Cycling in the Peak District

From the outset our Cycleways website was inspired by off-road, traffic-free cycling in this glorious Peak District landscape, from the semi-surfaced railway trails and gentle green lanes of the White Peak to the rough and plunging mountain bike bridleways of the Dark Peak. But more and more it seems that if cycling in the Peak, like elsewhere in the country, is to reach that critical mass and finally become an accepted, mainstream form of travel (and tourism) then it will have to embrace more fully our established road system.

Road racers and habitual cyclists will no doubt snort at this, already accustomed as they are to vying with motorised traffic, but for local people or visitors less familiar with riding a bike among a traffic (or simply inexperienced cyclists to start with) the busy main roads and narrow lanes can be quite daunting.

In my own village, a typical White Peak settlement with a long main street and only an occasional built-up pavement, the parish council managed to persuade the county council to paint a white line along one side of the street to denote a walking route. On the whole it proved successful, alerting motorists to where they might expect pedestrians and trying to give those on foot some sort of protection. However, a few months in and the council had to be called back to paint a white walking person symbol next to the line as some cyclists mistook it for a cycle lane and there were a couple of near collisions.

Of course, there are those that feel that cycle lanes are not the answer anyway and give a false sense of security for both the rider and the motorist; but the example from my own village does suggest that some on two wheels feel equally vulnerable from vehicles as do pedestrians. As the local authorities look to develop cycling in Derbyshire and the Peak District it does beg a couple of wider questions:

• Is this expansion and encouragement of cycling principally aimed at visitors, in which case maybe a network of off-road, traffic-free trails will be sufficient (and safest) in order to effect purely recreational journeys?
• If the post-Olympics boost in cycling provision and participation is genuine, deep-rooted and truly national (as we all hope) then in the Peak District as elsewhere it must be for everyone, including or perhaps more especially the local community. In which case this means creating safe and accessible cycling routes in and out of our villages, to schools and shops, around Bakewell, Buxton and Matlock – in other words, making possible utilitarian cycle journeys as well as purely leisure.

We know that our Peak District roads are already busy with vehicles; we know that local car use is well above the national average; we know that public buses are under used and the local rural network is shrinking as subsidies are withdrawn; and we know that Derbyshire children no longer receive mandatory cycle training, despite the education authority promoting School Travel Plans, Safe Routes to School, etc, and its own research finding that “…cycling had the most apparent potential to provide additional sustainable trips to School” (DCC Sustainable School Travel Strategy).

But we also know that last November the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said that cycling and walking should become the norm for short journeys and should be encouraged throughout local communities, pointing out that cycle use is lower in Britain than it is in other European Union countries. Since then the Government has committed £62 million to investing in cycling, including £12 million ring fenced for national parks.

So how do we go forwards in the Peak District? Do we try and segregate motorised traffic and bicycles by designated lanes, if that is even possible on most of our country roads? Perhaps we should look to construct entirely new cycle tracks alongside the highway, or convert pavements into shared use? Would the planners and Highways engineers even allow it? Maybe more use could be made of green lanes and unclassified routes, or upgrade public footpaths to bridleways where they provide a linking section?

It’s probably true that part of the answer lies in educating motorists and encouraging greater respect and tolerance on the road between all users. But try saying that to some of the motorbikes that scream up and down the A6 on a sunny weekend; or the huge wagons that hurtle through Stoney Middleton Monday to Friday.

It’s not really surprising that the traffic-free cycle routes like the Monsal Trail are so popular with cyclists; it’s just a shame that my daughter’s village primary school isn’t at the end of it, otherwise she would be cycling every day rather than inching on foot along a narrow, pavement-less road following a painted white line.

Andrew

I have to admit that it’s not been the most inviting of conditions for cycling in the Peak District over Easter, with ice and snow still making some of the lanes and off-road tracks difficult. More walks than rides for me, so far. But despite the cold surely Spring is not too far away – and with it the prospect of getting out on two wheels more regularly to enjoy the fine countryside.

In many ways this sense of personal anticipation mirrors the wider hopes that many of us have for the development of recreational cycling in the national park. There’s been plenty happening behind the scenes over the last few months, with the prospect of more momentous events in the next 18 months:

• Last month a well-attended ‘Cycling Summit’ took place at Thornbridge Outdoors near Bakewell, organised by the Peak District National Park Authority, to bring together all those interested in helping to develop cycling locally. It looked at gaps in the network, riding routes into the Peak from the surrounding cities and how cycling could be made easier and safer for everyone. 
• The Government has announced £62m of funding for cycling improvements nationally, including £12m ring-fenced for national parks, and the Peak District looks likely to make a significant bid that it is hoped will continue the good work of its Pedal Peak District initiative.
• The first ever Peak District Cycling Festival is to take place this autumn from 7-15 September and will include a wide variety of led rides and cycle-related activities throughout the week, encouraging people to come, cycle and stay in the area; and it will be followed immediately afterwards by the Tour of Britain visiting the Peak District once more.
• The 2014 Tour de France will pass through the north eastern corner of the Peak District at the end of its second stage between York and Sheffield – it’s on 6 July 2014, in case you want to make a diary note or try and book a place by the side of the road at Holme Moss, Langsett or Bradfield!

