Some routes are designed to get you somewhere. Others are just “because we can”. This one – The Dales, Tarts and Apple Cake is firmly in the “because we can” bucket.
The Dales and the Staffordshire Moors are victims of their own success. Visit these on a sunny weekend, and you will drown in an ocean of metal boxes full of frustrated visitors who have collectively made their own traffic jam and are now sitting in it, venting at the motorcyclist who has the audacity to filter. Midweek, or on a summer or early autumn evening, this route refreshes the soul.
Starting out east of the Peak District, the route wastes little time escaping into the countryside. The roads quickly shrink, the traffic thins, and the landscape starts doing what the Peak District does best — giving you hills, bends and twisting lanes in roughly equal quantities.
Heading west, the route works its way through the rolling countryside towards the heart of the White Peak. The landscape gradually opens out, with green valleys giving way to the limestone country that makes this part of Derbyshire so distinctive. There are no heroic mountain passes here, just a succession of wonderfully twisty roads linking one attractive village to the next.
If you have travelled to ride this route, then Bakewell provides the first obvious excuse to stop. Sitting beside the River Wye, it is one of the Peak District’s best-known towns and, more importantly, gave its name to the famous tart.
From Bakewell the route heads deeper into the Dales, with Monyash marking another change of character. The roads grow quieter and the countryside more expansive, with limestone walls and open pasture stretching toward the surrounding hills.
Apple Cake
Monyash’s reputation for homemade apple cake makes it a particularly convenient waypoint on a route whose title is beginning to look like a meal plan.
Look for The Old Smithy café in Monyash. It is easy to find; just look for the stone monument on the village green and the array of motorcycles parked outside the café. (DE45 1HE)
From here, the route continues through the high country towards Longnor and the Dove Valley, where broad views and open hills replace the tighter valleys around Bakewell. This is classic Peak District riding: roads that wander rather than point, scenery that demands an occasional glance over the hedge and enough elevation changes to remind you that your motorcycle has gears for a reason.
The return leg takes in Hartington, Parwich and Brassington before gradually working back towards the Derwent Valley. The scenery changes again as the open limestone landscape gives way to greener valleys and wooded sections, eventually bringing the route back towards civilisation.
The route ends in Belper at the supermarket petrol station – much cheaper than the one you’ll pass in the High Street.
As you pull away from the pumps, turn left, not right. In between the petrol station and the road is Book Café Belper. A tad posh, but a great place for a pot of tea.
If you have a route that you would like to share, get in touch and with the Editor, and we will do our best to include it. Download, ride and enjoy. What could possibly go wrong? All the motorcycle touring routes are GPX 1.1 version files.
All of the motorcycle touring routes are provided “as is” without guarantee, liability or any assurances. The lawyers said we had to include that sentence. All we can tell you is that we had an excellent time planning and riding them.
