We cheated on the way out and headed up the old railway towards Bacup, then up the bridleway to Sharneyford, past the trailer park at Healds farm and on to Thieveley.

From the top it's a barrel of fun, the grass is dry and the ruts are dusty with a few jumps thrown in.

Next it's along the MTL then past the cross and down to Clowbridge. The track has been sanitised here and is fast, oh yes it's fast! In fact there are a couple of skid marks off the track where locked wheels have prevented a corner from being taken. Being of an age when speed is no longer so important, I rattle down like an overloaded bus going up a hill. I think sedate is the word. Eventually the bottom is reached.

From here it's stiff climbing to Hameldon Hill. Did you know Rocky owns the hill?
He never rides up though - he cheats and gets dropped off at the top by helicopter.

Past the pond...

...and we're onto the Kings Highway

Which takes up Watery Lane - which no longer lives up to it's name.

Right at the top of the lane is the camping gaz stove used to prepare the stir fry entry for the Guinees Book of Records "largest Chinese meal" award. I don't think it won though.

Seriously though, can anyone tell me what it is?

Next it's a short and scenic climb up onto Rooley Moor. It might look a little unsavoury...

...and you do have to ride past a dubious shooting range (populated by large, bald, red-faced men driving big ghetto off-road vehicles). I think it might be a drug dealer's training centre.

We don't hang around, we make like Don Quixote and head for the windmills.

Which are still being erected across the moor. I think that 20 of them are now up.

As a result of the "Rooley-Henge" publicity, there are a few more people out and about. We took a diversion - is this photo taken from the site? I'm not sure, but it's where Routemartin suggested we might find it, and there is a ring of stones at this point.

We'll be back next week to do the ride in reverse (that's not sitting backwards on our bikes, it's in a clockwise direction doh!) so if you want to join us jousting at windmills be at Healey corner for 8:30.

But before you need that one, a bit of climbing is required:

This is all sanitised trail, but I've never heard anyone complain

In the distance you can see the trail snaking upwards from Piethorne Reservoir. That's been sanitised too.

Up on top the pedestrian erosion is so bad they've installed an all weather path.

There's a much bigger problem with mx bikes up there though. The moor is riddled with channels they've dug, and the fence across the top has been flattened so that they can ride across. It's just vandalism.

My favourite bridge

I fell off soon after this. The track narrows, steep slope on the left, bog on the right, skinny slick along the edge.
My back wheel slid off the edge and I dabbed with my right foot, or at least tried to. Instead my foot went straight into the bog followed by my leg up to the knee. The bike twisted me round so that my foot, trapped in peat, was pointing one way and my body pointing the other. The foot was fast - I pulled and pulled but it wasn't having it. Eventually I got out, wet and smelly. Big hand for Shaman who managed to stifle his laughter and come to my assistance.

Yet more trail sanitisation lay ahead

Causey stones are definitely the way forward. Look at these, must have been put down 100 years ago, and still like new!

Back home over the Long Causeway. Even this has been worked on, still too hard for me to ride in the wet (when it's dry I'll probably find I can't ride it then either!)

Ad to finish off, a nice view of Rochdale...

That was one wet ride.
But strangely pleasurable.
My mojo's buzzing.

...I had a couple of hours spare,,, my back seems to be a lot better..
hmmn...no excuses.

Muddier than expected. But quite pleasant - until I flew over the handlebars into a brown, smelly quagmire. Ho Hum.

To get onto the moor I had to get past the walrus on gate duty

In the distance you could make out one of the towers on the horizon

and before you know it, the trig point appears and you're at the top!
Nice views in all directions, today you can see past Pendle Hill to the Pennines. Must be near Ingleborough, not sure which hill. Rivi always looks good (OK pedants, Winter Hill):

Coming down via Beetle Hill, there's a cairn next to a solitary standing stone, with this carving on it:

I don't know the story behind the girl - can anyone enlighten me?
But it's a fine memorial:

I think when I'm dead and gone, I'd be proud to have left such an enigmatic tribute.

Coming along nicely.
And visible from all directions - they really are quite big!

No sign of the beast - must try harder!

No more photos either - My back's killing me!
Barely had the strength to lift my leg off the bike.
Think I'm going to have to have a bit of time off. :-(

more here

I like the way he's tethered to the post!

Policemen are like toilets...

