5 of the most exciting summer cycle routes

For adventure: Jacob’s Ladder, Derbyshire

This route in The Peak District is for the more adventurous among you. It’s a famously gruelling test for mountain bikers: fearsomely steep and rocky, Jacob’s Ladder is barometer of your biking mojo and requires advanced skills and fitness. Few make it up non-stop but the reward is a fab view over Edale from the summit. Starting from Hayfield on this 17.5-mile loop, you take in Rushtop Edge and Roych Clough descents. Although not exceptionally long (3-5 hours) the rocky terrain, combined with difficult climbs and steep technical descents makes this route a tough one.

Take a break:

There is not really anywhere to stop and resupply on the route, unless you go into Edale, so make sure you have enough food and water. For a mid-point stop in Edale though, you can enjoy some light pub grub at The Nag’s Head Inn – it’s listed as one of the 100 greatest pubs in England.

Sightsee:

• The historic packhorse bridge in Edale.
• Crowden Tower, the first of a series of impressively large and fantastically shaped gritstone outcrops: the Wool Packs (with echoes of the packhorse loads), the Pagoda Rocks (resembling a Chinese pagoda) and the Pym Chair (which looks like a seat).