I’ve always wanted to be the first at something, so when I got the chance to be the first to ride the White Peak Loop I jumped at it. Peak Cycle Links have secured the land leases for the various sections so it was legal to do the ride. (Eight leases had to be negotiated, plus many other related transactions, all of which have kept Martin Wragg, our intrepid rock climbing solicitor, off his beloved Peak District crags for many a Tuesday evening.) But we now need to get

David Gray and John Grimshaw – they may not always see eye to eye but they always C2C. (Sounds clever, means nothing.) The men responsible for the first coast to coast cycle route assess the motley crew about to blaze a trail around the White Peak Loop – it will be the most popular cycle path in the country when it's finished.

the planning applications to lay a cycle track and raise funds for the infrastructure – preparing the ground, build the track, making fences, erecting signposts etc. So although the route was possible there is still a lot of work to be done before it will be a bona fide cycle trail. The Trailblazing ride was the acid test – how would it feel to ride the whole loop? Would people be interested in doing it even if there were no medal for being the first?

David and Alex Gerrett heading down Woo Dale, with Jenny Jacob in close pursuit.

Well the trailblazers answered that with a resounding yes. We can confidently predict that the White Peak Loop will be the most popular cycle route in the country. It’s in the heart of the second most popular National Park in the world, it is in one of the most spectacularly beautiful areas in Britain and, despite being called the ‘Peak’ District, the route is mostly flat. OK, so it has its sweaty moments, but all bike rides worth their salt stains have – it’s the effort to gain the amazing views that makes them all the more worthwhile.

Nineteen – n-n-n-n n nineteen battle-ready warriors gathered outside Buxton’s Pavilion Gardens on Saturday morning full of expectation and excitement about what lay ahead. The team had come from far and wide, from Newcastle to Derby, from Bristol to Buxton. Old people, young people. Full sussers to folding bikes, flags and panniers – we had them all! The weekend was underpinned by the event-hardened David Gray (no, not the one with the wobbly head and the fab vocals), but the founder of Chain-Events and the first ever Sustrans route, the famous C2C from Whitehaven to Sunderland. In other words a man who’d been there, cycled it and then facilitated several hundred other people doing it too. And he promised porridge and back-up.

After introductory talks from David and John Grimshaw CBE, we set off streaming through Buxton, past the Crescent, stopping for mineral water top-ups at St Anne’s Well and then up Station Approach, alongside the railway and eventually across Fairfield Road and up the back of the Prince of Wales, sporting To Let signs, (can nobody spot a business opportunity here? Hundreds of thirsty cyclists being directed right past the front door….)

Dave the dog, running around, fetching and carrying...

Dave the organiser, running around, fetching and carrying...

There’s no getting away from the fact that getting away from Buxton is hard work – it’s uphill whichever direction you go in. Buxton Opera House is called the theatre in the hills not the theatre on top of the hills. So upwards we went but the climbing is short lived and on quiet roads through Fairfield. Soon we were pedalling across the golf course – putting the ‘links’ in Peak Cycle Links anyone? No? Just me then. Moving along up Redgap Lane we came to the delightful Woo Dale. This mile-long gradual descent down towards the A6 is owned by Tarmac and they have been exceptionally helpful and enthusiastic about the White Peak Loop, both here and at Staker Hill which they also own. Off road motorcyclists currently use this dale illegally; when the cycle trail is laid and it is popular with walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users and horse riders I’m sure this practice will die off and the dale will be free of motorised traffic again.

John Grimshaw leads the way through the first tunnel on the Monsal Trail. No whooping now!

At the bottom of Woo Dale we re-grouped for a talk by Mr Grimshaw about the plan to take the route on the south of the river towards Wye Dale, but until the planning permission has come through we were having to brave the A6. It’s only for about 400m but the twin hurdles of quarry lorries and fast moving cars makes it feel like you’re running the gauntlet.

Safely in the crowded car park (glad we hadn’t driven out there) we journeyed down the access road to the first tea stop at Blackwell Mill cycle hire and tuck shop, where Cheryl did us proud. Dave the dog begged sweetly for crumbs; Dave the organiser wondered why everyone was shouting at him to sit or fetch.

Four of us, my two son’s, wife and I, consider ourselves to be very lucky to have experienced the White Peak Loop ride in its raw state. It is absolutely destined to be a classic route with depths of variety, challenge and interest. The recently reopened Monsal Trail with its long tunnels contrasted with the test of stamina as you climbed out of Cromford along the High Peak Trail, ending up back at the height of Buxton. We were additionally fortunate to experience the Middleton Top engine house and its very friendly and informative staff. The route is replete with numerous stops for coffee and a cake, but the variety of scenery and the sense of history are enduring memories.

