Cycling UK Forum

The A57 Snake Pass road from Manchester to Sheffield is closed between the Glossop and the Bamford turn-off. This is caused by a road slip, but the road is still passable by bike. Because the road is closed the section from the Bamford turn-off to Sheffield is exceptionally quiet.

This is a fabulous road to ride, usually marred by the high volume of traffic. Now is the time to appreciate this ride through the peak district. I went out yesterday and it was just great.

Good point.

How long have we got before they fix it? Can it wail till the summer hols?

Probably not - the Derbyshire County Council website has it reopening on 13 February

I'm the postie on the Snake and they've not started work on the road yet. The 'landslip' is only about 25 yards long (the road has dropped about 18 inches) and the roadblock is easily navigable by bike.

It's great at the moment (nice and quiet and you can hear the birds singing again), however I have seen one or two people chancing there arm and going through the barriers and one this morning in particular, driving a little too fast for the road, thinking that there would be no-one else around which is a bit dodgy as the farmers have been using the opportunity to cut a few hedges back with their tractors and the road will not be up for gritting when it gets a little colder.

I'll update this post when I see anything happening up there.

Are people riding motorcycles through there Vivele? I imagine that if you can get a bicycle through you'd get a motorbike through too and if they use it in the usual manner I think it would spoil it a bit

I remember riding Mam Tor when a landslip closed that. It never opened fully again of course

Could be even better Thursday morning (31 Jan) severe gales forecast - so long as you're heading the right way

vivelesalpes wrote:I'm the postie on the Snake and they've not started work on the road yet. The 'landslip' is only about 25 yards long (the road has dropped about 18 inches) and the roadblock is easily navigable by bike.

please can you do us a photo?

I was hoping it would do a Mam Tor and never re-open, thus becoming a permanent classic cycle route.

drossall wrote:I remember riding Mam Tor when a landslip closed that. It never opened fully again of course

you still can. Provided someone (hiker) holds the gate open for you near the top, you can ride it all with dismounting - and thats on a racing bike, not MTB. There's one bit thats a bit dodgy whre you ride next to a precipice and hope that the wind doesn't catch you - but hey - don't look down ; look ahead if youre nervy!

Hi,

I've not seen any motorbikes up there yet (I did see a 'lost' eastern European truck up there which is doing the subsidence no good whatsoever). There are barriers all the way across the road at either end of the section which has sunk, and the council have patched a ramp down onto it. The locals keep moving the barriers though as it's a real pain for them to have to get to their fields via Glossop

The genreral feeling among the farmers is that the road is going to be shut for a bit longer than Feb 13 as it either needs a retaining wall or some piles driving in to stop it heading towards the river. I just hope that the number of motor vehicles doesn't increase as more people try their luck as its great up there at the moment.

I'll try and get some pic's tomorrow morning if the weathers fine. (I was getting shot blasted by high speed hale this morning = not good working (or cycling) weather.

pigman - when we rode it last, we went over a precipice... I think it must have been half dark or something, and we didn't notice where a section had dropped. Nearly took our chainrings off! Nearer the top, they were trying to prop it up with railway sleepers, and one of us got blown off over a sleeper. Sounds like the Snake now - maybe these roads get blown off the hill

Judging by the weather forecast I don't think I'll be out on the Snake on tomorrow (Friday)

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