Obviously the Penine Way is a footpath (Hence the new pennine bridleway), but are there any sections of it that using a MTB on it is accepted as I would like to ride the section from the M62 area down to Marsden? Has anyone here ridden this section before and encountered any problems or conversely encountered no problems?

(I know there is a bridleway in this area, but in wet weather I found it becomes difficult in places and if on your own potentially dodgy)

Done a section up to the M62 from Blackstone Edge side.

Didn’t see a soul. Was a wet day during the week in term time though.

It’s all peaty up there so you should really stick to the path.

Enjoy

Just ride it… lifes too short.

Depending on where on the M62 you mean of course…

The best way from windy hill (J22) is follow the bridleway over white hill to the A640, then down the packhorse road bridleway to Hey Green. This is my all-time-favourite trail (the section from A640 down to Close bridge).

I’ve not had any problems riding all of that, except for some ill-informed redsocks one time.

I’ve never been challenged by walkers for riding the Pennine Way from the A62 to the A640, it’s part of one of my regular loops. Good fun, with a few interesting features to keep you on your toes. I don’t know anyone who’s cleaned it dab free. The bit north of the A640 to Windy Hill is good too and I’ve not had a problem on there either.

I do stay away from the PW on sunny weekends and bank holidays, though, when you’re very likely to encounter huge herds of red-socked OAPs and other assorted gormless grumps. There are a few completely non-cheeky alternatives on the Diggle/Delph side of the hill, look for the Pennine Bridleway signs, you can ride legally almost entirely off-road from the A62 up to the A640 and beyond via the tracks round Castleshaw and Dowry reservoirs (marked as footpaths still, but actually part of the Pennine Bridleway so completely legal AFAIK).

The Packhorse Road down to Marsden, which I assume is the bridleway you are talking about, is a fantastic descent. It is currently in brilliant condition, the boggy middle section is almost completely dry (or it was a couple of days ago, last night’s torrential thunderstorm might have changed that). It is a bit technical in places – I had a couple of entertaining offs on there on Monday. But as a rule you end up landing on nice soft grassy tussocks so it’s really not too bad even if you do screw up.

not related at all really but I’ve just realised that.

Marsdenman

who posts on here is

Marsden man

not (as I’ve always thought)

Mars Denman

Mars always seemed like an odd first name for someone.

as you were.

Mintimperial – The packhorse is the one I was on about. It seems very nice, well it was until the heavens opened on me last night and the lower sections became very slippery and thats why I was interested in the alternative until it dried out a bit!

Ah right. Yeah I wouldn’t have wanted to be out in that, and living in Marsden I’m used to getting soaked. To be fair, pretty much anywhere would have been slippy in that lot, it was properly bouncing down.

It dries out very quickly in summer though, all the vegetation sucks the water up in no time. Give it a couple of days of dry weather and it’ll be lovely again.

Sitting in the office here in oldham, looking out the window I don’t think it will be THAT dry soon…

However, that last silly steep descent is actually easier with a bit of damp around, as it sticks things together. When it’s bone dry you can end up with both wheels locked, surfing downhill on a miniature landslide. I don’t think last night counts as “a bit damp” though.

As to alternatives to packhorse… There is another way down from further over on the A640. Come across the wall (such as it is) of Cupwith res, then instead of turning 90 left toward slaithwaite, follow the ungroomed trail south, which will come out onto a track by a farm. Take a left and it will switchback once down the hill to Plains lane.

A much longer, more all-weather, alternative to coming down packhorse could be to follow the pennine way from the A640 to the A62 at standege, then from there across black moss, follow the trail all the way around and across wessenden dam and down the bottom part of wessenden onto binn road.

Is the track down from Cupwith not even boggier than the Packhorse? I’ve only ever walked it and there’s a grim old swampy bit that I really didn’t fancy lugging a bike through…

I rode it in the upward direction a couple of times last year. Now you mention it I do remember the swampy bit, although there’s the remnants of a dry stone wall next to it that you can walk on top of. Not ideal really…

I keep meaning to have another look up that way as there’s a farm track on the map that looks promising, but I think I’ll wait for a dry spell before I do that.

The other alternative is to turn left after Cupwith res, down towards Slaithwaite, head down the track to Cop Hill and Booth Bank, then ride back up the canal, that would probably be the driest way down on that side of the valley. You lose quite a bit of height on tarmac though which is always annoying…