Todmorden to Rivington loop, Saturday, 7th May, 2016

[Littgull]

A terrific day out on the bike. Much thanks also to Colin for his trademark meticulous planning of the route through the network of scenic quiet country lanes and attractive villages. We passed through some absolute gems including the remote railway station at Entwistle (about 6 miles north of Bolton) set deep in the countryside. I looked it up on Wikipedia earlier this morning and it states that it is a 'request stop'. I never knew the railway system included that facility. Right next to the quaint little station is an equally attractive looking pub called the Strawberry Duck - which also gets a good write up and reviews.

It was good to meet Doug (@doughnut)and as well as enjoying the ride together we all discussed the features of Garmins and apparent discrepancies between ride stats when compared to Strava (which I am unfamiliar with - being a complete technophobe). Doug had the same Garmin 200 as me and showed me how to use the feature of using a pre-planned ride as a 'course'. We swapped Garmins for a few miles so I could have a go at 'following the line'. So as well as a great ride I got some IT tuition as well which will prove really useful.

Talking of stats mine were as follows: Total distance = 83.9 miles (includes an additional 11.2 miles getting from Littleborough to Todmorden and returning to Littleborough). Total ascent 7296 ft (minus 597ft being the aforementioned to/from as measured via mapometer website) = 6699ft. Average speed (ride time) = 11.3 mph.

We made a joint decision on the return leg just before descending to Haslingden to use the valley road from Rawtenstall to Bacup rather than 5 or 6 miles of more demanding climbing. A wise decision as the final climb from Bacup to Sharneyford was a real tester on the legs and back! We were rewarded with the long refreshing descent and upon reaching the bottom I turned right for Littleborough with Colin and Doug going in the opposite direction for the short ride into Todmorden.

After showering, eating and downing a couple of glasses of red wine I was so tired I was in bed by 9.30 pm and sound asleep within minutes of hitting the pillow.

A highly enjoyable ride.

 

[ColinJ]

Also just at the point where you touch Adlington, you might want to have a look at The Street which runs alongside the Upper Rivington Reservoir. Its signposted as a no through road, but takes you down a nice road/path by the reservoir - no cars except residents for the half dozen houses. Here's the strava segment to show you what I'm talking about. Probably takes a quarter of a mile or so off the route but its much more pleasant.
https://www.strava.com/segments/9929694

Endorsed - definitely a nicer way by bike!

Just so you know you could cut off the run through Chapeltown to Edgeworth via The Strawberry Duck using Battridge Road, Overshores Road and Crow Trees Lane. Overshores Road is a bit rough but I've ridden it on 23's. I love riding along Crow Trees:

https://goo.gl/maps/ar18pWSbbeL2

A similar endorsement for that! Yes, there were a few yards of broken surface, potholes and gravel, but we just took care.

And an endorsement too for Rivington Village Green Tea Room on the right at the foot of the Sheep House Lane climb. I had a Cappuccino, a can of cold Pepsi, a nice scone with butter and jam, and a huge slice of yummy chocolate cake for £6.75. They had an all-day vegetarian breakfast including tea/coffee, for £5.50 which I was sorely tempted to try but I thought it might take too long to make and I wanted that cake! The staff were friendly.

Oh, my ears clearly need syringing ... A man came out of the tearooms holding a large mat which he proceeded to smack violently against the wall of the building to get the dust out of it. I made a joke about the mat apparently having done something to annoy him. He turned and floored me by saying "I'm imagining that it is a black man". We wheeled our bikes back towards the road and I whispered to Doug and Brian that the person had said something really racist which had shocked me. It turned out that he had said "I'm imagining that it is the VAT man"!

The one negative for me about the route was the 24 km (15 mile) section between Hawkshaw and Bacup. The roads are busier than I like and that is probably why I have never done this loop before. I don't think that there is much of an alternative though because Greater Manchester is to the south and roads there would be even busier. I will scour my maps for other options but the combination of big hills, narrow valleys and the concentration of old mill towns makes a quiet 'escape route' nigh on impossible without resorting to riding a mountain bike or CX bike!

 

[potsy]

I remember when there used to be pictures after these forum rides

 

[ColinJ]

I remember when there used to be pictures after these forum rides

Actually, I commented on the ride that we were not taking photos. It's a great pity because we passed through some stunning places.

I used to have a small camera bag on my bars and carried a separate camera in that. It was not a lot of hassle to pull over and whip the camera out for some quick snaps. These days I usually only carry my phone and that is in a waterproof bag inside my Camelbak bag on my back. The extra delay involved in extracting the phone puts me off doing it.

The old bar bag is slightly too small for my new camera. I will have a look for a new bag. Normal photographic service will be resumed as soon as possible!

 

[potsy]

I still carry my camera in my frame bag near the stem, makes it so much simpler to take a quick snap.

Obviously that is when I actually get the bike out