A couple of things I would add.
It was cold, very cold! It may be better if there was some cloud cover, as the night we did the ride was clear and although it was nice to see the stars, it made it blooming cold! I ended up with a long sleeve base layer, short sleeve top, long sleeve top, my emergency rain jacket and a gilet. I took 3 pairs of gloves and ended up using my winter gloves! I was wearing a pair of bib longs with bib shorts under. I also wore 2 pairs of socks, my winter boots and over shoes. I thought that would be a bit of over kill, but it turned out to be the right decision for that night. In the day I was a bit over dressed as the temperature got upto 7 degrees, but I took a few layers off and stored them in my pockets.
The bulk of the climbing is in the first half of the ride and the people coming from the South may find it a bit different to what they are used to (I am originally from Surrey and had a bit if a shock at the amount of hills, the steepness and the length of them when I moved up here!) There is nothing steep, but the drag from Manchester all the way to Blackburn is pretty much all uphill for 22miles. Saying that, if you ride them at a pace you are comfortable with it should not be a problem.