The 'Short Trail Mountain Biking Series' is a selection of short videos of some of my favourite trails. The third episode of the series takes to the Peak District for a rocky descent to Lanehead Road near to Little Hayfield and Rowarth.
Little Hayfield is a hamlet in the Peak District National Park, in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the A624 between Hayfield and Glossop. At the centre of the hamlet is the Lantern Pike pub, named after the nearby hill of the same name. Fell racing take place in Little Hayfield, and until 2021 an annual country show was held on a local farm, including sheepdog trials.
From Clough Mill, a former water-powered and later steam-powered textile mill converted to apartments in 1989, a footpath leads to the summit of Lantern Pike.
The screenwriter Tony Warren lived in the village, and is said to have conceived the soap opera Coronation Street in the Lantern Pike pub. Actors Pat Phoenix and Kenneth Cope had spells living in the village, as did producer Bill Podmore.
Rowarth is a hamlet about 2.5 miles (4 km) north of New Mills in the High Peak borough of Derbyshire, England. It is on the edge of the Peak District, in the hills between New Mills and Marple Bridge, within the parish boundary of New Mills.
The Little Mill Inn in Rowarth is a pub and restaurant in a former candlewick mill, with a waterwheel in the adjacent stream. Until 2023, it had a retired Brighton Belle Pullman railway coach which was once used as dining and guest accommodation.
Looking on the ‘All Trails’ website there are a number of quality walking routes that can be done in and around Little Hayfield and Rowarth. The is the ‘Rowarth and Lantern Pike Circular’. It’s moderately challenging and 8.0km long. Alternately, there is also a ‘Hayfield Circular’ which is 6.0km long and passes through Snake pass. Plenty to have a go at off the bike.
Check out some of my other articles: