[Closed] Talk to me about the Mary Towneley Loop

Did it once a few years ago on a hard tail, some of the steeper bits I had to walk as I'm not very skillful.

Some great scenery and well worth it though if the weather is clear.

There's a lot of up and down as you're basically traversing the Pennines twice, so you don't get too much of of a recovery period on the downs as a lot of them are quite bumpy so you have to concentrate.

I did it clockwise from Hebden, and the difficulty for me was not so much the distance, but the lack of easy descents to recover. But I'm not exactly an athlete or a pro cross country cyclist, sack of potatoes on a bike, more like!

Be prepared for gates, lots of gates. There's some sections that will be rough on a gravel bike. The section along the southern bit between Waslden and Broadley seems to go on for longer than it actually is.

I did it a couple of months ago but started close to Hurstwood so the pub I used was the one in Mankinholes but that will be so close to your starting point as to be useless. There's The Hargreaves Arms in Lumb nr Rawtenstall but not been in so unsure as to recommend it.

It's worth it though some great scenery, and you get to take the obligatory 'money shot' to show your friends

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Thanks all. Have just done a GPX of it for my Garmin and will be giving it a go next Sunday, starting early and giving myself plenty of time.

Early start is a good idea if going solo, if you have a mechanical failure you can't fix and have to walk your not to worried about losing light to get to the nearest civilisation.

Good luck, it's a lovely ride but I doubt your arse will thank you on a rigid frame!

I'm finally getting around to doing it this summer.
I've done sections of it in the past but never the full loop,I'll be taking my Anthem.We're also thinking of Bikepacking it,I just hope the gear will stay on the bike!

I did it last year on my CX bike. Blimey, it was hard work. 2000m ascent. I started from Hebden Bridge, went clockwise and did it in 6.5 hours plus a couple of decent stops. I had a nice risotto at The Ram Inn at Holme Chapel and I certainly needed it by that point. I had hoped to find sonething earlier but nowt was obvious baring a petrol station pasty in Waterfoot.

On 32mm (tubeless) tires there were some spicy times on the rougher stuff but it was all rideable. Going solo, the gates were a pain as they all seemed to come on faster sections. Mind you, the Rooley Moor climb and descent will be forever etched in my mind, wrists and arse.

Finishing beer at Drink? was the finest ever, followed by double fish and chips.

I'm going to do it again this year...but on the full-sus.

Enjoy!

In fact, it was doing the MTL on the CX that prompted me to buy a new FS!

You can do it in a day easily if you carry your own food and drink, but food and drink adds weight, so set off early if you want to do that.

I've never done the whole thing but bits of it, round Boulsworth Hill, wouldn't attempt it on a gravel bike, need some meaty rubber and pref full sus as suggested by others. Mates who've done it confirm it's hard graft, gnarly, difficult to get momentum going..

I've never done the whole thing but bits of it, round Boulsworth Hill, wouldn't attempt it on a gravel bike, need some meaty rubber and pref full sus as suggested by others. Mates who've done it confirm it's hard graft, gnarly, difficult to get momentum going..

MTL doesn't go over Boulsworth Hill?

I am planning to do this in a couple of weeks, hoping my on one 456 is a decent balance of comfort and efficiency. Is it signposted or do I need to sort out remembering how to navigate?

Also not to put you off, but i basically lost the will to live about about 75%-80 of the way round, but I'd gone to far to come back, make sure you have an emergency energy drink & sandwich for the last stretch!

Double post

I am planning to do this in a couple of weeks, hoping my on one 456 is a decent balance of comfort and efficiency. Is it signposted or do I need to sort out remembering how to navigate?

It's mostly signposted, MTL or PBW, but there are a few short road sections where you can take a wrong turn. I ended up at a random farm, but luckily there was a buxom farmers daughter tending to a horse who pointed me in the right direction.
Was tempted to try to chat her up, but I was in no condition to perform! Haha!

Best prep though is look it up on a map so you have a good idea beforehand. Then use your phone/Google maps.

Thanks mattyfez

Is it signposted or do I need to sort out remembering how to navigate?

I've made a .gpx for my Garmin. Let me have your email if you want it.

I've also marked the route on an OL12 map, and I have [url= http://www.idonohoe.com/mary_map_580.htm ]this map[/url] on my phone for the bit that goes off the edge of OL12 (although I know that part of the route anyway 🙂

MTL doesn't go over Boulsworth Hil

My bad. I think I was getting mixed up with the bit round Widdop...but it's all pretty similar terrain...I think other posters verify the general gist of my comments...