The surge in cycling and cycling promotion in the Peak District is perhaps not surprising. It’s always been a popular recreational activity in this national park, both mountain biking and road racing, only held back by the busy roads and relatively few decent off-road MTB routes (or any purpose built routes). With Olympic success following on from Bradley Wiggins’s victory in the Tour de France, and a general realisation that cycling is a cheap form of transport in this age of soaring fuel prices / really healthy exercise for a couch potato nation / helps reduce CO2 emissions and saves the planet (delete according to your outlook) then cycling’s success in the country’s premier national park should be rosy.

But exactly what will this success look like? If you want to cycle in the Peak District in a couple of years time, whether for work or leisure, what will be different or improved? We don’t know what the bid from the National Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council for the new Government funding will comprise, but judging by the chatter at the recent Cycling Summit it must include infrastructure improvements to complete more of the ‘White Peak loop’ providing a traffic-free cycling connection between Buxton, Bakewell and Matlock via the Monsal and High Peak Trails. Well promoted cycling connections from all our surrounding towns and cities must also be high on the agenda.

But what else could it include? How about some of these:

• Cycle information/hire points at rail heads at Buxton, Matlock and at one of the Hope Valley stations, with added political pressure on the rail operators to be more bike-friendly
• A purpose built mountain bike course, perhaps in the sustainable coniferous woodland of the Upper Derwent valley
• A network of safe cycle links between the trails and neighbouring villages, possibly including the upgrade of footpaths and the use of green lanes and bridleways
• A concerted marketing campaign to make local accommodation and other local services bike-friendly
• More bike stands in public places
• More and better cycling training for local children
• A scheme involving all the tourist providers to give discounts to people turning up by bike

The shopping list could go on and on, but who exactly is writing the shopping list and is there a master plan informing it? The recent Cycling Summit certainly buzzed with ideas from every quarter, but there was little evidence of an over-arching cycling strategy for the Peak District to embrace all those different stakeholders and ensure that all the actions were complementary. With so much due to happen over the next 18 months it’s perhaps time that someone took charge of the road map.

Andrew

British Cycling recently released their latest annual report and, not surprisingly, it described an incredible year for the sport. Buoyed by domestic success in the Tour de France, then the London Olympics and Paralympics, the national governing body for cycling reported that two million people are now cycling at least once a week. Among the stand-out statistics is that 53,000 more women are now cycling than just six months ago, while British Cycling’s membership has seen a year on year growth of 43%. The legacy of the Olympics can also be seen in other ways. In our region alone, a new velodrome is to be built in Derby for completion in 2014 and new mountain bike facilities are planned in Manchester.

Cycling tourism in evidence at Parsley Hay.

We know that cycling’s upward trajectory nationally is reflected here in the Peak District, including events and competitions like the prestigious Tour de Britain, which visited the Peak District twice in this year’s eight stage route across the country. There are regular sportives (mass participation organised cycling races) and charity rides, while Breeze cycle rides for women is also popular. But cycling’s growing profile is also evident in the wider and less coordinated leisure market, not least via our traffic-free trails.

The Pedal Peak District project, launched by the National Park Authority in 2009, extended the Monsal Trail through the tunnels and in just 12 months had generated 50,000 cycling journeys. It had also inspired new cycle hire businesses at Hassop, Blackwell Mill and now Bakewell. Others are beginning to follow on other trails, like Carsington Water.

Pubs like the Royal Oak at Hurdlow are doing a good trade from cyclists.

And it’s not just bike hire. Accommodation providers, pubs and cafes across the Peak District are now realising that cycling is becoming big business – their customers might now be turning up on two wheels not four, and others are asking where they can go for a ride when they book to stay. It’s noticeable how many websites of Peak District B&Bs, self-catering cottages and even hotels now have a section on local cycling opportunities.