It was cold and blowy up on the moors above Hebden Bridge.

We were on our way to Duke's Cut - a regular entry in magazine MTB routes.
The last time I rode here it was really nice - grassy, fast, lots of little jumps and a big one to finish.
Well that's all changed:

It's been sanitised, and like the toilet, it stinks.
That's Egypt in the distance you know.

We're soon done and on the Mary Towneley Loop.
Now this is a fine route - worth doing if you haven't yet.
Someone was asking on STW about the hills, and the only one that got a mention was the climb up onto Rooley Moor from Waterfoot. Well, there are a number of short stiff climbs dotted along the route, and this is one of them.

We drop down into Jack Bridge and take the track straight down to Hebden, slowing only for a couple of dog walkers. What's more of a hindrance is the fact that I turned the ETA on my fork on for that stiff climb, and I've forgotten to take it off. At the bottom of the descent I realise, no wonder my arms feel sore!
The it's the road up to Household - we're headed for London Road.

Nice view of Stoodley Pike.

London Road is normally fast and fun.
But, today the headwind is slapping us across the face like a piece of wet fish.
It's just not fun. At the first opportunity we duck out and drop down to the valley floor.

Sanctuary at last.

But it's not over yet.
There's another climb. Up Inchfield Road. It's a bit of a killer.
And then we're on the Industrial Fells.
It's tough up here.
Even Northerners can't live up here. It's the wind you know.

Soon it's over.
The route's finished.
We're finished.
But the wind blows on.

Route:

I don't know what Nick and Shaman looks so happy about!

Scotland Lane always seems to be muddy - it's either beasts in the field or cowboys, or both.
Today is no exception - I can't imagine why we thought it might be any different.

From the end of the lane we head for Croston Close Road. The first section is normally a rough, narrow track under a foot of water.
Today is no exception. But there are signs of council improvement afoot - maybe it's going to be dry next time?

It's pretty damp by the time we reach Cheesden Bridge, and we're soon off downhill on Bamford Road to Shuttleworth. It's a cling-on-for-grim-death-hoping-your-eyeballs-don't-pop-out kind of descent. It's a relief to have a bit of suspension.

Then it's a quick drop down to Stubbins and out along Route 6 to Irwell Vale. Over the railway line (making sure Pete Waterman doesn't run you down in a steam loco) then we head up. The first stage in the three part climb onto Scout Moor. Just a short section up to the M66.

We're joined on this section by a gaggle of other riders:

Then it's down the main road to a right turn at The Quarrymen's Arms. It's no longer a pub - not for at least ten years. Then the sharp climb up to Valley View Farm.

That's the second section completed. Now for the third act. We leave the other group behind and head up Sand Beds Lane towards Cowpe Lowe.

It's only a lane as far Sand Beds Farm, then it's path.

Then we're onto the unique tracks of Rooley Moor.
Stone slabs laid parallel, a cart's-width apart. Smooth to start, but now rutted by the passage of steel rimmed wheels. Great fun to ride.
Then it's on past the windmills, sprouting all over the moortop.
I think they're quite attractive.

And back to the stables.
Anyone recognise the location of the next picture, the valley of the purple trees?

Not the best photos, but it was a bit wet and I struggled getting the camera out in fat gloves - getting the lens cap off was a nightmare!
Oh yeah - and shorts in February? I'm lost for words!

Rain's stopped now and the sun's come out. Typical!

Have I mentioned the Robin Hood's Well descent?
It could be jolly fast, but you need o slow down for the ramblers.
A happy bunch today - must be the sunshine.

From Irwell Vale the only way is up. And today we go up to Valley View Farm.
The owner here opened a little cafe in a small caravan a few years ago.
A top place with real coffee and home-made cakes at a reasonable price - stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Anyone remember it?
The council closed it down because he hadn't applied for planning permission. Shame. No cake stop today.

They can't take the view away.
There's Peel Tower!

And rufty tufty moorland!

There are always people you know in the back garden.
Even when they can't remember your name! Lol!

Will I get in trouble for suggesting that Terrahawk looks a bit like Chipps?

or is it just the glasses....

At the request of Jonnym I've dug out a map of the route - or a close approximation anyway.
For all you geeky buffs out there it clocks in at 28Km, so a tad under 20 miles, and includes 780m climbing.

