A mate and I are off to Ramsbottom this evening to pick up a washing machine. We’re chucking the bikes in the back. What trails are worth riding around there? Any route suggestions for a 20km or so night ride?

Loads of stuff, head up the hill above rammy to the tower, point down in any direction till you get to the bottom… Then repeat…

That’s a good start. Peel tower I’m guessing? Where else is good maybe to link in with this. Lots of moor top bridleways from there by the looks of things…

if you head towards the tower on the road you will be on holcombe hill, when you see the shoulder of mutton pub on your right there is a bridleway on the left next to the indian restaurarant .the bridle way you meet is moor road.you can either head left-and take the next right loops around holcombe moor ,over crowthorn to entwistle and around turton.easier to navigate if you don’t know the area would be to turn right on moor road head up with the tower on your left, follow the bridleway all the way accross, about a mile till you get to the top of robin hood’s well [ good down hill ] go down it , turn left at the bottom then right , ride down to the road , dog leg accross and down into irwell vale , turn right and pick up the dead-line back into rammy .might be easier with os map or local guide.

That looks like it makes sense. Nice suggestion, I’ll give it a whizz. Anything other options we should maybe look at?

if you head right on moor lane there is a left turn up to the tower , as it doglegs around to the left you’ll go over a cattle grid, there is a singletrack to the left- nice rocky down hill if you like a bit of technical.
you can pass the tower to the right accross the moor to harkles hill/ pilgrims cross and bull , gives you a flowy downhill to top of robin hoods well but I think it would be very boggy at the mo. my mate and I ride the area most wednesdays if you fancy a guided tour.

more fun to go down Buckden Woods and come back up Robin Hoods Well?

although maybe not given current conditions!

buckden woods is good if its either dry or full of snow, at the moment its a skating rink, which is why I didn’t suggest it + robin hoods as an uphill could piss folk off.

You’ll not make it down Bucky Woods in this. It’ll be lethal on those exposed roots! Robin Hoods Well is pretty slippy at the moment. Should be rest tonight though.The moors are all sodden at the moment

Another option for you is to head up the other side of the Valley. Up Peel Brow, then up towards the Fishermans Retreat, pick up the bridleway on your right which takes you up, past the school, to the Edenfield Road. Then head up the Coal Road, carry straight on at the top to drop down Waughs Well, climb round the back of Cragg, a lap of Cragg then down the descent from the Turbines to Owd Betts, then the cheeky single track past the Fishermans, or the main bridleway you came up

That’d be my option as it drains better than Rammy/Tower side

I’d happily show you round myself, but I’m commuting so I’ve got a 14 mile ride home anyway

you can pass the tower to the right accross the moor to harkles hill/ pilgrims cross and bull , gives you a flowy downhill to top of robin hoods well but I think it would be very boggy at the mo. my mate and I ride the area most wednesdays if you fancy a guided tour.

I have on occasion sunk up to my axles on that section. I’d give it a miss…

Much better to do as Binners suggests and head up to the wind turbines on the opposite side. There’s path linking Cragg and Lee quarries if you fancy a longer ride.

I don’t know if anyone has told you the rules, but its compulsory for all rides from Rammy to start and end here!

You’ll thank me for that information when you finish 😀

Oh… and having ridden over the tops already this morning. Get wrapped up. Its bloody cold when you get a blast from the wind. Chill factor is bbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

That was great!

Thanks for all the tips guys. We hooked up with a mate in the end, he’s a Rammy local. He showed us around, and we ended up doing a combo of most of the above recommendations!

First, we climbed Rammy Rake. F$%# me! that’s steep! then Moor Rd and up towards the tower. We dropped off the first descent by the cattle grids, and as a sighter, it’s bloody hard work! Very rough, and some proper drops. Big beaming grin at the bottom though! Then back up to the tower and round past a bench and over a style to Rocky DH. Lovely! Fast, bouncy and plenty of traction on the frosty sand! We then went back up Moor Rd and over to Robin Hoods Well. It was freezing up on top, and we were in a cloud. Couldn’t see past the end of me nose! The frost was a little less forgiving on the off camber cobbles too, but still great fun and some good air time off the rain drains (BTW what masochistic nutter climbs up that?!). After all that excitement we spun back along the valley floor and arrived at the destination predetermined by binners. The Costa Del Salford was the perfect pint, and the mustard jerky wasn’t arf bad either!

Looking forward to our next Rammy Ragg, cheers all for the suggestions!

Sounds great. Cattlegrid is such an epic bit of trail! Shame Buckden wasn’t fit otherwise you’d have pretty much done all the best ones.

Glad you enjoyed it gov, hope Bob is all good after the face brake episode. Never done my local runs in the dank and dark before. Got to get some lights, pronto. I have more of the same gnarr planned for next time. We gota let it dry out for the best. Just go to keep putting the miles in so I can keep up with you boys on the ups. See you in Kendal for some of yours soon.

Glad you enjoyed it! We’re blessed with some damn fine trails round here. You’ll have to come down for a rematch when it’s dried out a bit, so you can do Bucky woods and a few other choice runs

And the Brewery is always a welcome sight at the end of a cold night ride. 🙂

if you want so see human suffering; come over in the first weekend in October and watch the masochistic roadies do the hillclimb up the Rake. Record from the library at the bottom to the church at the top is 2 minutes 14

I used to live in the Brick Houses in Summerseat at the foot of Holcombe Hill in my mountain biking as a batchelor days; I had a lot of fun in those days, both indoors and outdoors.

The Tower climb was my evening fun run; I used to finish by heading down towards Robin Hood’s but turning sharp right at the first gate and dropping down the rocky singletrack that rejoins the zig-zags half way, go straight across that and down the steep grassy ground to cut across the zig, thence down through Holcombe Brook, past the school and down Woodhey Road, through the woods and along Robin Road back home, a great finisher.

sniff

@globalti nice! I did see that track and wondered of its potential as we wandered on through the murk! Lots more to try out for our next time out, including all the fun looking stuff strava explore picks up on the other side of the hill!