As I am visiting relatives around Ashton in Makerfield I thought I may take a ride to and around Rivi. I am taking the gps so any suggestions of the best route to ride? I have seen quite a few routes online, but as I am cycling there (21K) I want to know the best bits.
Cheers

Not sure I'd ride To rivi, it's a fairly boring and hilly route with a few dangerous roads – not fun on an MTB, only mildly fun on a road bike. However my favourite routes are the ice cream run (best achieved on a bike not really suitable for road riding due to boulders as a path) and the cart route over the back of the hill (from the mast) back down to the main road. The rear one will require climbing again, or a long road ride back round to the bottom.

Again, not really worthy of a long road ride to reach it, but I enjoy it as a quick nip in the car.

I can use the canal up to Haigh hall. It will be on mtb.

Can someone point out where these decents start on a map or something?

San marino? Ice Cream?

I think ive done them both but dont know?

San Marino goes from the mast to Belmont. Ice Cream Run goes from the Pigeon Tower to the carpark below, and comes out next to the track that goes up through the gardens.

Don't listen to CK, plenty of good stuff worth a visit. I had been getting a bit bored of the place but a ride round it yesterday with visitors reminded me it's actually rather good.
San Marino
Wildeswood
Ice Cream Run
Great Hill

EDIT
Winter hill shoulder unmarked pretty good (steep)
Suicide drop (but not really that scary)
and from yesterday
Phone Line
Healey Nabb red/black run

Rear route over to belmont, obvious path heading east from the winter hill road:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=rivington&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=20.088699,57.084961&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Rivington,+Bolton,+Lancashire,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.627322,-2.510204&spn=0.009811,0.027874&t=h&z=16

And for the ice cream run you;re looking at starting at hte pike:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=rivington&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=20.088699,57.084961&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Rivington,+Bolton,+Lancashire,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.619941,-2.54076&spn=0.009813,0.027874&t=h&z=16

going along north belmont road (rough road, not tarmac) and taking the left hand fork here
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=rivington&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=20.088699,57.084961&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Rivington,+Bolton,+Lancashire,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.624388,-2.54606&spn=0.001226,0.003484&t=h&z=19

Donk – if you could read more carefully you'd see I said dont bother riding TO rivi from A-in-M, it's not that exciting. At rivi it's OK, not great but OK. I've lived (near A in M) and ridden there (rivi) for the best part of 20 years.

Sorry CK that probably read a bit more agressive than I meant. I think us locals get a bit too familiar and don't rate it but I had a few people telling me what a fantastic place it was yesterday and it reminded me that is IS really good. (oh and I just noticed you were calling the route to rivi boring not rivi itself, oops)

I agree with Donk, there is a little bit of everything dotted about the place, and for somewhere i can get to in 15 – 20 mins of riding is really good imo.

It certainly was the best local riding that I ever found, but yup my primary comment was about the ride to rivi (long canal-based boredom and some steep unforgiving roads). Maybe I under-rate rivi, im not sure – I'm now spoilt with scottish highlands so its perhaps a tad unfair to compare.

I ride it locally from my door with and it is a fantastic place to cycle round from your door. If I have to get in my car and drive somehwere though I suspect I can come up with better places than here though
That said the San Marino descent is excellent fun fully rigid as are other little bits shown above.
Never ever ever let Donk persuade you it is an easy up into a 25 mph head wind he is just showing off as for SS 🙄
PS Donk might need to be weds this week will e-mail you

OP some GPS here from SFB.

http://www.bogtrotters.org/route/showrouteframe.php?route=8

Vhttp://www.bogtrotters.org/list_routes.php
Scroll down a few GPS downloadable routes of Rivvy

I currently live in Lincolnshire so lumpy riding from my front door doesn't happen 😆 I don't mind riding a distance to get to it as it's a good warm up and warm down.

http://flattyresmtbroutes.com/RivingtonPike.html

Thats quite a nice route, Healey Nab and Rivi including Ice Cream Run and Wildeswood, as well as the Pike and the Pigeon Tower. Also passes through the gardens and by the bungalow if you're interested in that.

Some routes here. Click "all sizes" above the pic to make readable.

Many thanks to all who have contributed to this 🙂 I will have good old looksie at home.

Some routes here. Click "all sizes" above the pic to make readable.

Whats that route back up from Belmont like on Rivi easy? I've not tried San Marino yet, and from looking at maps, that looks the most sensible way to get back across..

We call it The Quarry as it goes through one. The correct name is Hoar Stones, Bit boggy but infinity preferable to the road.

Whats that route back up from Belmont like on Rivi easy

10 mins up by Kingkongfinger
Hard climb back up at a mile long.is the easiest wasy back up easiest is to go thorugh gate at end by woods down to road turn left and then left again at the pub and up hil till you hit either belmont road on left turn or go down Lead mines clough [cheeky] to get back up

Lowey hoar stones was bloody awful on sunday (not helped by that stop in the pub) proper boggy, we could see a guy pushing his bike up the road making better time than us – lots of motorbikes ripping up and down the road tho.

