[Fiend]

God have mercy on my soul, I didn't think I could sink this low but I have.

See title. I want some ideas for pleasant easy runs (preferably circular) in the Eastern Peak or basically any countryside around Sheff. I like good clear tracks to run on (not miles of fucking boulder-hopping) and gently undulating terrain (if I want to go up something steep I'll go the whole hog and CLIMB ROCKS). I don't mind running on roads if it's useful for circularity.

So far I've found:

> Ringinglow start, up through the woods, cut directly across to the Oxstones, to the Burbage road, back down to the edge of the woods then the big main track all the way back to Ringinglow.

> Curbar Gap start, along Baslow, down the crossroads by Gardoms and up the road back to Curbar Gap.

> Grouse start, along Froggatt until the start of Curbar, and back to Grouse, not circular enough i.e. not at all.

Obviously I can envisage all the possibilities around Burbage Valley Stanage etc etc. Am looking for different and varying suggestions...

Ta 

[aly]

What about Froggatt/Curbar (in either direction) then back over White Edge (you can go all the way to the funny house by the T-junction or cut back down towards the Grouse) to make it circular.

From Fox House through Longshaw is nice but you need to either reverse it or run back along the Froggatt road.

Go from Cut-throat bridge (or the layby just up from there) up and along Dovestones all the way to Back Tor or Lost Lad.  It is a there-and-back run but it is really worth doing.  Running back down to the Strines Inn is good but really requires a second car or a long road slog to get back to Snake Pass.

Edale up to Hollins Cross and Mam Tor (back along the road to make it circular - or in reverse as the 'up' is on the road then at least).  In fact, there are plenty of circular-ish runs round that bit of Kinder but all have some steep 'up' to start!

Take it you've done Burbage/Higgar loop and Stanage Apparent North/Popular end (you can make it circular but you just have to run back along the road from the plantation.

You can drive up to park at Slippery Stones during the week which is quite nice.  You could incorporate some kind of loop round the reservoir.  Going up to Cut Gate is really nice but steep-ish and not very circular.

Hope that gives you a few ideas.  I'm sure some of the more committed runners will come along soon with some better runs round the edale/hope area as there must be loads.

<EDIT> just realised that some of these are probably longer than half an hour (if you're anything like me) but you get the jist... <EDIT>

[jfw]

Burbage Circuits
- there are three main paths
bridge to fox along burbage north
big path along the bottom
bridge along burb west to higgar (from here cross little bridge to regain main path or drop off carl wark to ford to main path)

link these up in any combination

froggat circuits
run up froggat from grouse to curbar - go to entrance of carpark, through gate, for right to gain white edge, run along til you get to a wall then back down to grouse
you can also run back from curbar along bottom of froggat through wood, but not easy navigationally
you can extend froggat/white edge circuit by crossing road running to nearly nelsons monument then forking left to gain white edge.

stanage circuits
run up from hathersage to stanage, run to apparent north, run up or skirt higgar to run down through mitchells field or further towards owler tor to descend down track that comes out opposite bus stop on road down into hathersage. (longer than 30 mins)

there is loads!!!

if you want nice views of the edges running on opposite side of teh valle (shatton way) is quite nice

[Fiend]

I knew this would happen, I should have made a bet with someone that people would start suggesting runs that are either far too long or far too hilly or more likely far too both. Cos it would have been an easy win.

Let's reload selecta and start from the T.O.P.

Imagine I am the running equivalent of a V0- climber, i.e. a total beginner, who has never run in his life, is not very fit, and for an added bonus, hates running. And imagine that I find 30 minutes on the near-flat (20-25 mins if there's slight hilliness) to be my current limit of survival. Because that's all actually true...

"Run up from Hathersage to Stanage" to be honest that would put me off as WALK let alone a run.

Out of all of the above, the Apparent North - Plantation run sounds the most feasible, oh as does Longshaw but I'd probably get lost in there. I'm saving Stanage until I feel confident to run along it (ONE WAY only), just a whim.

Mam Tor area sounds promising, too steep but at least there's plenty of options and unusual scenery.

There must be something along Gardoms up to Birchens back along and down the road. Maybe I should buy an OS map.

[slackline]

Not in t'Peak, but there are flatish runs of the length your after to be had around Graves Park and Eccellsall Park as you head out along the Porter Valley (does involve some uphill, and you basically turn around and run back, although you can optionally choose the other bank for "variety").

What about round some of the not as big as Lady Bower/Derwent/etc. and quite pleasent surroundings as well as relatively flat.

