The Macclesfield Forest and Goyt Valley
This is another
circular ride, of about 20 miles, that centres around the Goyt Valley and
Macclesfield forest.
click on map for a larger view
The starting point is the Derbyshire Bridge car park at the top end of the Goyt valley (grid reference SK012 716) close to the Cat and Fiddle pub and near to the junction of the A54 and A537.
From the car park head back up towards the main road. Take the first left turn,
up a very short rise. Go straight across the A537 and then turn right along the
A54 towards Congleton. The road here is fairly exposed so if the weather is bad
then it is very bad. The first section of the ride is easy, there are a few
bumps but it is basically level or down hill. Soon after passing a right turning
for Wildboarclough, the road stars to descend more steeply and turns 90 degrees
to the left. It continues to descend past the Rose and Crown pub at Allgreave
where it turns sharply to the right. A few hundred metres further on and the
road turns to the left again and starts to go upwards.
The road climbs steadily and levels out as you pass the Wildboarclough Inn.
At the next crossroad turn right. The road goes up again, but this is only a
short climb. Follow the road along the top of
the ridge and enjoy the views of Sutton Common to the west and Shutlingslow
to the east. The road descends steeply enough to get up a reasonable speed, so
take care as you pass the Hanging Gate Inn. Soon after passing the Inn the road
turns sharply to the left. Turn right here. It looks straight on so beware of
oncoming traffic. Follow the lane until you enter the Macclesfield forest and
turn left when you reach the T junction. Follow the road past Ridgegate
reservoir on your left.
Turn right by the Leather's Smithy Inn. The road climbs steadily for about
half a mile and then levels off. It dips downwards for a hundred metres or
so and the rises steeply. You can see the road in front of you, which
appears to rise vertically through the trees. Make sure that your feet are
firmly clipped
to
the pedals and focus on the point above you where the road bends left. At
that point the climb becomes slightly less severe but continues upwards to
Forest Chapel. Once past the chapel you can relax slightly as the road heads
downwards. At the T junction turn left and left again at the next junction.
Once again at the next junction, opposite the Stanley Arms, turn left. The
road starts to climb again, but after the severity of the climb through the
Macclesfield Forest this one will seem very tame. When the road reaches the
A537 carry straight on towards Saltersford and the Goyt Valley. Relax again
as the road once again descends. It gets steep and twisty at the bottom of
the descent and quite often the road is wet, so take it easy. The next bit
is reasonably level (for this region) as you pass by the Lamaload reservoir.
Go right at the next junction again following the sign for the Goyt Valley.
There is a final little descent before the road turns left and starts to
point upwards.
Turn right by Jenkin Chapel and continue to follow the road upwards. It is
quite steep, but about half way up there is a short level section. Catch your
breath because the climbing continues and the next bit is the worst. The road
still climbing steeply turns left and then right. As you go round the right bend
the road kicks up even steeper. Don't give in at this point because you are
virtually at the top of the climb. There is a pull in on the right hand side of
the road where cars are usually parked. That is the top. Continue straight on at
the next junction and cross over the cattle grid. Enjoy the descent into the
Goyt Valley. This area gets very busy at the weekends, so be careful of other
traffic, walkers and sheep. At the bottom of the descent the road bends round to
the right and if it is a Sunday or bank holiday a gate will close the road into
the Goyt Valley. This is only to prevent access by car so just go around it. As
the gate only closes at 10:00 am the valley may not be entirely vehicle free.
The first part of the valley, past the Erwood reservoir, is level. The road then
starts to climb up through the trees. This is a steady climb and not too long.
The road levels out and passes through the middle car park. With the trees left
behind the road starts to climb again turning slightly to the left and then to
the right. The section round the right bend is the steepest part of this last
section. It is by no means as steep as the climbs earlier in the ride though.
You are almost home now and the road levels, climbing very gently back up to the
start point. Cross the cattle grids and you are back at the Derbyshire Bridge
car park.
Profile of ride starting at the Derbyshire Bridge
Maps courtesy of OS. For online maps and for further details of the route visit Get-a-map