I'd probably go back up san marino, down the shoulder and along the cobbled road to ICR. Shortest way to get as many downhills in as possible.

I'm not really a big fan of Rivi. Everytime I've ridden there I've wondered what else I could have gone to instead with my time.

I'd probably go back up san marino

My god, the other ways must be bad 😯

The climb up San marino is quite good technical climb in parts.

I love the climb up San Marino, you can make it as hard as you want to. Potter up in 15 mins in your granny ring and have a chat. If you like a challenge, nail it up and time yourself, if you "dab" add 15 seconds on your time. "Dab free" is do-able 90% of the time. If your half fit you dont need a granny ring at all round Rivvy. 8)

Potter up in 15 mins… …If your half fit you dont need a granny ring

Ooo hoo, subtle(ish) put downs @ 95% of rivi regulars there 🙂

If your half fit you dont need a granny ring

Depends on the bike. On my Rigid commuter bike I just use a 46 ring almost entirely around rivi but have a 34 bail out for when I get tired. On my trail bike I have the 22 which I often use. So it's not really putting anyone down.

[mental note] never ride with kingkongsfinger [/mental note]

No put down intended donk.

15 mins is do able by most, you just have to learn to suffer and MTFU 😉 I ride a Santa Cruz blur 2 x 9 gear set up and it suits me fine, did the Whinlatter Challenge on it a few weeks back and suffered like buggery on the last climb before the finish, I had to dig real deep, although if I had a granny ring I may have been tempted. 😛

I ride a Santa Cruz blur 2 x 9 gear set up

what rings do you have on the front?

you just have to learn to suffer and MTFU

I will try my best KK
🙂

If your half fit you dont need a granny ring at all round Rivvy

that makes me well away from half fit then.

On sunday I completely missed the granny ring and resorted straight to the good old legs for a bit of walking. (together with Ton BTW)

resorted straight to the good old legs for a bit of walking.

I resorted to good old stop half way and excersise right arm with 9 of these

😆

King Kong Donk is being somewhat modest he has cleared the San Marino climb …….. on a singlespeed. I doubt he uses his granny ring anywhere on rivvy hell even I can clear 95% of it on middle ring.
I would quite like to see the pair of you race up it actually.

wors – Member

I ride a Santa Cruz blur 2 x 9 gear set up

what rings do you have on the front?

Running a standard XT 770 chainset on the front 48 x 36 but took off the 26 granny before I fitted it and a 11×32 cassette.

Lowey that Bank Top pint looks bl00dy lovely, hope it tasted as nice as it looked 😮 Is that at the Black Dog?

Is that at the Black Dog?

Never darken thier doors mate. We used to go in there every Thursday night ride, until she charged us all 50p each for a bin bag to sit on. Hard faced cow.

Belmont Bull. Proper country local. Dog is where the tourists drink (plus the beer is piss), Bull is where the locals drink. He is a fookin craftsman when it comes to keeping his ale as well. You will have a better pint of BT in the Bull than you will on a brewery tour.

That first pint after 28 miles brought had me in floods of tears it was so good.

lowey – Member

Is that at the Black Dog?

Never darken thier doors mate. We used to go in there every Thursday night ride, until she charged us all 50p each for a bin bag to sit on. Hard faced cow.

That has cracked me up, I can picture the scene, fooking funny that!!!!!!
I am LOLing 😆

Junkyard – Member
King Kong Donk is being somewhat modest he has cleared the San Marino climb …….. on a singlespeed. I doubt he uses his granny ring anywhere on rivvy hell even I can clear 95% of it on middle ring.
I would quite like to see the pair of you race up it actually.

Doing a chainy tonite, but think im up there Wednesday neet for a doss around 😛

I have planned a route that is 41 miles long utilising the flatmtb route 😀 Quick question regarding Healey Nab woods. From this point http://tiny.cc/uiwc4 is it fairly obvious where to scoot down to the woods?

Monkey, increase the scale to 1:25000 and follow the borwn BW link. It is obvious and signposted.

if you are coming up from cliff's farm there is a little short cut at the top as it flattens out just before the woods – clear cheeky path cuts out 5 mins is h riding and a syou top out on that nab wood is clearly in front of you.
Head for gate at left of woods – obvious clear path up and again at top of thsi to your right is enterance into the track – if you start going downhill you have goine too far
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=361117&y=418009&z=115&sv=361117,418009&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=779&ax=361117&ay=418009&lm=0

+1 for San Marino both up and down.

The great Hill descent from Donk is awesome as well. You can get there by following the ridge north from here, most of the ridge is paved but on a Sunday can be busy with walkers 7 rangers