Ashbourne Wooded Valley Loop

A short loop on the southern edge of the Peak District, where Derbyshire meets the Staffordshire Moorlands. It starts in a market town, runs out through gentle farmland and small villages, drops into a steep-sided wooded valley and comes home over a fast, open ridge road.

Almost all of it is A and B road, so the pace is easy and steady rather than testing, with a short town stretch at the start and finish. It suits a relaxed morning or a lazy afternoon, ideally in late spring or early autumn when the valley trees are at their best. Fuel is plentiful in town but thin on the loop itself.