Intro to Bikepacking in the Peak District
Cycle through the best terrain the Peak District has to offer, from gravel tracks to country lanes and stargaze from a giant tepee
Duration
1 night
Annual Leave
0 days off work
Group Size
Up to 16 people
Season
Apr-Oct
Location
United Kingdom
Meeting Point
Sheffield, UK
Classic Accommodation
Tipi
Customer Reviews
This trip is brand new
Difficulty
Moderate
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Learn about bikepacking - including what kit you need and how to load your bike - and practice riding on gravel tracks
Settle down for a night in a giant tepee as you stargaze in the Dark Peak area
Visit local cafes and pubs, enjoy fire-cooked food and a tasty nightcap - buckets full of fun in just one weekend
Day 1
Roll through The Peaks
Cycling
Collect your bike and bikepacking bags in Sheffield city centre and head straight into the heart of the Peak District. Ride out to the overnight camp along a wiggly, 60km route that takes in gravel tracks and quiet lanes. Expect at least one stop at a cafe for a coffee and cake refuel and at a rural pub to sample some of the local ale.
Explore the moorlands, reservoirs, quarries, farms, villages and famous climbs of this gorgeous part of the country and then find a spot inside the giant tepee. Settle down by the fire, tuck into delicious home-cooked food and enjoy the Dark Peak area, famous for the quality of its stargazing.
Day 2
Hope Valley
Cycling
After breakfast, head through Castleton and down the famous Mam Nick road to Edale. As you descend from Windy Knoll, you'll pass the ancient hill fort of Mam Tor before stopping for another cafe lunch. Make your way back to Sheffield via The Peak's best roads and bridleways, ending near the train station in the late afternoon in time for a celebratory pint!
Included
Guides
Expert cycling guide and bike mechanic
Accommodation
1 night in a giant tepee
Meals
1 camp dinner and 1 breakfast
Equipment
Gravel bike and bikepacking bags provided
Not Included
Travel to and from the start point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Some meals as described
Visas where required
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
The food provided will be home cooked and vegetarian. Think hearty stew for dinner and a cooked breakfast before you leave on Sunday morning. Cycling snacks are also provided, so there's no risk of getting hungry on this trip. Vegans can be catered for, just let your host know upon booking.
What is the accommodation like?
Tepee
You'll spend the night in a giant tepee in an area famous for its stargazing. Each tepee sleeps 5 people maximum, with plenty of space to spare and are part of a working farm that also has a shower block and toilet. There's also a wonderful farm shop that's well worth checking out!
Upgrades
Please let your host know if you would like to book a private tent for the night. See Optional Extras for prices.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Central Sheffield - near the train station
09:30 on Day 1
Ends
Central Sheffield - near the train station
16:00 on Day 2
Transfers
No transfers are needed as you’ll ride out of Sheffield and ride back in at the end.
Travel options
There are regular trains to Sheffield from across the UK. Your host will confirm the exact meeting point before your adventure begins.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's available to hire?
- Private tent
- Sleeping bag & mat (See Optional Extras for costs)
What do I need to bring?
Sleeping
- Sleeping bag and mat (if not hiring) *Please ensure that these are small and lightweight so packable into a bikepacking saddle bag. *
Clothes
- Cycling clothes
- Cycling shoes (if used)
- Cycling helmet
- Off the bike clothes – warm layers for campfire cooking and relaxing
- Something warm to sleep in
- Waterproof jacket
- Warm gloves
Other
- Head torch
- Washbag and toiletry items
- Towel (optional)
Single Tent at Overnight Camp
Payable Before Departure
Single Tent at Overnight Camp
…
Sleeping Bag & Mat Hire
Payable Before Departure
Sleeping Bag & Mat Hire
… Per Person
We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 19kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
This weekend is an ideal introduction to gravel riding and bikepacking. Previous cycling experience is required but no previous off-road cycling is neccessary. You should be comfortable with the distances and elevation and there are also some long climbs and descents. The pace is approx.15km an hour. We ride as a group, with plenty of breaks, so that no one gets left behind. We will likely be on our bikes/outside for most of the day.
The route is roughly 60% paved lanes and 40% gravel/un-surfaced roads. There are also a couple of optional single-track sections for anyone wanting to give them a go.
The majority of roads used on this tour are very quiet, but there are some short un-avoidable sections that are busier. At the busy sections we will split into smaller groups to allow vehicles to pass with ease.
The bikes provided are gravel bikes; these are Surly Straggler adventure bikes or a similar model. These are highly versatile, with disc brakes and drop handlebars that provide the comfort of a road bike with the stability of an off-road one.
You are welcome to bring your own bike, but if you do please make sure it’s suitable for the tour. You will need a bike with a minimum tyre width of 38mm to handle the gravel sections. Please note that this tour is not suitable for road bikes.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
This trip is designed so that you can turn up with a rucksack and re-pack what you need for the 2 days into bikepacking bags. You can leave your empty rucksacks/bags/anything else in Sheffield where they will be safely stored ready for collection at the end.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.
Our team of Adventure Hunters create exclusive adventures with highly vetted, specialist hosts. We only work with independent, local in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. See here for more info about the local teams we partner with.
TRIP DEPARTURE DATES
Go private and split the bill with ease.
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