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Just over year ago, after a heavy New Year's Eve session, a group of us decided it was time to get fit and lose a bit of weight (same as last year and the year before I hear you cry) but this time we actually did something about it. The men arranged to meet every Saturday morning to cycle for a couple of hours. The wives agreed to meet in the afternoons and walk for a couple of hours cross country using the footpaths. And, with a few exceptions, we all stuck to it; most of us and most of the time anyway. We are blessed with a number of fairly easy rides and plenty of good footpaths in this neck of the woods so the incentive to ride or walk through the lovely countryside around us helped to keep the experience a pleasurable one (well almost pleasurable) and we went out whatever the weather. The first few outings the men made seemed a big challenge (anything up to four miles or so). Remember it was still winter when we started and pretty cold. Within a couple of months though they were seeking longer routes and in time, a distance of 15 miles in a morning was quite normal. They even started to take on routes that were not so easy (with steep hills!) In January this year, to mark the success of a year's exercising, both groups planned a trip into the Derbyshire Dales to cycle (both the men and the women) along the Tissington Trail. This old railway line starts in Ashbourne and climbs gradually till you reach Dowlow, some 17 miles away and quite high in the Derbyshire Dales. Initially, the girls were going to walk it and the men cycle but it seemed silly to do it separately and so we all agreed to ride. It isn't a difficult ride. The gradient is almost un-noticeable most of the time and there is always the thought that it will be down hill all the way back. Fortunately, the seven old station buildings are still there and four of these: Mapleton Lane, Tissington, Hartinton and Parsley Hay (what a lovely name for a station), have been opened as places where refreshments and food can be purchased. These were very welcome stoppage places, where we had a chance to regroup, catch our breath and have a cuppa and a natter. The old track has been surfaced and is ideal for walking and cycling and for long periods runs along the ridge of the hills with spectacular views across the Derbyshire Dales on either side. All the fields and the path are lined with dry stone walls and the farm buildings are built of the same grey weathered stone, covered in lichens and mosses. Towards the top, as you get nearer to Parsley Hay, the track runs through a steep cutting and under a very tall arched bridge, and on our journey through this stretch, the wind came directly at us but after that the track sloped down till you reached the point where the Tissington trail and the High Peak Trail meet just before Parsley Hay. By the time we got there, we were ready for lunch and the food place there served a mean Steak and Stilton pie with a cup of coffee and sticky cakes. Seemed like the best food in the World at that point. There is also a shop there that sells clothing and cycle parts. Having rested, we cycled on up the trail for another four miles to Dowlow where the trail ends. That last mile up a fairly steep incline seemed like real torture. It was worth it though. After a group photo shoot, we coasted back for almost two miles without having to peddle. The return journey was much easier than the trip up with the incline mostly in our favour once we had climbed back up from Parsley Hay but even so, I think we were all a bit saddle sore and glad to see the end of the line at Ashbourne after a 35 mile round trip. Mark Lander is experienced internet marketing consultant and writes articles on Bike Shop Worcester Park, Cycle Shop, Cycle Shop Worcester Park, Cycle shop Kingston Upon Thames, Cycle Shop Ewell, Cycle Scheme, Cycle To Work, Bike accessories, Bike helmet etc.
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