I have always been quite fascinated by the pikes and towers built on top of the local hills. We are quite blessed with them around here, Darwen Tower, Rivington Pike and Peel Tower being 3 local examples. (Perhaps sadly,) I was googling the subject to see if there was some kind of dedicated website but drew a blank.

As well as the old towers there are plenty of modern works of public art such as ‘The Halo’ at Haslingden and the ‘Singing Ringing Tree’ over Burnley way.

So what have you got around your way that is worth cycling up to the top to see? Is it a northern thing or are they everywhere? Post a picture and share what you have…

Trig Points don’t count!
Nor do Pike Suspension Forks or indeed Pike fish)

Darwen Tower

Peel Tower

Rivington Pike

What about Manitou Towers? 😉

Stoodley Pike

Are Dukes allowed?

Stoodley Pike

Not sure if these count but they are on hills.

Penshaw Monument

Ratcheugh Observatory

Liking the look of Penshaw Monument!

Where is The Duke legend?

Pike level: Indian

Moel Famau jubilee tower

Linky http://www.moelfamau.co.uk/jubilee-tower/

One that was local in my youth. Eston Nab

Edit: and another not to far away. Captain Cooks Monument.

wittonweavers – Member

Where is The Duke legend?

He’s the bike patrol at Golspie

Frodsham War memorial has a nice section of the sandstone trail leading away from it, (cheeky though)

Paxton’s tower.

my bedroom looks out over rivy pike its about the 1st thing i look at, that and the mast.

its not a bad view.

that and the mast.

…if that’s what you call it.

Craig, have you seen Lunds Tower and Cowling Pinacle above Cowling?
Also Stansfield Tower at Blacko, near Barrowford.

I like these too.

We’ve got this here in Hampshire, Sway Tower or “Petersons Folly” apparently

It remains the tallest non-reinforced concrete structure in the world

It originally had a light on top but that could be seen from the Solent so Trinity House told them to take it off..
Still standing, lots of smaller Towers close by where they investigated methods of the build before its construction..

Hartshead Pike
Used to ride up to this almost all off road from Clayton Vale

Where is that tower Lemonysam?

Thanks Simon. So this is Lunds Tower…

and this is the Cowling Pinnacle…

and this is the Stansfield Tower at Blacko…

Wainhouse Tower Halifax .Never actually been close up but there’s some decent riding near here too

Bridgewater Monument its darn darf so its not exactly at the top, well sort of is on the Ashridge estate in the chilterns

can I just say this wins the most phallic thread of the year award for me

Not got any pics but riding from the door can take you to Solomons Temple just outside Buxton, The Cage and Old House at Lyme Park and the Old Castle Ruins at the Top of Mow Cop

Most phallic?

Try driving along the M62 past St Helens towards Liverpool. Casually glance to the right and this does not look like a face at 70+ mph!

From the motorway, the section up to the eyes are obscured by trees!

Its called ‘the dream’…

Leith Hill Tower looks over some of the best trails in the country.

Where is that tower Lemonysam?

Sorry, in my head I put a link in. It’s one of the Colsterdale sighting towers – a bit more practical than these follies but still impressive.

Pike level: Indian

Leh?

@bikebouy, did you know it was co-designed by Sir Christopher Wren? Yes it was designed 150 years after he died- he gave his design input by way of a medium, therefore also inventing the teleconference.

this overlooks Alness where I grew up – not been back there with a bike so cant comment on the trails, although the centre arch holds very ‘special’ memories!

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The Tyndale Monument, nr North Nibley, Glos. Some great singletrack and DH runs all around it

What Oban lacks in hill, it makes up for in girth

@Smudger- I love the 2 different pitches of the story of Fyrish… Built as a work creation scheme, some people call it philanthropic. But the other way to look at it was, the builders were victims of the clearances (some from his own land) and Munro refused to support them unless they were working, and paid labourers in starvation rations. Which puts a different light on the folk tale that he personally rolled stones down the hill so that it’d take longer for the workers to get them back up 😆

Err…
In case anyone has not been on the M62

66deg – Where is that? The iron cross has a French feel to it?

It’s on top of Mont st Victoire Provence , we live just down the road , Ill post it from a different view point when i get home .

http://www.197aerial.co.uk/barnweil_tower_a.jpg

Barnweil tower in Ayrshire. Can look quite intimidating at sunrise/sunset, often think it’s just missing Saurons eye over it!.

The architecture in Leh is much more Tibetan in style with prayer flags everywhere.

Ok, so the trails are actually in the hills behind but the Wallace Monument probably deserves a mention

Pike looks a bit rubbish compared to Darwen and Peel (and not even thinking about the rest of the thread) 🙁

but it’s mine
🙂

Stoodley’s the one for me. At night, the closer you get to it, the more menacing it becomes. HtS’ pic is a fairly accurate representation of our last mnpr up there.

This thread is making me plan an end to ender for next year.
Rivi-Darwen-Peel-Stoodley anyone? Possible chuck in Wainright’s at the end as well?