If you give it a go, let us know what you think!

View from the sky:

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:

Flat racing with maggots, a group of bookmakers clustered at the side of the track?

No, something altogether different.

It's a balmy summer evening. You're out on the bike catching the last rays of the day. As you round the final bend on Moorbottom Road you ride into the tepid stench of the maggot farm. The smell of a thousand sheep carcases in various stages of decay crammed into an overheated barn.

Well, things could get worse. Lets look at the sign a little more closely:

So, not only will your nostrils be assaulted with rotting meat, there'll be a cloud of barbeque smoke following you round the hill, the rich aroma of singed Tiddles in the air.
Which will be worst?

You need to look for a positive side to this sort of development - do you think they'll start serving kebabs?

I made another discovery while I was out.
You know all that rain we've had?
Ever wondered where it goes?
Well, I found this enormous plughole while I was out:

So that's where it all goes!

Being a Billy rider can be a bit lonely at times. I asked these guys if they fancied a spin but they weren't keen.

But there were a few other riders out.
I passed this group by Holcombe Hill:

There's been a lot of work done on the Robin Hood's Well descent, at the back of Holcombe Hill.
And it's coped with the recent rain admirably. And its fast to boot!

Nice to be dry enough to take the camera out again.
All I need now are some amenable models!

Well, it's raining again (got soaked every day last week), I'm not feeling too good, and my mojo is cowering under the bed upstairs.

So I'm not riding.
Instead, here's my view of 2007.

Let's start with a very rare picture of me. Spent hours photoshopping this to make my wheels appear off the ground!

Looks good to me!

March took us over to Coniston, for a wet ride over Walna Scar down to Coniston:

and then over to Grizedale Forest and the descent from Parkamoor to High Nibthwaite:

Back in the Lakes in April - this time a thwarted attempt on High Street.
This was us heading back down to Hartsop:

Found some nice riding round Boredale Hause on the way back though:

Did plenty of riding at home - my back garden:

Things went quiet for a while, then it was off to the Alps.
Chamonix to Zermatt. Fantastic trip!
And for those of you who think it's all chair lifts:

but it's worth it for the views:

Back home Shaman linked the 4 Quarries above Rochdale:

We made a pilgrimage to Whernside:

And then I was Billy-no-mates for a 2 day out and back trip in the Lakes.
Great weekend, but it's not often you have to push up and then walk down!

High Street was grand:

<

(Well, the views were)

And the walk down into Langdale was, umm, interesting:

The Lakes trip was a grand finale for me, but there was still some fun to be had.
Riding the quarries:

Even had a day off the bike (dog-sitting was my excuse) watching the suffering on the annual Rake Hill climb:

And we finished the year off with Llandegla (huge dirt-jumping course and where's the helmet-cam video?) and Penmachno (two fantastic xc loops with tons of fun).

All in all, not a bad year on the MTB front.

So what for this year?
Well, the list is something like this (in no special order)
the R2R one weekend
the Berwyns
return to Penmachno
more Lakes
some Peaks
more Dales
Hit the North
a Merida or two
and probably a few days in Switzerland

Anything I've missed?

They didn't even hold the gate open!
But the hill up the other side proved a bit much, and once at the top we didn't see them again.

Soon we were on the Pennine (Bridle)Way. Its a top track over to the mast.

It's a different story coming down. The first section is good fun but it's motocross paradise up here, and the results are a bit depressing. All ruts and mud along the bridleway - horrendous in parts. I don't think we'll be back until the weather picks up.

But the first section looks like this:

We rode along the Pennine Bridleway after that.
It's been completely sanitised you know - really crap riding:

More sanitisation here:

I'm lying actually - it's completely un-sanitised except for some wooden planks across a drainage ditch. Not only that, but it's home to one of the very few switchbacks in the area!

Shaman's like the Stig, no-one really knows who he is. But he's not quite going fast enough to keep his face hidden in this shot.

He's a good man for following through puddles too, as this shot demonstrates.
It's called the 'Moses Technique', and I would like to see him using it on a larger body of water!

and through the woods

past the lake

and eventually up to the Witches Tower

looking back to the pike

and up to the mast

from here is the 'Dest Descent in the North West'.
I can't understand why people people don full body armour for riding up it?

Looking back to a hazy Winter Hill

View of the lake

Well, that's enough of a trailer - doesn't it look fantastic!.

If you want to see more, get yourself on the ride! Checkout the post on the forum.

No tumbleweed here!

There's no queues

But there's no uplift either

and, of course, you're not fixed to any rails!

If you follow the site map...

You eventually...

...reach the best ride. It's the Big One!

Now that's what I call a rollercoaster!

(Although It's funny you know, it felt much steeper at the time!)

Oh, and if you want a guided tour, best speak to Shaman.

Late extra - there's been some criticism on STW of "riding photos", so in the interests of "art" and "photography" I give you the almost vertical Shaman! (Please excuse the flaky editing!)

Things weren't looking up though. New pads at the front didn't work properly (technical incompetence on my part as I found out later) and I popped a rear spoke as I rode up past Dubbs reservoir. I thought spokes snapped when you were bouncing downhill?

Despite this, you couldn't knock the weather as I headed up towards the start of High Street -the old Roman road.

I wasn't the only one out. I teamed up with a Manc who'd come up on the train for the weekend and was riding over to Penrith. The trail got steeper until we reached the gate where the pushing started.

There's always some pushing in the Lakes. Eventually it stops, although not quite yet...

But it's worth it for the views. What a place to be!

Soon the top is in sight, an easy ride along the ridge on the left.

The views include one down to Hayeswater. It looks quite pretty now - a far cry from the gale-battered spot we turned back at in March.

The views chop and change as I ride along the ridge. The first section fast and jumpy (but not for me with a missing spoke) and then it becomes Industrial Fell staple - wet, peaty bogs where inevitably I fall off. But I don't care.

Eventually I roll out at Pooley Bridge, and it's head down spinning along the road to Dockray and the start of the old Coach Road. Three Landrovers ahead - "Let's off-road!" - who are courteous enough to pull over and let me past (eventually). And straight down the C2C into Keswick to hit the bike shop just before closing.

I stay at Derwentwater YHA. No longer very popular with the youth, staying there makes me feel positively juvenile.

Next morning breaks chill and a little misty.

No chance to stretch my legs as the road swings around up to Watendlath for the popular descent to Rosthwaite. It quickly becomes apparent why it's a hit. An easy start

kicks into a very steep gully which spits you out at a gate. From here it's steep and quick, the noise from my Swiss tourist souvenir cowbell alerting the ramblers to my out-of-control descent. And I'm at the bottom!

This next section looks good on the map - it's a bridleway! I've no idea what it's like on the ground. First I head towards Greenup Gill, and then it's a right turn along Langstrath Beck.

It's like a Wordsworth watercolour!

The track meanders along the valley bottom to the foot of Stake Beck, where the stream drops down from Angle Tarn. Time for a last glance down towards Borrowdale.

Then it's up the grassy ridge beside the stream. It soon kicks up. Steep, steeper and steeperer. What am I doing here?
But in twenty minutes I've pushed, pulled, coaxed and hauled 33lb of overweight bicycle to the top of Stake Pass.
I'm riding again but not for long. The descent into Langdale is, well, steep and very rocky. All I'm up for is to admire the view.

The riding improves and I'm on tracks down Langdale, drop into Elterwater and a short climb later I'm at the start of Loughrigg Terrace.
Loughrigg Terrace? On a Sunday afternoon? With my reputation?

Well, the cowbell does it's trick - dispersing the rambling masses apart from the Mutt and Jeff amongst them.
I can even ride through the lake without becoming submerged!

The riding continues - Ambleside, Jenkins Crag, Troutbeck, all a gentle, hazy reminisce.
At Limefit Park the shop's shut, but there's a drinks vending machine to top up my bladder - need it too, my two litres from this morning have evaporated.
Now for the last (almost) climb of the day - Garburn Pass. The ascent part riding, part pushing.

It's a familiar view from the top, but not one to disappoint

and all too soon I'm opening the gate at Kentmere. Of course no ride down Garburn would be complete without the Sawmill Cottage descent - and it doesn't disappoint.
As I ride into the Staveley car park it starts to drizzle.

Memories of stunning panoramas
Stale garlic in the youth hostel dormitory
and some of the most fantastic riding in the country
Heaven!

(open in new tab to enable scrolling)

Some stats for those interested.....
Day 1: 67km 1880m climbing
Day 2: 55 km 1964m climbing