Come along for a beautiful cycling journey across Derbyshire’s hidden gems! The ride kicks off on the scenic Five Pits Trail, tracing a disused railway line through peaceful woodland and countryside.
From there, I continue south through the village of Morton, the geographical centre of England, offering a quiet rural charm and a unique spot for a quick pause. Then it’s on to the Ripley Greenway, a leafy, traffic-free path perfect for relaxed riding.
The route then rolls through the stunning Amber Valley, with its classic English landscapes and gentle hills, before reaching Ashbourne, where I join the iconic Tissington Trail — a former railway line transformed into one of the most picturesque cycle routes in the country.
Expect a mix of off-road trails, quiet country roads, and plenty of scenic views — perfect for cycle route planning or just enjoying a virtual ride!
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Full route:
https://www.komoot.com/collection/3527796/-5-trails-loop
Five pits trail videos:
Music used in this video:
new frontier
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Welcome back to Bike Ventures. I’m Rob if you haven’t watched before and today I’m on day one of a quick local bike packing trip. I’m just testing out a setup for the jog. Don’t you can see that I’ve got pas on today. So I thought quite local 100 mile loop. So today we’re going to take in part of the five pitch trail that I’ve done before. One of my favorites, the hilly park we’re doing in today, down through Ripley, up over the hills, through Duffield to Ashborne where we’re going to pick up the Tizzon Trail and I’ve got a campsite booked just north of Ashborne tonight right on the trail and then tomorrow we’ll go up the trail. So, hope you enjoy. See you on the trail. So this is Grassmore Country Park. Here’s the old railway line which is now the awesome life pitch trail. [Music] Not sure if you can see it over my right. Right side on the headland there is C standling museum just below that. So can’t give you a bearing of where we’re at and where we’re heading. So nothing particularly crazy interesting about this little village. This is a place called Morton which is few miles north of Alfredton. What is interesting about it though is that this little village is the geographical center of England. You can Google that. I’m not making it up. M O R T O N Morton. So this is the old railway line that ran through Ripley. It’s been lovely. Beautifully done. Now it’s quite a nice greenway. Very popular. Not get far laid [Laughter] down. God bless. I thought that kid was just having a [Music] stro. Yeah. I don’t I don’t really know much about that. I really don’t know much about this area. Quite bad. I’ve ridden this before, but other than it cuts out a lot of busy roads, all I know about it. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers, buddy. Ah, that’s better. Like I’m making a bit of progress now. I just had to stop and grab a spot of lunch from little. No bike racks anywhere. So, I just locked my bike in the for the uh flower rack. Nobody said anything, but you know, you’re not going to give people a bike rack. And I mean, I’m fully loaded as well with all my kit on. Uh, I like to leave it at least semi secure lock or something. It’s not very long this green way. It’s only two or three miles, I think. Well, it’s two or three miles of traffic free cycling, which is always a good thing. Yeah, as I said in my intro, this is a bit of a setup test for the jog. I think me and Lisa have decided now that Panya bags might be the way to go. So, I just carry a little bit more those big bike packing saddles. [Music] So just there’s the 38. Look. So I’ve just come down from over there. Ripley’s over there. Come down. Just come up a lovely brideway. Some sort of old I don’t know factory site or something now used for walking and stuff. And then down a lovely bride away over a bridge and up. Oh, don’t know if you can see it. Just there. Ah, just gone. I’ve just come over that bridge. There’s a fox just right on the edge of the field there. Not sure if the camera will pick you up, but I’ve literally just come over that bridge just there. And I just saw the fox stood there and he’s gone off down there. That’s cool. That’s what I was saying earlier about being out in nature and you just see these little cool things. It’s awesome. And look, don’t know if you can see it. It’s buzzed up there. Look. Awesome. Love it. Beautiful day. Absolutely glorious. I’ve just took my sleeves off. So, it’s just warmed up. Lovely. Now, so I just thought I’d show you that. I mean, it’s hell of a view, isn’t it? Looking down Derby’s down that way. Um, not sure where that is. Like I said, I know Rick Lee cuz I’ve got a M lives there, but I don’t I ride around near with him, but I don’t particularly know where we’re going. I just follow him. There’s that bird. Look, there’s a pair of them. Look. Yeah. Cool. Right. Let’s crack on. We’re just riding through the Amber Valley now. So, it’s not an area you’ve explored before. And I’ve only ever done it on road, but I’ve found a bit more bridal ways this time. I tell you what, it’s lovely. Could be absolutely anywhere. Really is nice. I mean, lumpy, don’t get me wrong. It ain’t easy. Where am I going? Down here. Yeah, look at this. Love these type of rider waves. Just going to keep your weights about it cuz it’s dark. I’ve got me shades on and it’s a bit dark in places. So, you just got to keep your eye out for obstructions. Although, it’s pretty good surface. This my flash words that ain’t it CL wall there. Look. Oh, lovely. Nice little broke there. This is cool. No idea where we are. We just come through whole brook. I’m not surprised that little brook barely got any water in it. Oh wow, this is awesome. I love this. I’m sure if you knew it well, you’d be tanking it down here. But I quite like just enjoying Oh, there’s little offshoots going everywhere. I might have gone the wrong way. Nope. I think this is me. Oh, this is cool. This reminds me of some of the ways on King Alfred’s way. Oh, big bee there. I’m going to hover. Yes, that’s awesome. Love this. Bit loose there. Hey, I can see this is coming to an end. They’re a little bit loose in places. That foot weren’t bad. I always do things like that. Just if you clipped in, just uncip one foot. Ah. I know where I am and I know where I’m going. Look at that cracking view. That cool. I’ve been steadily climbing now for a a mile or so. Not severe, but just steadily up. Yeah. Look at that view looking M. It’s awesome, isn’t it? So, we’re above Dorfield now. Going past Cornon heading towards somewhere. I have no idea where cuz I can’t see on the [Music] map. Can you hear that? Just nothing. Lovely. Some small aircraft taking off. Birds. Just beautiful. Peace and quiet. A farmer. Quest field. Awesome. Love it. I tell you what, it’s warm now. It’s beautiful. What a gorgeous little lane this is. Look at that. Absolutely awesome. What a beautiful day. So, we’re just coming through a little place called Merkest or Meraston as I pronounce it. I’ve said this gorgeous little quiet lanes. Barely seen the sun. I just crossed the main road there, but no cars. I’m not seen anyone. Lovely. Really has nice today as well cuz only got 50 miles to do. So, it’s a nice chill ride. No rush. Stopped at a pine. I’ll be stopping Ashborne before I get on the Tizzon trail. Go through the tunnel and pick up a few bits for tonight and for breakfast. I have got a few bits and I’ve got a plan for a cafe in the morning. Yeah, the lens are lovely. shows you don’t it away from the busy roads just glorious could be anywhere in rural France lovely does anyone want to have a guess what that was once I’ll spin you around keeps going in that direction. This was the site of a World War II airfield. So, this was one of the runways. And then all this work over here. This is fairly fairly recent. Some hangers just over the back there. And there is another runway which I’ll see if I can show you. Don’t know if this work is going to have destroyed it. But yeah, there was two World War II airfields around here. There was this one. I forget the name of it. We’re just near Osmus and then further down you had RAF Darly Moa which is now Sports Center, the motorbike cycle race circuit. Um, so you do a bit of research you can find out about them. Yeah, I just thought I’d show you there’s a hell of a lot of history around these parts and I’m I’m only 40 miles from home. So yeah, it’s fantastic. Love seeing cool stuff like this. You know, you’d look at that and just think, well, it’s just a pad of concrete, but so obvious what it was when you know. And it took the traditional World War II airfield format, three runways almost in a triangle shape, intersecting each other at the ends. Same as Darlmore. If you look at Darly airfield from above, sorry, the motor circuit, you can see where it was. Anyway, we’re not that far from Ashborne now where I’m going to when I get on the trail, I’m going to stop at the cafe and grab a well earned ice cream before I make my way over to the campsite. It’s not too late. It’s only 3:00, so I’ve got bags of time. Right, let’s get back on the road. that beautiful finger post. We’re just getting on the Tisington Trail. Now, look. There’s the first bridge. So, literally just in a car park, the uh where we used to go that way. There’s an old engine shed somewhere around there. Yeah, we’re just about to get on the Tizzing Trail. Look, there’s the first bridge and the tunnel just round the corner there. So, I’ll pop the camera on the bike. Got about three or four miles to today’s campsite up at Kao Top which is just off the trail and then I’m going to set up. I’m a little early. It’s half past 3 but don’t matter. And I got some provisions for tea and stuff. So yeah, should be nice. Weather’s lovely. Looking forward to just chilling out. I brought me Kindle with me so I can have a read. Happy days. Pop you back on the bike. See you on the trail. So, this line originally went up to Buckston. And if you watch the YP Loop video that came out just recently that uh I showed you where the Tisington Tington Trail and the High Peak Trail met and that’s where we’ll be going tomorrow. H. Yeah. Look at this beauty. Cracking tunnel. Absolutely huge. Really is cold. That’s what it is. Yeah, it’s got a cracking echo to it. You can hear it. Very eerie at night. I think it does stay lit at night as well. Yeah, it’s huge. I imagine it was double track. The bridge at the start back there was double track. So I imagine this would have been It’s wide enough. Yeah. Closed in 1967. Yeah. and then reopened by the Peak District National Park like 9779 somewhere like [Music] that. And it’s been used by hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people ever since. It’s fantastic. So, just coming up here is a car park where you can park, take the trail up to partially here. There’s also a cafe and a bike higher. And I’m hoping an ice cream. Oh, that’s warm coming out of there. Lovely. I’m hoping I can get an ice cream. Well, then today a glorious day. Yeah, this is Mapleton Lane. All right, so here we go. Tentington Trail. Absolute beauty this one. 13 miles up to Parsley here. Can hire a bike from there. I’ve just uh had a lovely ice cream chatting to the owner. Lovely guy. Always nice to support local businesses. So, if you’ve never done this before, it’s uphill all the way to Parley A. Only a couple of percent, but you do feel it. So bear in mind if you’re going to hire a bike to do this trail, the best way is to probably start here and work your way up higher. And I say that because you’re going to be fresher and then when you turn around from past there and come back, you got a nice downhill descent. Now, there used to be a vioaduct here, but as you can see, there isn’t anymore. So, there’s a nice little drop down and then a stiff little climb at the other side. And then for me, I’ll be at today’s accommodation, which is Kao Top Campsite. I’m going to set up, chill out for the night. There is a pub on site and a pool. Not open today cuz it’s not school holidays. Open on Friday unfortunately. I did ask when I booked it last night, but never mind. Still a lovely site. The facilities are great. But yeah, if you’re there and the pub’s open, the food ain’t bad. One thing I did forget to do, grab a beer. Just called it sainsburries in Ashborne. I forgot to get myself a beer. What a walleye. Never mind. So, this is my last summit of the day. And if you’re going to come off the trail to go to Kao Top, the climb up is steep. Just bear that in mind. Hia. Hi. So it doesn’t look like it’s uphill. It’s one and a half%. So it’s not crazy, but when you’re doing it for 13 miles and if you’ve got young kids, you’re going to feel that in your leg and your kids will. Right. So this little turn in here as you turn in Ko top which is where I’m going. Just be careful when you come off cuz you got this steep little drop to the road and then we’re going uphill. And this section is steep. It really is. Telling me it’s going to take me 3 minutes to get to the gate, which I don’t think is that long to be honest. But 10%. First gear deployed. 13%. Oh yeah. What you need in it after a long day. I’m walking it. Me legs are done. 150 mile. I’m going to trundle up and I’ll see you when I get to the campsite. All right. So, there we go. That’s day one done. 48 something miles and I’m here. Look, there’s a my tent all set up. Bike, got a nice cold drink on the go, which I’ve forgot my bottle only. So, I just had to wangle that out somewhere. But this is Ko Top. So, just in the distance there, that’s the pub. Not open unfortunately today. Pub’s a pool just over there. And then you’ve got quite a number of shower blocks and stuff. So yeah, it’s quite a nice size. £16 a night, which is pretty good. I don’t mind paying £16 a night. I think that’s reasonable. So um yeah, I’m going to finish setting up mattress and everything’s in. Finish setting all that up, have a beer, chill out for a bit, and then have some food and just chill out. But yeah, see you tomorrow. Not decided on tomorrow’s plan yet. Don’t know if I’m going to do a route down to Darly because I’m coaching there tomorrow night or if I’m going to go home first and drive back later. Um, see what time I get up, see what time I get going. It’s only 40 miles tomorrow, so it’s not crazy. So, I probably got time to go home. So, we’ll see. But yeah, see you tomorrow. If you can see that little robin look who’s just on my towel. Jesus Christ. I was quite enjoying his company and now he’s just on my towel. Brilliant. All right, I saw that.