I’m planning a route from Cracoe over Barden Moor to Bolton Abbey (cake stop) and back (map below). Going out following the BW over Rylstone Fell (a climb I imagine), along brown bank, across the road south of Lower Barden Res and to the Abbey through Westy Bank Wood. Then back along the Embsay road to Halton East back up onto the moor and back along the BW.

Will this be a nice ride, not looking for mega gnar, just some nice doubletrack and scenery.

https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/1441188/Cracoe-to-Bolton-Abbey-MTB

We usually do this

Sharp Haw will be a bit damp mind given recent weather

Climb up from Halton East to Barden Moor is a bit of a tester in the dry – in the wet it’s a definite push. Barden Moor will be dry, Harehead to Bolton Abbey will be OK too

What you suggest is part of my local loop and will be fine. BW from Cracoe to Rylstone is flattish doubletrack, then a steep but cleanable climb onto the Moor, decent tracks over to the road, then across fields and through Westy Bank to BA. Should be mostly dry – short section just before Westy Bank Woods will be boggy.

Sharp Haw will be worth including if it’s been dry for a few days. I generally ignore the BW these days though as it’s generally a mess and drop straight off the summit onto an ace short descent to the west.

Scenery’s OK, I suppose.

PS Take care with the watersplash halfway across the moor. It used to be fun, but has got deeper recently and some **** has decided to keep putting invisible big rocks on the line you normally take! 😀

Never cleaned it or seen it cleaned onto the moor despite riding with some OK riders, so chapeau hutch!

Any chance of a sneaky peek at your alternative descent off of sharpaw?

Thanks guys

Never cleaned it or seen it cleaned onto the moor despite riding with some OK riders, so chapeau hutch!

Took me quite a few goes (and some low gears!)

Any chance of a sneaky peek at your alternative descent off of sharpaw?

Take a glance at Strava – on there as ‘Rosie Descent’ or ‘Sharphaw down t’utherside’, or something like that. Still good fun, even though they’ve chopped back a lot of the vegetation on the lower bit.