In preparation for NEXT Thursday-Tue …having just done a really last minute booking Forest of Dean this coming weekend and thinking I wish I’d planned better 😀

We’ll be visting Grandma… who lives conveniently near Guisburn Forest 😀 (Waddington/Clitheroe)

However … it’s decades since I rode NE Lancs…. with the exception of Guisburn Forest… so I’m thinking I should try some alternatives to Guisburn…

Rather not drive too far… unless its really worth it as it means taking 2 cars and Grandma takes a while to get anywhere…

Also open to any other (active) 7yr old activities…. suggested.
Obviously Clitheroe/Skipton castles are already known and visited … and anywhere Grandma and “a rat on a lead” can go along 😀

If it stays dry…. Longridge Fell has quite a few trails on it that will keep you busy for an couple of hours.
You’ll be able to use strava to find the trails. Nothing official.

Pendle is also worth either a walk up or take the bikes if you like steep (very cheeky!) stuff. Not one to do on a bike at weekends during the day though.

Rivington isn’t far either.

Dunsop Bridge – pleasant out and back along the river. And Puddleducks Cafe for post-ride cake.

Pateley bridge and brimham rocks. – brimham for scrambling/exploring and pateley bridge for riding this is a nice route – its road down one side, but pretty quiet. There is also a cafe at the top, which tends to motivate little legs.

http://www.pedalnorth.com/content/pateley-bridge-how-stean-gorge

It also has the country’s oldest sweet shop and plenty of tea rooms for Grandma.

this place also has excellent ice-cream and waffles if you are visting clitheroe: http://www.holmesmill.co.uk/

There’s a lovely bridleway running down from Longridge Fell to Hurst Green, following Dean Brook. It’s only a couple of miles, but very pretty.

Could Grandma help with an uplift service? Or wait at the pub with your lad while you ride back up, to collect your car?

Ribchester – park in the Pay and Display, next to Potters Barn tearoom.
Ride the easy 4-mile bridleway loop out to Ox Hey and back.
Grandma can visit the Roman Museum while she’s waiting. Or will she ride with you?

Grandma definitely can’t ride with us..(as in not in a million years).. Jr. would kill her (quite literally)… but you gave me a fantastic ideas

Jr is race fit – a lot of adults would struggle

We could start off at Hurst Green and go up Longridge .. My Mam’s best friend lives on the Stonyhurst development so she can have a cuppa and cake or something then we could go down into Longridge via the golf course and find some of ecky-thumps Strava trails.

The Roman museum was a forgotten itinerary anyway… Last time we left I said we should have gone. I’ve never actually been but seen all the stuff the British Museum “nicked”… and remember when I was Jnr’s age picking Roman coins out of the river at Eddisford Bridge. (Before metal detectors were invented)

@Ecky-thump: How’s about Pendle from the Nick then ride over to the big end ?? Can we get down to Downham with bikes???

I’m happy Jnr riding pretty much anything not on a road (but it’s PITA when we go somewhere and then have to turn round and ride back)….but don’t fancy the roads from Barley… (traffic and images of me at 18 driving them)

Easington Fell?

Is there any way down on bikes anywhere between Waddington and Bashall Eaves ???

Every time we drive back from Guisburn Park I want to stop and get the bikes out …. it looks like there is potential for a freakin AWESOME downhill section… I used to ride the road as a kid and get stupid speeds…. but if there’s a way to descend off-road it could be awesome…

Hmmm . . . another little kid who rides better than me 😳

Hmmm . . . another little kid who rides better than me

Me too truth be known. I’m just bigger than him 😈

I’m just keeping an eye on e-bikes as quite honestly if he keeps up the racing it won’t be long before I can’t keep up on training rides.

I already struggle on really tight twisty stuff where his 24″ wheels and narrower bars are more agile than my 27.5’s .. not that an eBike will help that.

We could start off at Hurst Green and go up Longridge .. My Mam’s best friend lives on the Stonyhurst development so she can have a cuppa and cake or something then we could go down into Longridge via the golf course and find some of ecky-thumps Strava trails.

Sorry Steve, I guess I wasn’t clear. The trails are on Longridge Fell (i.e. the wooded area that you are going up to from Hurst Green), not in or near Longridge. Don’t bother going towards golf course, as there’s nowt that way.
Hurst Green would be my suggested start point.

Pendle from Nick is easy enough (though I’ve not done it personally).

If you want to go from Barley, you can stay completely off-road by going up via Ogden Reservoir.

Yes you can get to Downham from the Big End but it will involve a bit of road. It’s a quiet footpath and comes out here. Nice enough steep descent but over quite quickly. He’d need to be pretty confident on steep stuff to go that way.
Best value descent from Pendle IMO is to follow Ogden Clough down from trig’ point. (cheeky singletrack). Junior might end up walking 100 yards or so if not confident on a couple of steep rutty bits.
No path shown on map but it’s clear enough on the ground. Ogden Clough

Cheers Ecky-thump 😀

Ogden Clough sounds good value ….

Can then cycle out down to Sabden then across towards Wiswell ?? I’m not sure how far we’ll get but I can always work out a pickup as we’ll be near roads