Industrial Fell Biking

We had the wind behind us all the way up the valley, and the track walls provided some shelter up to Sharneyford.

It's nice to see some benefit from the icy blast.
Wind.
Like smells - doesn't show up well on a photograph.

Took the track down from Sharneyford.
Now I know there's a route down through the forest on the right - anyone ridden it?
This is near the bottom, past the erosion from the week before's rain.

You come out at Portsmouth, of all places. Short section of road into the teeth of the wind and then it's up the tarmac towards the Long Causeway - the road from Burnley to Hebden Bridge.

There's some tasty riding ahead.
A bridleway to the right takes us past an old farm and traverses the hill towards Whirlaw Stones.
It can be damp along here but today it's surprisingly dry.

At Whirlaw Stones the track becomes an old causey way - with lumpy rocks sticking out every which way.
Top riding!

It's easy to see why Singletrack Magazine set up office in the valley below!

Once down in the relative warmth of the valley we head along (alright then - alongside) the very full canal.
Then it's up through Ramsden Wood - another ridiculously steep Calderdale climb

that leads up to another Long Causeway - this one leads over to Watergrove.
Into the wind again - hard work!

From the top we take the easy option over towards Whitworth and along the old railway.

What a bracing ride!

Goes something like this: