After an enforced break from cycling it was great to be back in the saddle for a winter Saddo with decent weather forecast for the day and the usual crowd of expectant faces waiting for another mystery tour of Saddleworth.
Unbeknownst to most was my idee fixe of taking us down a little known but really quite exciting bridleway to Shaw, Knowl Road, for a spot of lunch in Wetherspoons where not only is the food and drink quick, cheap and quite remarkably good but they can also lock up the bikes from general view in their somewhat grandly named “Beer Garden”
To get to said bridleway involved a few interesting detours as we canaled it to Friezeland, Clough Laned it up to Lydgate then Quick Roaded it to Mossley. After a little excursion to explore an inviting track near the former Grotton Station we hauled ourselves along the aptly named Stone Breaks Road and up to Austerlands before taking Brighton Road to the Roebuck Inn and on to Moorside and then Shover to begin our rather rocky, wet and quite exciting descent to lunch.
Having bottomed out in the Beal Valley we needed to make our way up and over Cromton Moor to the Tame Valley which gave rise to the growth and industrialisation of the many Saddleworth Villages. Unfortunately our “tame” Crompton Moor Crawler, Phil, had left us before lunch and so navigation was in my not very capable hands. We found our way into and up over the rim of Pingot Quarry where we paused for a group photo at the impressive orientation table with views out towards the North Pennine Moors, Cheshire and Manchester. Unfortunately Phil, t’other Phil, discovered he had a mean puncture and no amount of well intentioned help, gunk and CO2 canisters could stem the flow so we said goodbye to Phil who set off on the lonely walk back to Delph - well it would have been lonely but for “Little John’s” offer to accompany him home - thanks John!
So rounding up those who had gone to play on the MTB playground - sorry bump? pump? track - we headed off upwards alongside Brushes Clough Reservoir pausing to watch in awe as Ros took on the e-bikers in a spectacular display of form, fortitude and possibly folly! The rest of us just pushed! Unfortunately I miscalculated and took us too far up before turning off leaving us with a really strenuous yomp over boggy and steep paths to within a whisker of the trig-point summit while the track we should have taken, firm, dry and stoney, could be seen below us!
Still thereafter it was downhill all the way - a screaming descent to Denshaw first then following the main road along the Tame Valley to Delph where we picked up the slight downward incline of the Delph Donkey back to the Lime Kiln where some of us had the time and inclination to enjoy a final brew and a cake.
Thanks to everyone as always for such good cheer on our rides and to Jackie for being sole back marker in the absence of “Big John”.
Rob Newton
More of Roger's photos and videos can be viewed here:
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