Expanded cycling network and improved facilities as Peak District looks to promote itself as top cycling destination

I saw the surface made from reclaimed tyres demonstrated at a TransPennine Trail meeting , and rode it at Penistone, it has to be better than crushed stone?

Surfacing should be usable by all and not just mountainbikes for new schemes?

Some of these routes parallel major roads and so would be an alternative for commuting and road riding

Most if not all of this was originally announced in August 2013 as Pedal Peak Phase 2

http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/countryside/access/cycling/pedal_pe...

hope it actually moves ahead soon before the funding expires

it is good to see a focus on enabling access out to The Peak that isn't reliant on driving to cycle "honeypots"

waiting to see if Sheffield Council https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/roads/works/schemes/cycle-schemes.html
actually get it together on their section:
- "A link between Beeley Wood and Wharncliffe Woods at Oughtibridge. We are currently looking at a number of options to achieve this" and have been for several years with funding being a problem - pretty sure local Sustrans people have proposed a number of detailed schemes to by pass the horrible narrow/steep rail bridge on Station Lane, Oughtibridge which was actually used on the TDF route but is considered unacceptably dangerous by families - hope to get a proper TDF legacy out of this

Progress but unbelievably slow even with funding in place

I do like Bedfordshire clangers idea of ski-run-type coloured routes, although I can just imagine some tabloid nonsense about the "officially-endorsed racetracks".

This is great news, I cycle in the Peak District almost every week, it's a stunning and challenging area.
I recommend it to everyone.
New Forrest Council.......watch and learn. Oh, and give back the fraudulently obtained cycle cash.

This is great news, I cycle in the Peak District almost every week, it's a stunning and challenging area.
I recommend it to everyone.
New Forrest Council.......watch and learn. Oh, and give back the fraudulently obtained cycle cash.

@bedfordshire clanger - if the plans favour off road, traffic free routes it's because that's what the majority of people want : folk on holiday, families, non 'serious' cyclists etc. You can be sniffy about sustrans but for all their faults they are trying to make cycling accessible to more than just a bunch of roadies - and that means taking car traffic out of the equation.

The Peak District is a fantastic location for cycling. I highly recommend anyone who hasn't been to pay a visit with a bike, you won't be disappointed and I'm sure that you'll be back for more. I am puzzled that the plans laid out in the article describe largely off road facilities when the recent boom in cycling is very much road orientated. I think that a simple and relatively inexpensive way to attract visitors would be to put together a number of permanent well signed road routes. The routes could be colour coded ski run style ranging from quiet little pootles in Goyt Valley or around Ladybower and Derwent right through to 100 mile days out taking the famous challenges like Holme Moss and Winnats Pass, highlighting some good cycle friendly cafes along the way. I don't think that everyone relishes riding off road on shared use paths. I do believe that Sustrans is well intentioned but they are a bunch of hippies on mountain bikes and seem to have a disproportionate say in the allocation of funds for cycling facilities which results in others following their lead. In my opinion, some proper consultation with cycling clubs or even British Cycling would go a long way.

"The ultimate aim is to create a 60-mile circuit connecting the existing High Peak, Tissington and Monsal Trails into Buxton, Bakewell and Matlock."

That's really something to look forward to.

The Tissington, High Peak and Monsal Trails are lovely, but like so many similar rides they are basically Sustrans making the best of leftover scraps of closed-down railway which nobody else wants.

As the article suggests, this means they are piecemeal, relatively short, not circular and not linking conveniently with towns and public transport hubs; by their very nature they are in locations which no longer have stations .

Despite this these trails can be overwhelmed by families who want a safe bike ride on a sunny day. They drive there, ride out and back, and drive home again. There really is an appetite for these kind of good quality traffic free routes. But even the trans-pennine-trail is a slightly odd mixture of bumpy off-road and some unpleasantly busy A-road. So if the NPA are serious, and I hope they are, they will need to spend some serious money on proper infrastructure dedicated to cycling.

Get off my roads!

Seriously this is great news - the cycling round here is fantastic, but hopefully the extension of the Monsal & High Peak Trails into town centres will encourage more people to use their bikes as transport as well as all the leisure cyclists in the area at weekends.
To be fair the drivers are generally very good around cyclists - on my daily commute from Wirksworth to Matlock pretty much everything including busses, taxis & HGVs wait and pass me sensibly, probably because there are a fair few riders on the road so they an accepted part of the traffic here. Having said that some wannabe Daily Mail columnist had a rant about cyclists intimidating and slowing her down on a Sunday drive by cycling in groups in the Derby Telegraph earlier this week with all the predictable road tax comments from Clarkson's fan club.

Blimey, this looks good. I ride in the area anyway, but once we hopefully complete our house move from Manchester to Congleton, this might be even more accessible. I guess the business case looked at the boost Yorkshire got from the TdF and is trying to exploit that market sans the big race.

Wouldn't it have been nice if the cycling money the New Forest fraudulently acquired had ended up actually being used for cycling somewhere like the Peak District?

Same here, though my wife wouldn't have let me even if I wanted to. It is great cycling area, some beautiful scenery, friendly folk, plenty of small quiet side roads and some killer hills. I found a 20% one that looked like torture....plan to go back with the boys for a fun weekend. Unlike the new forest, the local authorities in Matlock can see the money this brings in to the local economy, good on them. This part of the world produces some of our best cyclists, hard as nails.

we spent a week near Matlock over summer, I was kicking myself that I didnt have a bike with me, some great riding to be had around there.