In 2011, the London School of Economics published the British Cycling Economy report, which for the first time tried to chart the full extent of cycling’s contribution to the British economy. Bearing in mind that this was compiled before this present extraordinary year, some of the headline findings included:

• In 2010 the gross cycling product (GCP) reached £230 per cyclist p.a.
• 3.7m bikes sold across the UK in 2010
• 208m cycle journeys made in 2010
• 200% expansion of the National Cycle Network to over 12,000 miles
• £2.9b total contribution to UK economy
• 28% increase in volume of cycle sales in 2010, generating £1.62bn
• £853m further contribution to the UK economy through the purchase of cycling accessories and bicycle maintenance, resulting in total retail sector sales of £2.47bn

Then there’s all the potential benefits to the economy through improvements in environment and health, including savings on absenteeism and the scary statistic that in the last 20 years there has been an almost doubling of the proportion of children being driven to school, despite 80% of them owning bikes!

On the High Peak Trail near Longcliffe.

After this year’s high profile successes for British cycling some of those stats are bound to have jumped; but it would be useful to have some firm data on how it’s positively affecting the Peak District. Here at Peak District Cycleways the number of enquiries is certainly going up (from people wanting to know where to cycle as well as service providers wanting to reach out to them) and we can see with our own eyes more people on bikes on the local lanes and trails. But what’s the real economic value of cycling? Although you might think the comparison odd, a recent survey of the economic impact of the South West Coast Path in Devon and Cornwall suggested that the walking trail generated over £300m for the regional economy every year, with almost three quarters of accommodation providers on or near the trail saying that the recreational route was an important selling point for their business. I’m not suggesting similar figures for recreational cycling here in the Peak District, but it would be interesting to have some clearer idea of how much cycling tourism brings in to the local economy and its value alongside other sectors, whether it’s overnight stays or otherwise. I’ve often heard the grumble that too many visitors to the National Park are self-contained day walkers who spend very little and contribute next to nothing to the local economy. I suspect that cyclists make a far more positive contribution in terms of visitor spend, but some definitive figures would be interesting.

If nothing else, it will demonstrate to the likes of Derbyshire County Council and the National Park Authority – who have pledged to improve and extend the cycling infrastructure in the Peak District – that recreational cycling doesn’t just benefit the environment, people’s health and fitness, and so on, but it also creates jobs. And in this present uncertain economic climate that’s a big driver.

 Andrew

Yesterday I spent several hours in the sunshine at the Peak Cycle Hire centre on the High Peak Trail, where a range of specially adapted bicycles for people with disabilities was being showcased. At Peak District Cycleways we get regular enquiries about where these sort of bikes can be hired or tried out, and we are always pleased to signpost people to the right places.

The Peak District National Park Authority has teamed up with Cycling Projects, a Warrington-based charity that both organises training and supplies specially adapted bikes to centres across the UK so that people of differing abilities can enjoy the fun and benefits of cycling. Through the Wheels for All programme there are 50 hire centres around the UK, including two in the Peak District – Parsley Hay and Derwent Fairholmes. The bikes can be hired by groups and individuals and, as I found out yesterday, their growing range and sophistication is amazing.

Cycling Projects staff show people the different sorts of bike.

On show yesterday were tricycles of various sizes, all of them very lightweight and eminently manoeuvrable; recumbent and semi-recumbent bikes, ideal for those wanting a relaxed sitting position and an alternative steering experience; tandems enabling people to cycle together; and companion cycles, where riders sit side by side. Different again are hand-cycles, operated by a hand crank and specially suited for people with lower limb impairments.

Not all of the models at the Wheels for All taster day are currently available at Peak Cycle Hire – at least not yet. The wheelchair transporter bike, for instance (where the wheelchair itself is secured on to a platform at the front and the pedaller sits behind) costs £4,300 and the Peak Park is looking for financial help to acquire one. “These bikes are perfect for anyone who is unable to ride a normal bike, but wants to participate in cycling activitie,” said Pedal Peak District co-ordinator Carol Parsons yesterday. “In particular, they make cycling accessible for people who cannot easily move out of their own wheelchairs.”

The wheelchair transporter bike.

There was a steady stream of excited punters trying out the models yesterday, including a local group from Buxton and another from as far afield as Nottinghamshire. Parents and carers were keen to see what was on offer and the recreational opportunities the trails provided, and Bakewell & Eyam Community Transport was also present with its fully accessible minibus and trained drivers that are available for groups and individuals to book.

What was brilliant, for me, was the fun, relaxed and inclusive atmosphere. Children (and adults) tried out different bikes on the safe, traffic-free cycle trail; Peak Park Rangers led short rides up and down the route; passing cyclists stopping off for a bacon butty and a cuppa at Parsley Hay mingled happily and were fascinated by the advanced technology of many of the adapted bikes.

