Around Morridge and Butterton Clews

Watch the traffic! A good place to start would be the view point at the top of Thorncliffe Hill (OS Grid ref. 028596). Head out along Morridge, with its wonderful views, towards the West (with the peaks of Wales in the distance on a good day) on what is the Peak District National Park western boundary. This road is relatively straight and therefore has some fast-moving traffic - so as usual keep your wits about you. Stay on the main road for about 3km, until you come to a crossroads of sorts, at the top of a small rise. You can choose here to go on to the end of the main road, to pick up the Ipstones to Warslow road, or turn left (I would recommend this) and take the much quieter (and narrower) lane down into Onecote. Either way, you will end up in Onecote and either way it will be mainly downhill. If you have opted for the quieter route, you will need to trun left at the 'T' junction just after you pass the church on your right, onto to the B5053. You should turn left onto this road at the crossroads if you stay on the higher route. Onecote has a good pub, the Jervis Arms.

Almost as soon as you leave the village (heading for Warslow) the road begins to steepen. Th OS map gives a spot height of close to 277 metres at the brook which runs through the village (to become the river Hamps), and when the road levels off after just over one kilometre, the spot height has increased to nearly 360 metres. A fast straight section follows, before the drop down through the 'S' bends to Warslow brook, which make up what is known locally as Butterton Clews, possibly after a local farm. Anybody cast light on this ??

The descent only involves one point that requires a smidgen of extra care, specifically the last bend (to the left) before the road straightens going down to the brook. This last turn is not very sharp, but is a good bit sharper than a lot of people expect from their surroundings. I have seen cyclists, motor-cyclists, car drivers and HGVs all end up on the wrong side of the road as they have let their speed increase with the expectation that the bend is shallow. This can definitely be a problem if there is oncoming traffic. Normally its OK if you are aware of it.

Continue on towards the village of Warslow. When you see the village hall on the right, there is a left turn just before the church.

Take it, and cut across the village to pick up the B road (to Leek), just opposite the pub, the Greyhound Inn. Turn left. A longish slow pull back up to the moors follows. Once on the tops, it is a pleasant cycle over to the Mermaid pub (note - it can be busy with traffic, and it being a mainly straight road, the cars can be travelling at quite high speeds) where turning left, it is a short run back to the view point where we first started.

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