Recommended to me, and I’m happy to recommend to others. Great bikes, friendly service and a superb trail, packed with astonishing Victorian railway engineering and outstanding scenery. Allow 90 minutes for the outward run, and two hours for the return, which is all uphill. Not steep, by any means, but you’ll certainly feel it! Hire for my ATB was £15 while my wife’s electric bike (which she loved) was £25. Good value – and cheaper than the cycle hire place at Hassop station, further down the trail. Access is from the Peak District National Park’s Topley Pike Quarry pay & display car park (£3.50), which is adjacent to the A6 and a bus route. From there, Blackwell Mill is a 10-minute walk along the Wye’s wooded banks. Refreshments also available.

Andrew G