Dave Gray and Chain Events were superb in their support and organisation of the event. John Grimshaw CBE of Peak Cycle Links provided a running commentary charting the history behind the route’s development. It gave us a small insight as to the massive commitment and the huge task required to bring such a route into existence.

Our thanks to Peak Cycle Links for letting cycling novices mix with genuine cycling enthusiasts and for making us feel very welcome.

The Gerretts (Derbyshire)

The Monsal Trail was up next, nine miles of smooth, flat trail through the incredibly popular railway tunnels. Four of these six tunnels were only re-opened by the Peak District National Park in May this year and have proved unbelievably popular ever since – walkers, cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair users sharing the trail amicably.

Getting a good talking to at the bottom of Woo Dale about the dangers of the A6.

After a quick cafe stop at the delectable Hassop bookshop and restaurant we were discharged from the Monsal Trail at Coombs Road in Bakewell. The White Peak Loop will go over the viaduct here and onto the Haddon Hall estate through the magnificent tunnel with natural light flooding down through ventilation shafts… but not yet. If any of the sections that Peak Cycle Links is fighting to open illustrate their individual worth it is this one. Even if all of the other links remain closed this section, through the spectacular tunnel and delightful open grounds of the Manners’ family estate, demonstrates how worthwhile a struggle it is.

And the struggle goes on. Lord Edward Manners’s agreement to allow the trail to go

Slogging up the stony track to avoid the Haddon Hall estate, which we have permission to go through, but not yet. This section will be one of the most spectacular on the whole 60 mile loop, the tunnel are gorgeous and the grounds are stunning, a fantastic extension to the Monsal Trail.

through his tunnels and grounds is in place but now we have to do an ecological survey of the tunnels to prove there are no bats, three-toed sloths or greater crested newts hanging about. (If you’d like to see the tunnels opened sooner rather than later, please contribute to the fundraising effort here.)

Instead of this beautiful adventure we cycled up the stony track of Coombs Road to the north east of Haddon Hall and down into Rowsley. The descent into the village was the scene of the worse mishap on the ride –

Rochdale grandma and Sustrans all-star Brog displays her battle scars after a fight with the stony track - the stony track came off worse. Can you imagine falling off your bike and banging your chin on the ground? I'd have gone home in a big sulk. Not Brog though, she carried on regardless, as cheerful as ever - a lesson in life we could all learn. Chapeau Brog.

Brog crashed on the loose, stony track and banged her chin, shoulder and shin on the ground – if her chin had been an eye she’d have had a really impressive shiner. Bravely she didn’t cry, kept calm and carried on – easily the most impressive demonstration of how tough Rochdale grandmas can be – chapeau!

Negotiating the A6 in Rowsley took a little care but we were soon off the beaten track again, through the Peak Rail car park and alongside the Matlock to Rowsley railway. A steam train grandly chugged past with perfect timing, waves all round from drivers and passengers alike – it was a fine display of different modes of sustainable transport rubbing shoulders and getting along. Brog was rubbing her shoulder anyway.

The gated road to Oker passed all too quickly, a delightful stretch of bucolic bliss alongside the river through sheep-filled pasture with the odd gate to break the rhythm and a view of the A6 a few hundred metres but seemingly a world away. Quiet lanes then took us into adventure mode again as we followed Land Rover tracks across a field and onto a path alongside the river leading into Matlock. We popped out in town and stopped in Hall Leys park for tea and ice cream, resting our tiring legs on the benches and listening to the oohs and ahhs of the football match across the road. Brog got handfuls of ice from the kind people at the kiosk and patched her wounds which were starting to smart!

A quick talk about Matlock from Jeremy,  a Peak Cycle Links board director, and we were off again alongside the river, through parkland and past the little limestone crag of Pic Tor, baby bear to the grizzly High Tor, a daddy of a crag which looms over Matlock Bath. We crossed the iron boxwork footbridge spanning the river Derwent and plunged onto the dreaded A6. We actually cycled faster than the traffic on the main drag through the Blackpool of the Midlands that is Matlock Bath and got our only sprinkling of rain on the whole ride (until we got to Buxton – it’s ALWAYS raining in Buxton so it doesn’t count). We finally ran out of steam in Cromford at the Alison House campsite, where David Gray and his marvellous electrical boiler brewed up a welcome cup of tea. He’d transported all our luggage in his wife’s horse box so we just had to erect the tents, hit the pub then hit the sack.

Jack Kent and Brog cruising up Sheep Pasture incline on the Sunday morning, a good way to wake the legs up.

