Back in 2017, Rich and I decided we needed a last minute escape from London – so sacking off work one Friday, we loaded up the bikes and hopped on the train to Sheffield.
East Midlands Railway trains to Sheffield run twice an hour from London St Pancras, and take about 2 hours. Everything you need on these is here, just remember you must book if you’re taking bikes (more on this at the end of this post).
Heading up mid-morning on a Friday, we treated ourselves to a late breakfast on the train and before long were unloading the bikes at Sheffield. Tickets on this route can be surprisingly cheap compared to other major lines out of London, and although the trains aren’t the newest or the nicest, they’re surprisingly reliable.
As we arrived in Sheffield the weather began closing in, which meant our ride into Edale was a lot tougher than we were expecting. Coming up out of the city we had pretty powerful head-on winds and quite a lot of rain. Things cleared a little as we crested Higger Tor though, and we did got some nice views as we headed into the Hope Valley.
We were staying at what is probably my favourite hostel in England outside the Lakes, YHA Edale. As well as being great value, it’s location is an absolute dream – right in the Hope Valley, it’s handy for all the best bits of the Dark Peak; but being nestled right up on the moor, there’s some incredible adventures to be had right from the door.
Whilst there’s a big (and well equipped) self catering kitchen at YHA Edale and they serve meals through the day, we opted for dinner in the pub (a short walk to The Rambler on this ocassion (though I’d generally recommend The Old Nags Head in Edale).
On Saturday, we headed out on the bikes for a 60km circuit around some highlights of the northern part of the Peak District (the ‘Dark Peak’). It was a sunny day, and surprisingly warm for October, and although there were some hefty graded climbs involved, we took it easy with plenty of stops to refuel.
Sunday morning was run time, and we headed out of the hostel straight up onto Kinder Moor. Making up a route as we went along probably wasn’t the best idea, but for a final outing before heading back down south, it was still superb.
Feeling far too tired to cycle back to Sheffield, we hopped on one of the regular trains from Edale, back along the Hope Valley line right into Sheffield station (making an easy change onto our waiting London train).
TRAINS
East Midlands Railway run trains to Sheffield from London St Pancras roughly twice an hour for most of the day. Book through any journey planner, info on their website.
If you’re taking bikes you must book in advance or you risk not being able to get your bike on the train. When we did this trip, there were still some older trains on this line that had the traditional guards van – in which you could stash many a bike (or surfboard, or anything else really) – but since about 2021 all the trains on this route have only two bike spaces each. Buy your ticket through the EMR website to book a space at the same time, or contact them to book a spot seperately.
The Hope Valley line (Edale – Sheffield) is a bit simpler – no need to book in advance for bikes, though be aware it can get very busy in the height of summer. Info here.
Accommodation
We stayed at YHA Edale.
ROUTES
This was our route from Sheffield station into Edale, other variations are possible!
If you’re looking for inspiration, this was our Saturday cycle and Sunday run.
