100 Climbs Route: Day 11, Alderley Edge to Penistone

In August 2018, three Cycling UK members - Dominic Millar, Graham Salisbury and James Findlater – cycled a 3,300-mile, 29-day route around Britain to take on all 100 hills featured in Simon Warren’s book ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’. This route plots day 11 of the journey, 110 miles from Alderley Edge to Penistone, taking in the climbs of Swiss Hill, Cat and Fiddle, Monsal Head, Bank Road, Riber, Rowsley Bar, Curbar Edge, Winnats Pass, Peaslows and Pea Royd Lane.

Until now, day one still has the record for most classified climbs conquered in a single ride, but today’s route is about to set a new standard with 10 almighty challenges ahead.

Things start with a couple of warm-up hills. First there's the rough and tumble cobbled surface of Swiss Hill before you even leave Alderley Edge, then the epic almost seven-mile A-road Cat and Fiddle climb, your gateway to the Peak District where most of today’s action takes place. The next official climb, Monsal Head, appears on the road to Ashford-in-the-Water, and while it is certainly a hill, it’s smooth, steady and not – by previous days' standards – too steep.

Which is just as well, because down the road at Rowsley the route splits off to head to Matlock, where both Bank Road and Riber are waiting to test your limits. Something slightly different, Bank Road is one of the steepest residential roads in England beginning at 1-in-6 and gradually getting steeper. Riber, on the other hand, is a little outside the town and bends, weaves and hairpins its way to the castle at the top. It might sound idyllic on paper; it’s anything but in real life.

Make your way back to Rowsley and there’s the next climb: Rowlsey Bar is another tough test that starts hard, eases slightly, but then gets tough again by the top.

Head through Baslow and, on the outskirts of Curbar, turn to detour up Curbar Edge. This is a slightly easier climb than the last trio, although not by much. It does benefit from some dramatic cliff faces and moorland scenery to distract the senses, though.

All that pain leads to a gain of sorts, as you can enjoy the descent back down before heading north again to Hathersage – a great place to resupply – and then Hope Valley. Keep going west here and just after Castleton you’ll hit the legendary, dramatic Winnats Pass that meanders between imposing limestone edifices. It’s smooth, stunning, and possibly the best way to climb a 1-in-5 slope.

The penultimate climb today appears on our return leg from edge of Chapel-en-le-Frith. Peaslows is something of a grind rather than an all-attack beast, but there’s a great descent on the other side which will set you well on your way back to Hope Valley.

At Hope Valley, turn north, past Ladybower Reservoir and ride to the old valley steel town of Stocksbridge. Here we have one last challenge. Pea Royd Lane is a snaking, rough-surfaced lung-buster that will take you from the back of the steel works, over the fast Stocksbridge bypass, and eventually out onto moorland. Then it’s a hop and a skip to finish at Penistone.

Rest well – you’ve got another hit list of some of the North’s finest climbs tomorrow!