Alison House is a lovely-looking hotel with a Certified campsite at the side – it’s for Camping and Caravanning club members only, holds five units plus tents… but the facilities comprise one toilet and a sink. Ordinarily you can use the hotel facilities but on this particular night there was a rather grand wedding taking place so the campers were banished to the outside loo. The full horror of this only really dawned on us as dusk settled and the wedding disco cranked into full swing – it was going to be a long, noisy night. I think I eventually drifted off to the strains of the Lightning Seeds singing Football’s Coming Home – is that an appropriate wedding song? Can I get a pun in about scoring? Best not. At least the murder on the dancefloor drowned out the drumming of the rain on the flysheet.

Jack blasting along the High Peak Trail on a summer's morning in glorious sunshine... and lime green gloves.

The next morning the rain had gone and the day dawned bright and sunny – it was warm already by 8.30am. David makes a handsome breakfast of porridge with cranberries, bananas, jam sandwiches and as much tea and coffee as you can drink. Tents packed, bags left for someone else (David, presumably) to pack into the trailer, and we were off, a full hour ahead of schedule. Within the first five minutes the sweat was pouring out as Intake Lane is very steep and guards the start of the High Peak Trail – but what views! The Amber Valley was looking particularly golden this morning. The short, sharp climb levelled slightly into a bumpy lane across a beautiful wooded hillside and onto the first major ascent of the route – Sheep Pasture Incline – a heart pumping start to the day. Teenager Jack Kent was on a mission here: John Grimshaw had bet him a free lunch that he couldn’t ride up both major inclines, this one and the longer Middleton Incline, nearly a mile long at 1 in 8 and a bit. Being Jack’s dad I knew he could do it and was looking forward to my caring, considerate son ordering enough food for me to eat as well. Sure enough he pedalled both inclines and I started to salivate…

Cycling on the High Peak Trail is one of the best ways to experience the Peak District in all its glory.

At Middleton Top we inspected the beam engine that used to haul trucks and carriages up the incline in the days of the working railway, before setting our sights on Parsley Hay and enjoying the sweeping open views across the High Peak plateau towards Shropshire. I dawdled along, talking to people and taking photos whilst the others pushed on into the slight head wind.

When I eventually arrived at Parsley Hay, the food kiosk was very busy but Jack had ordered his (our…) dinner, which turned out to be… two large sausage rolls. I’m a vegetarian but he’s not, a fact that I’d like to think didn’t influence his choice in the slightest. Oh well, food just makes you fat. Refreshed and replenished, with only a few miles of the Tissington Trail left, we set off with trepidation and the last major obstacle ahead of us – Staker Hill.

John 'Bananaman' Wild shocked by how pretty it is on the Harpur Hill Industrial estate.

Jenny Jacob blazing a trail through the 'lost world', a secluded cutting on the Harpur Hill Industrial estate.

But first the awesome view from the road down into Earl Sterndale must be mentioned. One of my favourite views in the whole of the Peak District, the magnificent spectacle of Chrome Hill above Hollinsclough in Staffordshire takes my breath away everytime I see it. It’s views like this that make the Peak District world class. I’m sorry that I was too busy enjoying it to take a photograph but sometimes you just have to experience things in the moment and move on. It’s still there if you’d like to see it for yourself.

Sweaty work - Brog and Gill doing battle with Intake Lane first thing on Sunday morning. Height is gained rapidly with a bit of energy expenditure, but it's rewarded with breathtaking views over the Amber Valley.

Staker Hill is a challenge at the best of times, being a mile long and steep enough to have even the fittest cyclist breathing heavily, but today’s head wind was a little unnecessary. A few people opted to push – it had been a tiring day. The drop down the other side onto the disused railway line is always entertaining though.

A group gathering on the Turncliff embankment on Health and Safety Laboratory land. HSL have played a blinder in allowing us through here, it's a great way into Buxton and the they should be praised for their forward thinking attitude.

Peter stacey of HSL.

We met Peter Stacey, another of the PCL board directors, at the Health and Safety Laboratory entrance and sailed across the Turncliff embankment safely and healthily. As we entered Buxton down the Leek Road it started to rain, the traffic swished past and it was all a little frightening – hopefully this dangerous road will be avoided in favour of a route through Buxton Country Park once the planning application has been sorted out. We finished in Pooles Cavern car park where David was waiting with his horse box full of our stuff. We had a cup of tea in the cafe, congratulated ourselves on a fantastic ride and said our farewells. We neglected to thank Mr Grimshaw though, which was remiss of us as it was all his idea in the first place. Well done John. In years to come when the full White Peak Loop is open to everyone with none of the hurdles we encountered on the trailblazing ride, you’ll have earned another CBE! And a toast will be raised to Peak Cycle Links for turning John’s dream into reality.

Neil Pearsons

Half the team gathered in Pooles Cavern cafe for a well-deserved cup of tea, a hard-earned slice of cake and a badly-taken group photo.