Despite living and riding in the Ramsbottom area for years- for the first time last night I turned left at the gate leading up to Peel tower and did the military range route and ended up in Edgeworth-nice route.
However is there anyway back to Ramsbottom /Haslingden other on road? before I spend hours pouring over an OS map.

TIA

No. And god knows I’ve tried to find one. I’ve ended up calf deep in bogs, lobbing my bike over walls, lost in forests….

You can nip off on little bits here and there, but any route back is going to involve tarmac I’m afraid 🙁

I would just do a loop of turton woods and back past the catteries/ strawberry duck and back over crowthorne road. its a better route in that direction anyway

We tend to do what we call Le Tour de Reservoirs (mainly this time of year when the moors are really boggy) – head round to Edgeworth on that route, then carry on around Wayoh, then Turton and Entwistle reservoirs, then the bridleway through to Turton Bottoms, The steps down to Jumbles, round Jumbles, then just road it back on the A676 to the H&H for a pint. Comes in about 18 – 20 miles. You’re only on tarmac for the last few.

Happy to show you that route one evening if you fancy it

Is there nothing that goes over Grane/Tor?

There’s the Rossendale way, but it’s footpath and really is not bike friendly at all. After we discovered after an unholy slog through ankle deep filth. Not recommended!

What Binners says is spot on and its not for a lack of trying to prove him wrong! We live over the other side (Bromley Cross) and would love an alternative off road route.

That said, its not too bad from The Jumbles down to Holcombe Brook.