Peak District, The Lowdown |
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Omobono
Senior Member Joined: 27 Nov 2015 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 560 |
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Posted: 15 May 2017 at 10:16 |
I spent my week of holiday in the Peak District and I thought I would leave some considerations for the benefit of anyone interested in spending a motorbike holiday there.
Place is absolutely beautiful. It is a bit like miniature Dolomites. Considering there are almost no "official" mountains (only 1 I think above 600 metres) the peaks are extremely steep and the roads reflect this. The fastest roads are on top of the hills. Unfortunately, they are also plagued with truck galore and an abundance of cameras (even the dreaded average speed cameras). Plus, they tend to be windy. I found them unpleasant and very unpleasant on windy days (which was almost every day). Vegetation is also different, with less forest and more pasture (there are exceptions, most notably the Snake Pass). The experience changes when you are at a lower level, as the steep peaks will protect you from the wind and where you will find much more foliage and far more interesting landscapes. These roads are different: winding and tormented, absolutely beautiful for strolling around admiring the landscape, but you will have no joy if you are looking for a sportier ride. Again, at mid-hill the beauty of the place is beyond belief: basically every curve will present you with a new, and exciting, view fit for a XIX century landscape painter. I have never experienced the like of this. Not even in the Dolomites (far larger vales). There are an awful lot of one-lane roads for both ways with more or less generous passing places. You can stay on the bigger roads but this will limit your choices and, I think, also limit your experience. I have seen only one police car in seven full days. It seems the only way to get in trouble are the cameras located mostly before villages or in the "faster" roads. Everywhere else limits are more than acceptable at least for my riding style. Plenty of things to see around the AONB: I have visited Lyme Park, Kedleston Hall, Hardwick and Sudbury Hall. Plenty more to see, first of all Chatsworth (currently scaffolded in part so I passed for this time). A number of really pretty, characteristic villages. Not as beautiful as Cotswolds villages because of the darker, "colder" stone colour, but very nice nevertheless. My favourites were Castleton, Hartington and Tissington. The biggish centres are also mostly very attractive: Bakewell, Buxton, and Matlock were all fine. I was underwhelmed by Ashbourne and Glossop (both outside of the AONB). The snake pass was very good, I did not have any real inclination for the cat and fiddle thing because of the cameras and wind so I spent my time elsewhere. Apparently the pub has closed. It's colder than in London and surrounding, but you imagine this already. It is very beautiful when it rains, with the haze mounting up from the vales; again, every curve is a new spectacle, and there are a lot of them. Excellent place for a bike holiday, but if you are a sport biker you will not have much joy. It's a touring biker paradise. Like Arnie, I will be back. O Edited by Omobono - 15 May 2017 at 10:20 |
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red leader one
Senior Member Joined: 07 Oct 2014 Location: Cullercoats Status: Offline Points: 4466 |
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Nice write up.
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Ken-Guzzibear
Moderator Group Joined: 13 May 2014 Location: Sileby Leics Status: Offline Points: 9454 |
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Nice write up nice observations too
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The Older i Get, The Better I Was
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iceni
Senior Member Joined: 16 Sep 2014 Location: Colchester Status: Offline Points: 2480 |
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Excellent - thanks for the update. Glad you enjoyed it.
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motopete
Senior Member Joined: 18 Aug 2015 Location: Notts Status: Offline Points: 532 |
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Pleased you enjoyed it
Living on the doorstep (Notts/Derby border) you tend to take it for granted, it's good to hear someone elses view. Be sure to book good weather for your return trip...
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