Above all, it showed once more that cycling is a supremely rewarding activity for all ages and abilities, an accessible and enjoyable past-time whose social and physical benefits are plain for all to see. Whether you’re using these sorts of adapted bikes because of disability, taking out young children in buggies and tag-a-longs or benefiting from the assistance provided by the Electric Bike Network, the Peak District is surely one of the top destinations for leisure cycling. It may be an upland national park, but in the safe and accessible cycle trails we have a resource that is second to none.

Seeing some of the happy people trying out the bikes at Parsley Hay I wondered exactly what price do we, as a society, put on providing healthy and sociable exercise for disadvantaged individuals in an inspiring natural landscape? Let’s say £4,300 for starters.

Andrew

How should some of the Peak District’s finest traffic-free trails be looked after in the future? What should be the priorities for action – maintaining the surface, promoting local facilities, opening up the views, encouraging respect amongst different users?

The Peak District National Park Authority is finalising its first ever management plan for the trails that it owns and is asking for your views, following feedback from user groups and public events. The four trails in the National Park Authority’s control are the Monsal Trail, running 8.5 miles from Bakewell to Wyedale, near Buxton; the Tissington Trail which stretches 13 miles from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay, near Hartington; 10.5 miles of the High Peak Trail, from south of Buxton to Longcliffe, near Wirksworth; and the Thornhill Trail, a short two-mile route near the Upper Derwent Valley.

Two fairly recent surveys have revealed some interesting details about who uses the trails and how. Sustrans User Survey (2010) and the NP’s own Green Travel Survey (Spring 2012) interviewed  1,400 users on the various trails and found that:

• 49% of users travelled ten miles or less to reach the Trails, 23% less than 20 miles and 27.5% over 20 miles, showing the importance of this resource as both a local and regional/national destination.
• The vast majority of users arrive at the trails by car or van.
• Almost 57% of all users are walkers and nearly 42% are cyclists, but since the Sustrans survey pre-dated the opening of the Monsal tunnels and the other was affected by wet weather it’s likely the figure for cyclists is significantly higher (electronic counters on the Monsal Trail have indicated that there has been an increase in cyclists of over 7% since the trail was extended).
• The 1,400 people interviewed spent in excess of £13,500, with almost a quarter spending over £25 as a result of their visit to the Trails – the highest spending was at the Ashbourne end of the Tissington Trail, which must make a significant economic impact on the local economy.
• Of those questioned, 79% spent money on refreshments (either on or adjacent to the Trails), just over 30% had paid for parking and 8.5% had spent money on accommodation.
• For obvious reasons, the very short Thornhill Trail has its own variations in statistics, including a high use by local people and arrival on foot/bike rather than by car.

So what are the kinds of things that trail-users are saying is important to them so far? A ‘Trails Saturday’ event on the routes interviewed all types of user on a summer’s weekend and these were what people said they valued most about the trails: Traffic-free routes; beautiful countryside/scenery through which they pass; safe, family friendly trails; the associated facilities provided for trail users; and a well maintained trail surface. Other responses identified the flatness of the Trails (thus suitable for all abilities), the wildflowers and wildlife along the Trails, the geological interest and evidence of former rail use, as well as the links to and from the Trails in terms of the wider public rights of way network.

National Park Authority officers have been assessing all the contributions so far and have identified seven key issues that emerge consistently across all four Trails that they manage:

1. The importance of encouraging greater respect amongst user groups
2. The importance of seeking to develop links from the Trails and greater connectivity with the wider public rights of way network
3. The value of effective, engaging interpretation and information provision
4. The fundamental importance of a well maintained trail surface both in terms of surface condition and width
5. The need for additional seating along the Trails
6. The value of opening up views from the Trails to the surrounding countryside
7. The importance of managing litter and dog mess

A further consistent response was the request for the Authority to provide a mix of trail surfaces to better cater for those wanting a more technical, challenging cycling experience, but the Authority has indicated that this is perhaps outside the scope of the four trails with their linear and mostly flat nature and accessible purpose.

So what do you feel the Authority should be prioritising over the next five years – especially in terms of bikes? When you cycle the trails what do you think could be improved or developed? For instance, more information on how cyclists can access local services or link with adjoining rights of way? Encouraging some types of user (eg mountain bikers) to seek out less busy and more suitable routes? Better public transport links? Perhaps more of a focus on promoting the trails to local communities and local cyclists?

Go to the Authority’s trails consultation page on its website by Monday 17 September, check out the draft management plan (it’s interesting and well-written) and have your say on what’s important to you as a cyclist. The Peak District’s trails are a fantastic resource – and this is your chance to make them even better.

Andrew