Saturday (approx 35 miles): Follow the Nutbrook Trail to Heanor, then strike up and down cross-country via lanes near Belper over the top (up to 230m at Shottle), descending and ascending again to cross the end of Carsington Water and the 300m height of Hognaston Winn, finally down to Ashbourne. 

At Long Eaton 1 join the car-free Nutbrook Trail (mixed towpath and rail trail) that forms part of NCN67. (This connects in Long Eaton with NCN6 Derby-Nottingham.) Follow that N for 9 miles to its finish at Shipley Country Park 2. On road continue N, climbing up into the centre of Heanor. Leave town NW on the A6007. Ride a long mile down to Loscoe, there turn left, W (Loscoe Denby Ln) to Denby, continuing to the edge of Kilburn 3. Turn right and ride W across the north side of Kilburn to join the A609. Head N via Rawson Green, then 150m after passing beneath the A38 turn left, SW for the hard climb up to Holbrook 4. Work your way through the village, so you leave SW descending steeply and turning right to Makeney and the valley bottom, then N into Milford and the junction with the A6. Cross the river W and take the first right, N, up Chevinside, climbing hard then descending to Blackbrook 5. Cross straight over the A517 and continue N steadily up to Belper Lane End. Navigate the lanes closely climbing and turning NW and W to Shottle, then waggling W down and up via Lawn Farm and down via Manifold Farm to the B5023. Dogleg right/left to continue W with a hard climb up to Kirk Ireton 6. From there (navigate closely) head SW to Blackwall to meet the NW damside road of Carsington Water. Climb to the B5035, and, mindful of fast traffic, climb on that SW over Hognaston Winn and via Kniveton down to Ashbourne 7.  

Sunday (approx 25 miles): Day two is both shorter and easier, yet with persistent mild slopes as the route takes a straighter line via Duffield back to Nottingham. Two sections of unsurfaced bridleway (Osmaston Park, and beyond Stanley) form a direct route (passable in dry weather conditions), or take the longer round-about road route in each case. 

Leave Ashbourne S via Spitalhill 8 and head S to the T-junction past Osmaston Pastures. Then EITHER turn E to Osmaston and then SE on the direct bridleway through Osmaston Park and Shirley Park to Shirley 9 (grassy and cobbled in places, slippery after rain) OR head S to Wyaston, then after the village turn E, SE to the crossroads before Rodsley, and there veer E, NE to Shirley. 

From Shirley turn NE towards the A52, and once there, ride with great care E for 400m, then turn off  N, NE via Commonside, then Mount Farm to Mercaston 10. Now follow the lane parallel SE via Mercaston Hall to Kedleston. Then head round the N side of Kedleston Park and down to Duffield. Leave the town E and cross the River Derwent then forking right to Little Eaton to join the B6179. Turn N and after 400m turn right, SE, the lane across Breadsall Moor. At the T-junction turn N and soon SW again to join the A608. Riding with care, head south on that for 500m to Morley 11, then turn off SE and head S for 1 mile to the crossroads. Turn E to Stanley.  

Then EITHER continue round NE, SE via Stanley Grange and Cat & Fiddle Farm to the A6096, and there head SW to pick up the lane SE to Dale Abbey, OR tackle the lane and short section of bridleway that heads directly between Stanley and the A6096 via Hagg Farms, and on to Dale Abbey 12. From Dale Abbey ride E via Dale Moor to Stanton-by-Dale, then S and E into Sandiacre to pick up the Nutbrook Trail back to Long Eaton 13