Hello East Lancs lot. A mate has just taken over as landlord as the Bay Horse in Baxenden, Accrington. Its just re-opened after being completely done out, and very nice it is too!! Good guest ales, decent food. What more do you want? The Bay Horse

He’s a keen mountain biker and is looking for any local trails so we can night ride from there during the week, and maybe the odd weekend jaunt. He’s no objections to you traipsing mud across his nice new (thankfully wooden) floors. You can even take your dog.

Anyone with any local knowledge fancy showing us around one night? We’ve been on one jaunt out with the OS, but ended up in a ‘Get orf my laaaaaaaaaaannd’ type, nearly getting shot, situation.

Or if you’re in the area anyway you’ve got a new Mountain bike/mud friendly pub. As Maggie famously said: Rejoice!!! 😀

I used to live just down the road, and know of a good few routes… When I’m back from my Honeymoon I would gladly head up and ride out with you…

Fantastic! That’d be much appreciated mate

Any other locals in daaaaa house? BOOM!

Years ago I did a ride near Acci that went on the ‘Kings Highway’ and into a quarry for a play and then rode down a place called the ‘Fairy Steps’. it was a good route but not been up that way for donkeys yonks though. It was a good ride. There might be something on the Blackburn and District mtb site. In fact they would be quite good ones for your mate to get in contact with. http://www.alexbarnes1653.webspace.virginmedia.com/bikes/

I’m an accy local, there is a loverly loop from the pub, lots of little routes. Loop over to the fairy steps etc etc.

Once I get my lights I’ll happilily show him around, by the way I had my first wedding reception at tht pub.

We’ll definitely take you up on that Phil. If only so you can relive those happy memories 😉

Have you got a link to where the fairy steps are. I think we’re going to have an explore Tomorrow night or Thursday. Want to borrow some lights?

My lights may be here Thursday, I’d be up for showin you the way if you want but it will be a tad boggy after all the rain 🙂

There is also the old quarry next to the dual carriage way you can mess in as well, I’ll try and get you a map link for te area.

Cheers Phil!

not sure if you can make this out. Green route is a nice loop i do once a week, it takes 50 minutes but can take aslong as you make it. the yellow is the extension over to the fairy steps. red at the bottom can take you to irwell vale and holcombe.

you can access the pennine bridalway by carrying on going right after the weather station near the fairy steps.

link to a bigger version

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m205/phil1977uk_2006/map1_zps6883982b.jpg

Thanks Phil

I’ve got the OS of the area so I can have a proper look at that route. We’ll probably give it a go on Thursday night. Probably 7.30 kick off from the Bay Horse if your lights show up

I might be able to join you.
I’ll keep an eye on this thread for updates/arrangements.

may just join you 😀

best check the weather first though – on the plus side not far to the pub

If you do a day other than Thursday [ mon – weds]then count me in

Junkyard

I tend to do tuesday and thursday localbut normally start at about 6:30.

I may struggle with Binners thursday ride as a 7:30 ride would mean a possible 9 finish and I wont have eaten my dinner 😀

is the riding worth it though?
Girlfriend is in Ozzy but i have never ridden round there as I stay in Rivvy
Drop me an e-mail – in profile

depends what you like, fairy steps are interesting, the old quarry is ok, some interesting lines on the coppice, including the eagle, which is scary but its mostly just balls out climbing 😀

Righty Ho chaps! The plan is to meet up at the Bay Horse 7.30 on Thursday evening.

Phil – if you need lights, I’ve a spare set of Lumi halogens charged and ready to go here.

JY – I’m hoping the weather gods are kinder to us than last times monsoon!!!

Can’t make it this week, or next, but would be up for it at a later date for sure….

I’m not gonna make this, wife is going out with her mum at 19:30. I’m def up for next Tuesday or Thursday.

I might make it out and join you tomorrow, work permitting. If not will deffo join you all at a later date as an accrington local its a good starting point for me 🙂

Nice to see more accrington peeps, I live at the foot of the coppice and see plenty of people grouping past my house 🙂

we will have to sort a weekend ride out sometime when weathers half decent, ended up over gorple last weekend was a good day out and clocked up a fair few miles haha

Lol don’t be soft it always rains. You can ride over to peel tower from accy quite easy.

haha i dont mind rain, its the way it makes some of the tracks i find unpassable…. i really should stop picking directions at random, falling in rivers has become a tradition lol

I used to live on Dowry street opposite the church…
Now down in Cheshire..
Miss the place if I’m honest..