[jfw]

streetmap show OS maps at certain level of zoom

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=426500&y=382500&z=120&sv=burbage&st=3&tl=Map+of+Burbage+Rocks,+Sheffield+&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf



a map you can drag to required part of peak - easier to use than streetmap
http://www.dpfr.org.uk/dp_mMapTest.php?r=116:76:63:24

OS Explore lets you register and plot runs on an OS map (giving you milage but not elevation)

Map my run will let you plot runs - giving milage and elevation - but you'll need to use satellite view to plot off road runs

Do you mind linking up bits of route with sections of road, where's easiest for you to get to ?

[Stu Littlefair]

Yeah,

some of the smaller reservoirs like Damflask are good for short runs

[SA Chris]

Or walks across them if you are Godskin.

[Fiend]

a map you can drag to required part of peak - easier to use than streetmap
http://www.dpfr.org.uk/dp_mMapTest.php?r=116:76:63:24

That's useful, will get some ideas from that. I can go anywhere close to sheff really, like a change of scene.

[aly]

> Wharncliffe woods, plenty of flat forest paths round there?

Also, why not just try some of the linear runs, run until you're half-knackered, go another 5 minutes and then turn round.  Walk the steep ups as well to get some good flatish runs with a walking warm-up.

> Longshaw is quite simple really, go through the gates on the Grindleford road and if you keep going straight on the big path you end up by the Grouse.  A map would be useful for finding a short circuit in there somewhere. 

> Round Cratcliffe/Robin Hoods?

I've only ever done the nine edges route round Gardoms/Birchen but I think there's quite a steep hill linking them.  Maybe a circuit along the top and then bottom of Birchen edge would be good?

> From surprise view along Millstone, Owler Tor, Secret Garden would be short and flat.

> Lady Canning plantation and the mines near Ringinglow are quite cool for a short run but might be a bit more 'off-roady'.

Oh, and get a decent headtorch if you're running after work this time of year.
HTH 

[butters]

There must be something along Gardoms up to Birchens back along and down the road. Maybe I should buy an OS map.

There is a circular walk that goes from the Curbar crossroads along the top of Gardoms, cuts down to the road by the Birchens campsite and from there up the approach to Birchens and across the top back to the Curbar crossroads but the tops of the field after Birchens can often be a quagmire and so would push the grade up to V1 or thereabouts.

To be honest while I have seen people running this I find it a far more civilized experience if I put on my red socks to do this "walk" and include an obligatory pitstop at the pub half way round for good measure but you did ask. 

bluebrad

[magpie]

To be honest while I have seen people running this I find it a far more civilized experience if I put on my red socks to do this "walk" and include an obligatory pitstop at the pub half way round for good measure but you did ask. 

That sounds like a more sensible option, something about Fiend's posts aren't exactly screaming I really love to run at me   

[SA Chris]

Once upon a time Fiend had a rule about not even doing a walk in over 20 mins. How the mighty have crumbled.

[magpie]

 

[alaan]

Rivelin Valley, along the riverside footpath is a good run if you live in that area and can be circular if you head onto Manchester road once the car park is reached, heading into Crookes via some uphill plods on either roads or tracks - really atmospheric once it gets dark, cold and very wet! The full thing is more than 30mins but there are plenty of opportunities to slope off and run back along the road (and you can avoid the killer hill back into Walkley/Crookes if you have a car!).
I can put a vote in for Dovestones there-and-backness, although doing linear runs is always a bit of a pain - feels so much easier once your running in the direction of home!

Al

[Kim]

Damflask reservoir is what you're after Fiend. A bit over 3 miles, twenty odd minutes, flat as a pancake. I was in the same boat as you at the start of the summer, got out there for a few weeks and then moved on to the Burbage Valley loops, etc. Damflask will bore you after a bit and the scenery ain't the Peak but it was just right for a non-runner to get started! Then get onto longer loops in the Peak as soon as you can - I found if I slowed down the pace and tried to run for longer I got properly warm and into a rhythm (which you maybe don't really get with <30 min runs), and it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I even enjoyed it on occasion 

[saltbeef]

oh how i miss the proximity of the peak.
here are 2 one is 35mins the other approaching an hour.

start at burbage bridge over burb west to higgar follow the ridge to mother cap (fucking brilliant this bit, always deserted) mother cap to the millstone car park, over the road down a gully to meet the beck in padley gorge turn left and follow that up to burb south then follow the main path all the way back up to burbage north. ace.

strines up to back tor over the top to hurkling stones, down to the road at cutthroat bridge, hang a left over the stream, then follow the path that runs parallel to the a57, left at the farm near the road then back to the strines. fucking great when its wild out...

[Fiend]

Cheers guys, am paying attention.

Maggie & Chris: I agree entirely.

[Houdini]

Pleasant?!

Short?!

Peak?!


*HAL9000 voice* Does not compute.

[Fiend]

Thanks to Duncan Disorderly, I've found the answer:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2494724

(sample route, just to get things in the right area).

This is working very nicely, now I've got over the bout of gay-flu I can actually try using it...