MANNERS WOOD

BAKEWELL

No visit to Bakewell is complete without purchasing one of its famous tarts, but in order to enjoy it guilt-free you’ll have to take in some hills – so where better to start than here? Begin at the congested junction on the A619 and rise up through the houses. The slope is nice and steady to begin with and soon kinks left to face the car park for the Monsal Trail. At this point, take the right-hand turn and head towards the golf club. Rising past the entrance, the gradient is stiffer, and at the time of writing the surface was pitted and broken. Upon reaching a brilliant hairpin, you turn back on yourself and continue to climb under a covering of trees next to a crumbling stone wall, seemingly only held together by a film of luscious moss. The pitch of the narrow slope varies as you rise high above Bakewell, leading you to a left-hand bend and the final, agonising 500 metres to the point where you can climb no further.