Bolsover & District Cycling Club

Lincolnshire Cross 207km 08:00 start, £5:00 entry fee

A NEW 207km ride across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire that celebrates 18^th Century green technology by visiting a number of working windmills from Tuxford to Waltham, near Cleethorpes. 

This region saw the windmill reach the height of its technology with the tall elegant brick tower topped by a distinctive onion-shaped or ‘ogee’ cap. A feature peculiar to this region is the cast-iron Lincolnshire Cross, developed in the late 18th Century by the engineer John Smeaton from Leeds, which allows mills to be built with any number of sails. The area boasts 4, 5, 6 and even 8-sailed windmills. 

The ride starts from Cuckney and heads north east through Clumber Park to a café control at Mount Pleasant Windmill at Kirton-in-Lindsey, with info controls at North Leverton Windmill and Heapham Windmill near Gainsborough en route. A further café control at Waltham Windmill near Cleethorpes marks the half way point on the ride before returning to Cuckney via info controls at Ludford, Ellis Windmill in Lincoln and Tuxford Windmill

Beast of Bolsover 105km AA1.5 09:00 start, £4.00 entry fee 

The sixth running of the event will see the ride being run in its original direction. The ride heads out to Glapwell and descends to Stainsby Mill, before heading through Astwith, Pilsley, Danesmoor, Clay Cross and Handley before descending to Ogston Reservoir. En route to an info control at Holloway the ride climbs towards Ashover before heading over towards Crich and descending through Upper Holloway. After passing through Cromford, a steep climb through Bonsall is followed by a further series of climbs and descents through Elton, Gratton Dale and Middleton by Youlgrave before reaching Monyash (café control). The return to Bolsover includes a descent of Kirk Dale to Ashford in the Water, a climb to Curbar Gap, a long descent to Barlow and a climb to Apperknowle (info control) before passing through Barrow Hill and Inkersall en route to a final climb past Bolsover Castle.

Colourful Clumber 111km 09:00 start, £5.00 entry fee 

NEW for 2010. We are resurrecting Clive Wilman’s Colours of Clumber, which was run for many years from Clowne. The ride starts and finishes at The Parish Rooms in Bolsover and heads out through Whaley and Whaley Common to Clumber Park. We pass through Hardwick Village (info control) and the notorious ford before leaving Clumber and heading through Bothamsall, Gamston, Eaton, Upton, Headon (info control), Teswell, Sturton le Steeple and Beckingham en route to a café control at Misterton. We return to Bolsover via a climb to Gringley on the Hill, Clayworth, Mattersey, Sutton cum Lound, Babworth and Clumber Park’s Limetree Avenue before a final ‘sting in the tail’ past Whaley Quarry.

Saturday 10 April saw the second running of 'Wortley Wander' a hilly little number that heads into the not so familiar country to the west of Sheffield, passing through Dore, Ringinglow, Lodge Moor, Loxley, Worral and Oughtibridge before passing Steve Peat's stamping ground of Wharncliffe Woods on the way to a cafe stop at The Countess Tea Rooms in Wortley. A less hilly return leg headed down the east of Rotherham via Wentworth, Kilnhurst, Hooton Roberts, Ravenfield, Bramley, Thurcroft, Brampton-en-le-Morthern, Todwick, Harthill and Clowne en route to Bolsover. 

The route outline is here: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3371903

2009 saw the 5^th edition of the Beast of Bolsover on Saturday 26 September. The event was organised by Peak Audax in conjunction with Bolsover & District Cycling Club. This year the ride had been turned around and was run in an anti-clockwise direction.

The ride is best described as ‘scenic’ with over 2,000m of ascent, but the extensive views across the Peak District and fast descents more than compensate for the climbs.

Although the controls are the same as in previous years, albeit in a different order, the ride has a different feel as some of the climbs are longer and the approach to Bolsover is flat, rather than a final climb past the castle.

The route heads out from Bolsover and skirts the edge of Chesterfield before climbing to an info control at Apperknowle, then passes through Dronfield en route to Barlow and the eastern edge of the Peak District. A desent of Curbar Gap is followed by an ascent of Kirk Dale to a café control at Monyash. The return leg is via Middleton, Elton, Bonsall, Cromford and a climb through Lea, then via Ogston Reservoir and Clay Cross, before entering a network of quiet lanes leading to a final climb to Ault Hucknall and a fast, flat run in to Bolsover.

There is one café control on the ride at Monyash (50km). In addition, there are a number of other cafés along the route, at Calver (just off route) and Cromford.

The route can be followed on OS Landranger Maps 119 and 120.

The ride will start from the Courtyard Kitchen Café in Cavendish Walk, which opens at 8:30am. FREE tea or coffee is provided for all entrants at the start of the ride.

Bolsover is easily reached from M1 junction 29 or 30 and there is ample FREE parking in the Town End Car Park adjacent to the café.

The ride will finish at Bolsover Parish Hall on Hornscroft Road, opposite the Parish Church and is only a few hundred metres from the start.

Food (sandwiches, cakes, etc.) and drinks will be provided at the finish for post ride recuperation.

Further details can be downloaded here and the routesheet here.

Both files are in pdf format and will need Acrobat Reader to download.