Can any locals recommend somewhere to get a snack or just to fill up bottles close to the southern end of the loop - somewhere between Calderbrook and the start of the Rooley Moor climb? I'm not familiar with the area at all.

Was thinking of doing it from Waterfoot clockwise and not having to carry too much water. I know about Aladdin's Cave to refuel after the first leg.

Martin, there's a bar/cafe at or near the golf club above Broadley, seemed like it was open for general sales when I went past. Other than that there's the pub in Mankinholes that I mentioned above. I don't know how far you need to go at the road crossings at say Summit or Broadley to get to a shop or filling station.

Cheers. Looks like bandit country around there! There looked to be a Sainsbury's Local on one of the estates near Whitworth, but then I'd have to factor in taking a lock as well, by the look of it...

As mentioned earlier the Hargreaves at Lumb is an option -good food and big portions at reasonable prices, always a couple of handpumps on .The New delight is another option

Done it one with the PBW ranger.Id have not completed it if it wasn't for his encouragement and the fact that a friend was suffering more than me id have packed in.

The last hill on those stone slabbs killed me. I ate a full bag of jelly babies and was rubbing gels in my eyes to try and get it into my blood stream quicker. Definatley gone.

The best thing though is i got a golden way-marker. It makes m smile every time i see it.

Hopefully Bill will be doing them again soon.

Speaking of which hes got a PBW dig day if anyone is interested.

It's not a walk in the park but, tbf, it's not the Great Divide either. Take enough grub and water, keep a weather eye out for the signs. From memory you can get some water from the outside bogs at the New Delight. Make sure everything is tightened up before you descend down to Cowpe - ESPECIALLY YOUR JOCKEY WHEELS. Don't ask me how I know...
Enjoy.

Can anyone suggest a good starting point towards the east of the loop? Main requirements are somewhere easy to find the loop from a car park that is open around dawn. Some amenities would be handy as well but mainly Im looking for somewhere easy to drive to that I can just fall onto the trail and get my legs spinning without too much hassle

Bottom of jumble holes near hebden has couple of car parks close by. Nice downhill to finish on as well if you go clockwise.
Take a spare tyre. No, in fact, take 2. We goosed 2 yesterday 'doing tha loop'. Blazing Saddles in hebden saved the day tho.

Nice one

Did it last year on a rigid as my first proper ride of the year. Totally underestimated it and tried to survive on a slice of flapjackn and a cheese sandwich.

The descent from lee? quarry down the cobbles on the rigid killed me, i was doing fine till then but it completely shot my legs. I had to skip the final descent down to the car and go on road as i didn't trust my self i was that knackered.

+1 on the food thing. Take supplies as theres not much on route. About 80% in I was considering geese droppings.
'Cobbles' Sounds almost 'quaint'. How about 'Near vertical boulder field'?

I think i did it the other way around, near vertical boulder field sounds a lot like a section of the *ahem* ride up towards the quarry after the houses.

I've done it twice: once many years ago starting from Hebden Bridge and going anti-clockwise - I think we took 10hrs or so. This year I headed down the PBW, joined the loop above Hurstwood Reservoir, rode it clockwise then rode back home. Took seven hours.

It's mostly easy route finding but there's one or two bits where you are zipping along a descent and you suddenly think "was that an MTL sign?" slam on anchors and ride back up to find it was. I think I went wrong three or four times but figured it out within a couple of hundred metres.

Going clockwise the only significant bit of pushing was on the climb after crossing the A6033 between Walsden and Summit. There were one or two very short sections of pushing, like the last few metres of packhorse stones [url= http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=393989&Y=422835&A=Y&Z=120 ]climbing out of Mankinholes[/url]. Hardest descents were Gorple Gate due it being partially washed out and the [url= http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=396742&Y=426820&A=Y&Z=120 ]BW here[/url] which was a bit bumpy on a rigid!

i did it clockwise last year as the local mtr team event (link below), an enjoyable ride until the long uphill over rooley moor when the legs had packed in, and then ripping a tyre on the last downhill into rawtenstall (boulder field).

i also burnt my leg on the same section as my shin brushed the rear rotor going through a gate. them disk rotors are lethal

its a shaky ride even on a full sus :0)

this years event is on sunday 17th sept and likely to go anticlockwise http://www.rpmrt.org.uk/mtl-2017/