March - About 7 of us are heading down to the PEAK District from Bonnie Scotland, to meet up with some riding buddies from dahn south (so peaks seems a fair 1/2 way point).

We would like to do a 'weekender' loop type route that would involve an overnight stay about two/thirds of the way round a 50 - 60 mile loop.

The criteria are as follows.
1) Start point - must be easy to get to on a Friday night from both Edinburgh and Salisbury, at least leaving time for a good few ales in various pubs. Decent B&B also required.

2) Route - must be scenic, high, mountainous, (were used to the highlands) knarly, demanding, but largely rideable, lots of singletrack inclusive of good up/downhills and be a loop of 50 miles +

3) The overnight stay - 2/3rds of the way round the loop (time wise anyway), which could provide decent accom to sleep min of 10 (bunk house ideal), in/near to a village/ town with access to a good meal / good few beers and a bit of action, albeit wearing Shimano shoes and the lightest carried of trousers !

Can anyone out there think of such a Peak District route with the required amenities ?

All suggestions and local tips welcome, I don't know the area at all, but will rush out and purchase the relevant OS sheets as the suggestions roll in.

Thanks

I'll get me map.
Report back tomorrow with a suggestion.
If you're scottish then you'll be wanting the best stuff the peak has to offer - i.e. 2 laps of Mam Tor probably won't float yer boat.

Bear with me on this one. OS Map 110 will help a lot or harvey's dark peak is even better.

Start in Hope.
Back road Aston & Thornhill.
Yorkshire Bridge, Ladybower Inn (A57/A6013 junction).
BW to cutthroat bridge on A57.
Backtrack on BW from cutthroat bridge across derwent edge (whinstone lee tor) to ladybower resr.
Up side of ladybower, derwent & howden resvr to head of valley at cranberry clough.
Take BW to Flouch Inn (cut gate), short carry , big moorland crossing via cut gate & mickleden edge.
Through Langsett resr plantation to A629 woodhead pass.
BW parallel to woodhead road for most of distance. Descend to head of Longdendale trail (old railway line).
Longdendale trail cycleway (cheesy) until it crosses B6105, then take B6105 to Glossop.
Through Glossop on A624 toward Hayfield (unavoidable nasty busy road - there are some BWs east of here that I haven't ridden - perhaps Jon Doran can help with these?)
After bends in road before take BW across middle moor toward Kinder Resr but at summit of moor, turn R on BW DH to Hayfield.
Overnight Hayfield?
Old road out of Hayfield onto BW under Mount Famine and onto ROych road (not marked as ROW on maps)
To Rushup edge road (A625), immediately back onto BW up sunken track onto Rushup Edge/ Lords seat hill.
Onto road at Mam Nick, down 100yrds towards edale. Take BW across flank of Mam Tor to Hollins Cross. Take one of the DHs from Hollins X to Edale (both good).
Road to Clough farm, BW to Hope Cross.
BW from Hope Cross via Wooler Knoll towards Win Hill, but then DH on Hope Brink to Aston
END

Modify that if to your desires.
It has some boring road and cycleway bits, but include two big nasty offroads to compensate - cut gate and roych road. These are the hardest most technical, longest BWs in the peak but getting them into one ride isn't easy.
Anywhere south of Castleton/Hope is limestone therefore very very nasty except in high summer. Then best riding is in the Edale/Hope/Ladybower area, but not 2 days worth.
If you need to extend the ride then perhaps take BWs from Hope / hope cross/ lockerbrook farm/derwent resrv somewhere in ride.

Kevin that sounds like a superb route, I think I've ridden most of it at some point (But not the Woodhead Pass to Hayfield bit so can't help there).

Coming down from Cut Gate to Langsett is pretty special - did it with 3 mates last summer on a Edale to Langsett ride and all ended up face planting twice, in the same order both times. Wierd... :-)

Come summer I'm going to try for it in a day. I've already done Sheffield/Doctors Gate/Longdendale trail/Woodhead/Cutgate/derwent moor/sheffiled in a day. 65 fantastic miles.

Ive done something very similar but backwards several times
to your dirrection (we call it the Derbyshire mega ride). So if you want some
company give us a shout. we even did it with a ride out and back from M/C

It must be a lot harder riding it backwards. You'll get a crick in your neck!

not as bad as the pain in the posterior after a few hours riding

'Through Glossop on A624 toward Hayfield (unavoidable nasty busy road - there are some BWs east of here that I haven't ridden - perhaps Jon Doran can help with these?)'

You can do all sorts of weird loops to the east of the Hayfield Road, but to be honest, most of the best stuff is on the Hayfield side, though there's a nice bit of single track that loops over the top and crosses the main road below Mount Famine before taking in that bumpy, gnarly descent.

The bridleway below Kinder Downfall towards the Edale Cross track is great, but not unless it's dry or frozen when it gets dead gloopy.

How come it's Thursday but feels like Friday afternoon already?