Cycling

Castleton is an excellent place for mountain biking, with many excellent routes starting from the village or nearby.

Route 1

This is a short fairly easy circuit from the village. Start by cycling west out of the village towards Winnats Pass. However, ignore the turn to Winnats Pass and continue along the former main road towards Mam Tor.

When you reach the Odin Mine the road narrows and zig-zags up the hill. This was once the main road to Chapel-en-le-Frith but in 1973 a landslip destroyed the road and it still has several ‘steps’ in it, so you may not be able to cycle all the way up.

Go past the Blue John Mine and when you meet the main road go straight on, then past the top of the Winnats pass road and take the next left, a track which leads past Rowter Farm.

At the end of this track turn left at the T-junction. At the next gate (which is the top of the Cavedale path) continue straight on through the flourspar workings of Dirtlow Rake. Take care here – there are excavations going on all the time and lorries carrying away the rock which has been quarried.

At the end of this track you emerge onto the minor road between Bradwell and Castleton. Turn left and follow this road back to the village.

Other Options

The route above can easily be lengthened by turning right when you meet the Cavedale track and crossing the moor to Peak Forest. From Peak Forest turn either left or right and return to Castleton via minor roads and tracks on Bradwell Moor (if you turn left) or Perry Dale and Rushup Edge (if you turn right).

Another option from the top of the Mam Tor road is to turn right and take the Edale road to Mam Nick then go along the top of the edge to Lords Seat. Continue along Rushup Edge and at the end, turn right to drop down into Edale. Follow the road to Edale village and return via the bridle track to Greenlands Farm and Hollins Cross before descending (with difficulty) down the track which leads back to Castleton.

Easier and more level cycling can be found at the Derwent Dams, only a few miles from Castleton.