My longest day off road – with pics!

Yesterday I rode from Huddersfield to Brighouse then got the train to Hebden Bridge then rode back to Hudds along the Pennine bridleway, via Marsden then the Huddersfield narrow canal back home.

Wow that was hard work but so satisfying to finish. I’ve never ridden this far off-road in a day and I admit I was ruined when I got home. I did have to walk up a lot of the hills as I didn’t want to tire myself out and be stranded after hitting the wall and I’m glad I was careful.

33 miles, 95% offroad, 4500ft of climbing.
It was an amazing day weather wise – in the first half of the ride the ground was frozen so no mud but as the day went on it melted so it got steadily more wet and muddy. The descent down into Marsden was especially precarious and I went OTB on one bit into a big muddy hole so I ended up looked like some sort of monster from the deep!

Looking towards Stoodley Pike:

Looking back to the same:

More packhorse trail….

Chillin’ at the Rochdale Canal:

Hollingsworth Lake:

Start of the uphill to go above the M62:

I love massive civil engineering stuff like this, scary and awesome at the same time:

Reservoir in middle of nowhere. Met Rochdale Cycling club members here who were taking out kids who had learning difficulties/disabilities/blindness (didn’t know which) and they were riding Thorn tandems with the kids on the back with semi slicks and mudguards! Bouncing and slithering down the muddy bridleway but they looked like they were having fun. Nice work guys!

One of the last NEVER ENDING up hills.

Splendid.

Looks like you had a great day out. 🙂

Brilliant … I love to see and hear about rides like these

Excellent,glad other people are getting some of this great weather,another beauty up here today.

Time to get going 🙂

very jealous, my riding plans for the weekend have been put off due to a baby with tonsilitus and a wife with a stomach bug!

That looks fantastic. Lucky b’stard. 🙂

I see you turned round to take a photo of Piethorne Reservoir from that horrible, horrible steep gravelly section. The descent on the other side is superb but slippy, but with a surprise gate just before the end. Caught me out the first time.

That, sir, is what our sport is all about. Good show

I really don’t have the right bike for that sort of ride either, could do with being 5lbs lighter!!

It really was a beautiful day. I didn’t put my coat on until I was on top of the moors past the M62, as long as I kept moving I was warm enough.

5mph average…. Not great I know but I’m happy!

I had to walk from Milnsbridge up to where I live about 1.5miles away as I just didn’t have any energy to pedal up the slightest incline!

Best descent was the one down to Piethorne, loads of fun.

That climb over the 62 is a killer isn’t it?

We did it at the end of a Monday Night Pub Ride a month or two back. I was ruined. 🙂

Cracking.

You did all that AND had time to stop for piccies? Well done!

Love posts like this. Its nice to see other folks localities – and that particular one is lovely!

Stunning.

Nice to see & hear of rides outwith Trail Centres – something I plan to do more of next year.

Like the pics 🙂

NIce. Very nice. I’m a bit jealous to be honest, but I shall plan on doing something the weekend after next.

Thanks for the pics. 8)

Jealous! Stuck in the house this weekend.

Nice one. What was the signage like, route easy to follow? I have some time on my hands next week and thinking of doing this.

Great stuff. I like linear rides like that with the train to/back. Did the Sandstone Trail a couple of years ago in a similar manner.

Proper hard work yesterday, mud seemed particularly sticky so good going on a Pitch.

Top stuff. Next time I get a day spare…

Yeah right, like that ever happens. Good on you for getting out there.

Lovely. I love riding my home areas, with tight twisty woodland single track, but sometimes I just love getting out onto the south downs in my case, and doing some ‘big sky’ riding, with views and long bridleway cruises and the like.

Variety is, etc……

Those sort of rides are ace. I did a similar one a few weeks ago, scapegoat hill, up road to buckstones, along pw to stoodley, down to hebden then canal to brig & over hill & in to work in cleckheaton for 12 o’clock.
Did you do the descent down into marsden?

Nice one. What was the signage like, route easy to follow? I have some time on my hands next week and thinking of doing this.

Signs generally ok, I did check my OS map a few times though, some junctions I wasn’t sure about and I prefer to check to be 100% sure.

Did you do the descent down into marsden?

Yes – one of my favourites. However it was very sloppy and muddy and I had very little grip (Spesh Eskar tyres!). Went over the bars onto the flat slabs when my front wheel sunk to the hub into a hidden muddy hole. Hit the deck quite hard and bike landed on me too which was a little scary, thankfully I was ok. Few other sketchy moments too.

Hudds narrow canal was very muddy too.

5hr40mins moving time, 5mph average speed.
Got 8.50am train from Brig to Hebden and got home about 3.30pm. Didn’t take any big breaks, just lots of a minute or so as my old bones and muscles seize up if they stop moving for too long. 😉

Great post and photos. Made me envious and I have been fortunate enough to get out a couple of times this weekend.

Good work fella, its been a while since I’ve been out on an all dayer.

Consider me inspired 🙂

Nice one, so you got up early this weekend and finally did it!

Yesterday’s weather was great round here, glad you enjoyed it and looked an awesome route.

I normally loop from black stone edge – pennine way – stoodley – hebden,not done it your way in a long time!

Well done sir! Enjoyed the pics too. Some great riding to be done nr Hollingsworth.

looks good!!! glad you posted some photos of it

Nice one! Simple photo’s with vapour trails scratching the sky. Lucky sod!

I was lucky enough t have ridden a very similar route back in May. Cracking ride. Well done.

Great photos. Young kids means I haven’t done an all-dayer for ages, consider me a bit jealous too.

Funny how threads like this can be much more instantly inspiring than any long stories printed in any magazine…

Went over the bars onto the flat slabs when my front wheel sunk to the hub into a hidden muddy hole.

The first set of slabs you come to? It’s getting a bit lethal that, I know someone else that the same thing happened to. Might be worth contacting the National Trust, they’re responsible for the work on that bit of BW and the more people who kick off at them (politely) the more likely they are to fix it before someone breaks their neck on it…

The first set of slabs you come to?

I think so, not 100% but you’re probably right. I’ve only ridden it in the dry before and and didn’t remember a hole but I suppose it fills with mud when it’s wet.

Inspiring stuff man 🙂

Jealous Rob; I spent all yesterday trawling through Rightmove – your day seemed more productive and reassuringly local!

Take the Kona next time would you 😉

That looks like a good way to spend a day !nice pics as well

I have been down the Marsden descent on my Kona in the summer…..

Not going anywhere on the Kona in the winter though, too much NOS stuff I can’t afford to replace on it!

That last pic is just brilliant 😀 Never cycled Marsden, only walked and that was hard enough!

Went OTB in the same invisible hole a few weeks ago.