to New Mills and over the back way to Hayfield.
Up the back lane out of there and over to Chapel - that bit was getting unpleasantly busy as it's getting all the traffic that can't go along the A6. Anyway, made it through Chapel, up and over to Dove Holes then took the back lanes to Buxton. Again, Buxton itself was queuing traffic so we cut through the town centre and rejoined his original route.

A day or so earlier and I'd have been able to route along the canal through New Mills and via the back road to Buxworth (thus avoiding the climb out of Hayfield) but the police have found most of the little cut-throughs, alleyways etc that link into the canal now.

Long Hill is still completely closed - I came back an off-road route that parallels it which is unrideable in places even on my CX but I could across to Long Hill and see the Chinook shuttling back and forth.

He should be nicely on his way down the route by now - nearly 200km for him today.

[charliepolecat]

Rareposter, you are a gentleman and very probably a scholar!

[plumby]

Hi guys
rp id indeed a gentleman. Thank you a million James. The good news ends here.

I'm currently sat outside a new build housing estate in Shepshed just 17 miles left to go. My right thigh/knee has imploded and I simply can't take the pain of pedalling anymore. I'mstruggling to walk. The last 10 miles have been the worst I've ever had. I guess it ends here. Im so gutted I don't really want to carry on typing. I never saw myself failing but I can't abide the pain anymore.

But James you are a lovely man! Next time I'm in Buxton we'll grab a coffee with you and your good lady!!

Thanks again.

[Lilyf]

Well done, Rareposter, in getting Plumby safely through to Buxton.
It would have been rather difficult without local knowledge.
Edited to say - sorry to hear about your injury Plumby and that you feel unable to continue.

[charliepolecat]

My right thigh/knee has imploded

Oh, no! Stretching, Ibuprofin, massage, anything help? Maybe a day resting and then go again?

[SimonCelsa]

Yes, don't give up right away, see how it is tomorrow. I had a very similar problem a couple of years ago when cycling down to Weymouth from Inverness. On the second day just before the Forth road bridge I had an excruciating pain in my left knee and I had to pedal basically with one leg only until my planned stop in Livingston. A hot bath and some tubular support bandage from Asda was my first course of action.

Next morning I set off expecting the worse but I never felt another twinge and made my trip in the planned 7 days.

All the best, hope the knee gets better!