Manchester & the Peaks: A road rider's dream

Manchester and the Peaks are a road rider's dream, one of the UK’s greatest outdoor playgrounds for cyclists. A haven of heart rate-increasing climbs and hair-raising descents, where swooping switchbacks, much like those in the Alps, are part and parcel of virtually every ride. Here’s where you can be overawed by gritstone crags that flank the narrow ribbon of tarmac threading itself through a gorge, outpaced by wild hares over rugged moorland, and career through river valleys, a slip of black tar under your tires.

There are so many reasons that render Manchester and its environs so suited for riding – not least because its proximity to the High Peak means you’ve got virtually immediate access to what Daniel Defoe described as ‘the most desolate, wild, and abandoned country in all of England’ back in the early 18th century. It sounds romantic, right? And it is. Manchester has wholly embraced cycling, and even a certain celebrated cycling apparel brand has set up its only out-of-London branch in the city of Manchester. Of course, we are talking about Rapha.

Manchester's bid for cycling glory is boosted by its proximity to the Peak District, which became the UK’s first designated national park in 1951, meeting the stipulations that dictated a national park ”should have great natural beauty [and] a high value for open-air recreation.” Both of these traits hold true today, and the majesty of Manchester’s surroundings is rarely up for question – especially not since the Tour de France rolled across the moorland in 2014. Then there’s Chris Boardman, the pro of days gone by, who now adds even more value to Manchester’s cycling credentials with his role as Greater Manchester’s very first cycling and walking commissioner.

These routes go a fraction of the way towards representing the greatest riding in the Northwest, with some well-known classics and lesser-known entities thrown into the mix. Propositions range from short to long–and even very long, from slightly undulating to altitude profiles that wouldn’t be out of place in an Alpine guidebook. Some of the routes are best done when the sun is shining, at other times the views may well remain bedecked in mist. You'll ride through Hebden Bridge, Holmfirth and Hope, postcard-worthy towns with old stone buildings and lively outdoor scenes. Matlock Bath and Macclesfield, Knutsford and Alderley Edge, which might easily become your next favorite place, your go-to town for social rides in which you'll roll up to your chosen cafe, exhilarated and just a little exhausted.

As one of the best-connected cities in the UK, you won’t go far wrong with any ride starting from Manchester. Here’s where you’ve got the luxury of opting for transportation that can whisk you and your bike into the wilderness in less than 20 minutes or pedalling out from the city without concern. And from there, the roads (and Defoe’s ‘comfortless, barren, endless moors’) are yours.