I've been puzzled for a while why most weekday rides start at 10am and finish between 4pm and 5pm with a lunch stop half way round lasting an hour. A tried and tested formula? Tradition? Or simply lack of imagination? So I decided to break the mould. How about travelling to the start outside the morning rush hour and returning home when the nine to fivers are in family bosoms?
Thirteen of us gathered at the Summit Inn on the Littleborough to Todmorden road near the Lancashire/Yorkshire boundary. The summer sun was high in the mid-day sky when the clock struck one and we were off for a long afternoon on the moors. We started with an easy warm up on the Rochdale Canal towpath northwards to Warland Gate before doubling back up the closed to traffic Calderbrook Road now with its crumble topping of tarmac. It will be really exciting in a few years. Upon reaching the Mary Towneley Loop we doubled back again to climb to Reddyshore Scout with great views of canal and road far below us. Then we lost all the height as we plunged into Bottoms near Walsden. Some enjoyed the plunge whilst others, I think, would have preferred to remain on the tops.
And now to tackle the eastern side of the valley. A minor road climbs ever so steeply to the hamlet of North Hollingworth and the Mary Towneley Loop again. Sweat dripped; eyes stung with salt and bottles started to empty. We were on our two-mile climb onto the moorland plateau. And the sun burned. We left the national trail at Rake End and veered off onto a moorland track that continued to climb, but on a more gentle curve, first to the Basin Stone and then to Gaddings Dam. The distinctive gritstone rock feature was a secret Chartists' meeting place back in the mid-19th century. The nearby dam fed the mill at Lumbutts but is now in community ownership and a secluded spot for specialist bathing. Some lingered, others didn't. A flagstone causeway brought us to Warland Reservoir to mark the end of the second climb of the day - two and bit miles, 250 metres of ascent from the valley bottom and the sun on Regulo 8. A cooling breeze wafted across the plateau right on cue.
Our next objective was a circuit of Blake Moor on narrow, mainly rutted singletrack around the watershed plateau for four miles. The trails were remarkably dry and stable given the rotten summer we've had but now and again the slimy bog monster lurked to trap the unsuspecting. Slurrrp! Man down! One of our merry (but not for long) band sacrificed himself in the Deep Pool of Stink. He was fine, the bike only sank up to its handlebars. It could have been much worse though. An ageing male, found perfectly preserved ten thousand years later with plastic on head astride a Boardman hardtail... Rough Stuff Man. The monster appeased, we continued uneventfully to our rest stop by the shores of Whiteholme Reservoir. Picnic and banter lasted half an hour and then we were off again. Hike-a-blke over Byron Edge followed by swooping downhill singletrack to Blackstone Edge Reservoir.
We said farewell to the high moors and dropped off Blackstone Edge on the old coach road (now a bridleway) to Lydgate. Here we followed a more familiar trail over Whittaker Moor to cross the M62 motorway at Brown Hollins where a friendly farmer's wife refilled water bottles for us. The ice cream van at Hollingworth lake was a temptation too hard to resist and we took a few minutes out scoffing cornets and lollies before they melted. And here's a plug for a Special Edition Magnum – it comes in its own box and is a joy to behold. A masterpiece of confectioner's craft. Just don't ask how much.
We reached the Rochdale Canal at Clegg Hall, an historic pile with a tale to tell and if I'm to keep this report to one page of A4 research it yourself on the Internet. Some gentle climbing up a dozen locks in just over a mile from Littleborough brought us back to the summit pound and the pub and beer and food. Most of us had booked a meal so we enjoyed a good hour drinking, eating and making merry while the bosom-bound motorists cursed their lot stuck in motorway, main road and town centre traffic.
Twenty-two miles, some climbing, some pushing, some freewheeling, lots of good company and a stressless journey to and from. A great afternoon out.
Mick Ely
Some of Rob's photos on Flickr here: