Hi all…

Seems to be the morning for these kind of threads. Basically there is a job opportunity for me to cover the North West of England. Apart from the peaks, where else caters well for mountain biking? I love my natural stuff over the trail center stuff (coming from Ireland), but beggers can’t be choosers.

Thoughts?

World’s your lobster up here chum. Lake district, Pennines, Howgills all massive areas that you’ll probably never complete in your life. Where about will you be working more specifically?

It’d be easier to name the bits of the NW that aren’t worth riding. We really are spoilt for choice up here 😀

Outside of The Peak (there is no ‘s’ BTW), the Pennines to the north and north east of Manchester are riddled with trails and are much better IMO than the Peak, due largely I reckon to the lack of red-socked rambler types and NP rangers who have a go the minute you stray off the bridleway.

Within 1-2 hours drive of Manchester you’ve got access to: Lakes, Peaks, N Wales/Snowdonia, Pennines & Calderdale, Yorkshire Dales, Cheshire (Macclesfield & Stockport), and there’s plenty of stuff around Bury, Bolton, Rochdale & Oldham. Should keep you busy for a while…

If you don’t mind a bit of a drive, it’s only about 4 hours to the Surrey Hills from Manchester.

Excellent 🙂 It’s an sales engineer role, so I’ll have a car. Sounds like I will be spoilt for choice. I could be over in around 6-7 weeks, so I will hopefully be asking to meet up all being well. But I’ll not count my chickens just yet.

Not sure where I’ll be living, but the office is in Oldham.

Like has been said, there’s loads around here.

Give one of us a shout when you get here. Don’t forget the Monday Night Pub Rides as well.

Any chance for a plug.

There’s always this as an introduction to some of the area:

you wont be living in oldham…

the Pennines to the north and north east of Manchester are riddled with trails

Ssshhh!

The explanation for the massive choice of trails in the North-West is that our fells were used for wool production for a century or two before cotton came on the scene and the weavers moved down to work in the new manufactories in the river valleys. Consequently the fells are criss-crossed with a dense network of packhorse trails along which the supplies and finished textile were carried. When cotton manufacturing began we got quarry roads and inclines, then canals then railways as industry grew.

West Lancs Moors for me. Oldham central is horrid, but lots of nice folk. Nice places to live around there, mind, and the hills are never far.

Hi all,

Well the move is drawing near, just over two weeks away.

Looking at properties just outside of Oldham, Royton/Lees etc as advised by some of the folk based in the office in Oldham. Getting excited at the prospect of getting on the bike as soon as I can!

Oldham/Rochdale are shit holes, rent first and work out the traffic it can also be worse than some of the most painful bouts of gastro 🙂 It’s also a bad place to get anywhere from.

Sorry to be negative but had to live there for a while…

I am renting. It’s the only place that I can get people to actually view properties at. All agenices wont allow me to take out a lease without it being viewed! I’m not in the city centres.

I live ten mins from Royton/Shaw area, over in Milnrow It’s not too bad tbh, as long as you stay away from Rochdale and Oldham centres (grim). In between the two is lovely, with some great local loops and plenty of starting points for much longer rides as the whole area is bordering the moors.

Good morning all.

Well I have been here a week now and managed my first ride out to Lee Quarry and the surrounding area yesterday with the help of a few locals.

I’m looking for something more local for evening spins, I did here mention of a Monday night pub ride. I’m in Royton and would ideally like to cycle from the house 🙂

Hope to meet up with some of you soon!

Cheers
Colin

Buy the OS 1:25,000 map of the area and you’ll be amazed at the variety of trails on offer. From Royton you’ve got the entire area to the north of you, accessible via Rooley Moor Road or the area of the Pennines to the East with Blackstone Edge and Standedge. This is the most used map I possess; I’ve worn out three copies of this map in the years I’ve lived here:

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/explorer-map-south-pennines.html

Also, have a look at Ian Donohoe’s excellent website for inspiration:

http://www.idonohoe.com/#

I’d recommend dropping into your local bike shop and getting to know them, ask if there are any established groups that you can tag onto. Surosa is a name that rings bells. Worth checking out facebook if you are on there, I know there are loads of riding groups round Oldham,

Leisure Lakes in Bury used to have a group who went out once or twice a week. Dunno if they still do. Also try the very excellent Ride On in Rawtenstall.

I live ten mins from Royton/Shaw area, over in Milnrow It’s not too bad tbh,

There is no higher praise for the area…

you wont be living in oldham

Oldham town centre is god-awful. However, Rochdale centre is equally desolate (even the McDonald’s has shut) but there are some nice places to live round it (Norden/Littleborough) that are minutes riding from the hills, and I am sure Oldham will be the same.

Hebden Bridge (Yorkshire Alps)
Any dotted line on the map is fair game and probably worth a go. Just be prepared for some climbing.

Just be prepared for some climbing.

This. Wherever I go locally (back of Rochdale) there seem to be nasty little steep, short climbs. A place for 1x drivetrains this is not, at least if you value your knees.

Hebden Bridge (Yorkshire Alps)
Any dotted line on the map is fair game and probably worth a go. Just be prepared for some climbing.

Same goes for Todmorden (same area pretty much, just not as many beards 🙂 ). I recently moved here and whilst I knew it was good from previous visits doing the popular trade routes, I’m somewhat in a state of shock at the extent and variety of trails. I’ve ridden pretty much every other day for two weeks and haven’t done the same ride twice, and there’s still loads of stuff I haven’t checked out yet. If you fancy coming up this way drop me a mail (in profile).