You can ride over to peel tower from accy quite easy.

We tried that in reverse, in the ‘summer’ Phil and he ‘ride’ involved a lot of carrying bikes through bogs, in a monsoon!

I expect there might be a bit of that tonight. We’re going to do the route you posted up. Hopefully it’ll be the first of many from there. Will keep you posted

Binners, things may change for me yet so keep your eyes peeled on this. wife has just informed me her mum isn’t to keen on going out tonight 😀

Can you bring those spare lights just incase as i might not be able to get a full charge in my new ones?

you can go off road more or less all the way to peel tower but coming back you have to use the road or cycle path 6 back to Accy after robin hoods well. Well unless you return back up coal road to the wind farm, down into Lee Quarry, pick up pennine bridalway to Coal Clough Res, down to Dunnockshaw, up the road to the radar station, down the fairy steps and then back into Accy 😀

Brilliant Phil. The lights are charged so I’ll chuck them in the car in case they’re needed.

We tried to get back to Haslingdon from Rammy, over the top of Holcombe hill/Pilgrims cross from the tower, then pick up the Rossendale Way over to the Ogden Resevoir. Its fair to say that it didn’t go well. Hey ho… you have to try these things don’t you? 😀

think i have tried that and yes it’s a tad…. messy 😀

i’m hoping the new windfarm opens up come access routes from accrington to belmont as it opens up some loverly possibilities.

We had a walk up there on Sunday to check out the new turbines. They’ve put service roads in the same as on Scout Moor, so hopefully its going to open things up. Rossendale council seem pretty keen to opening up more routes generally on the Rammy/Bacup Side. So fingers crossed

Couple of points re fairy steps
1 at the moment you’ll probly need a snorkel to get to the start of them and the ability to swim thro moorland swamps and then ride down a river
2 whilst fairy steps are an “interesting technical challenge” I really wouldnt say riding them blind and in the dark was a particularly good idea
there are a numder of half decent route around hambledon and kings highway area but at the moment they are very wet indeed and one of them was a paricularly sweet little bit of singletrack which has been almost totalled by crossers.
Its possible to string some sizable routes together from there if your prepared to put some graft in
dont mind doing a route from there if paople want but it will have to be a sunday
G

Oh Accy! My home town, I have spent years riding there but only get back rarely to visit the family. Would happily show you if I was around.

Coppice has some good single track throught the trees, Kings Highway handy too, in fact there is a good loop taking in both and the disused railway line up towards the Bay Horse. Some good loops around Church, Ossy, Rishton & Clayton.

You are not too far from Burnley and the Mary Townley Loop, Lee Quarry Rivington, Gisburn Forest so you have a pretty good mix of local stuff and decent riding a short drive away.

Hope the pub thing goes well, if it ends up as good as the Peel Park I’ll be in next time I’m home.

The peel park is my local 🙂

Justme – the big over to fairy steps isn’t that bad and it will be even more fun in the dark :-).

If I don’t get out tonight I may be up for an hour/ hour 1/2 on Sunday.

Def can’t make 19:30, if it was 18:30 i could of shown you round half the loop. gonna go out at 18:00 from my house.

No worries Phil. We’ll get a run in soon. Any night preferable? I’ve got the OS map so we should be fine

Actually…. that sounds like famous last words

Sorry guys, I’m not going to be able to make this. 🙁

i ride tuesday and thursday as a rule during the week. the earlier the better for me 😀

Cool. I’m only down the road in Rammy. Thursday is the usual night. Wednesdays too on occassion. Maybe next week?

phil – the big what ? over to fairy steps isn’t so bad – you may know a different way over to me, I only know the way from the weather station side and thats been a toilet all summer.
Usually out riding most of the day on sundays but a tues night about 630 (730 is to late for me to be setting of – it would be midnight getting home!!)thats if I’m not working or riding or get done early -tues is usually my day off but being a grabbing b’stard I sometimes work at this time of year. Can you only do 1 – 1.5 hrs
G