Total Distance 20 miles
Climbing: 1270m
Rideability: 80%
Surface: 25% Tarmac, 30% Wide Gravel & Stone, 20% Single Track, 10% Loose Rock & 15% Forestry Trail
Just North of Manchester is Winter Hill near to Bolton, and Rivington Pike, a mini Lake District tucked away in the moorland and valleys that surround, with great views of Lancashire and further on a clear day.
I saw this route on www.mainthing.co.uk; unsure who wrote it but its well worth the effort, this has a slight variation on the home run.
Woke up early Sunday morning 10th August 2003, still very warm like the night had been previous, we have been having some scorching weather the past few days so why not get out into the hills for some excellent riding and awesome views.
Accompanying me was my girlfriend Jessica who is just getting into mountain biking, makes a change from riding her bike to and from the farm. She doesn’t know what she’s in for!
Just as we were preparing to leave the skies turned a horrible grey, typical...the sound of thunder could be heard raging above in the distant menacing cloud. The weather forecast was cloudy with sunny spells, no sign of rain anywhere on the map. We were dying to get out and have a great days riding on all the different surfaces and trails this one has to offer.
We put the bikes in the car and drove up to Moss Bank Park, just off the A58 in between Barrow Bridge and Doffcocker, Bolton. Don’t park in the front entrance car park; there is one further up Moss Lane on the left, a bit overgrown but okay. We parked up and mounted our trusty steeds ( hers-Scott Yecora, his-Scott Aspen, ok heavy, crappy forks, cheap etc etc I know), and the heavens opened and it started lashing it down, proper big rain too...typical Lancastrian weather. We rode to the rear of the car park where you will see a single track filtering off to the right heading into the park. Follow it onto the field and head towards the children’s playground and toilets bearing left on the central path. You will come to a track on your right leading steeply up hill, a nice little warmer to break you in, I think we had to push halfway up the hill, just too much to complete. Turn right on to Cinder Lane at the top and it leads steeply down a hill and back onto Moss Lane in Barrow Bridge. If a climb this soon on in the ride is too much you can always miss this section and ride up the road from the car park, you end up in the same place anyway.
Head towards the bridge and into Barrow Bridge turning left following the stream up past the terraced cottages and parked cars, at the top right in front of you is an open gate with 2 tracks, take the left hand trail only. The right hand one take you down the right hand bank of the stream and the biggest squarest set of steepest steps you have ever seen, and they go on for ages so don’t bother. The left track takes you up and over the golf course, zig zagging left and right and left again, stay on it to the top and take a right turn at the trail junction, you can’t go left...it’s a footpath, follow the rocky sandy bridleway right and down to the road junction at the bottom. BE CAREFUL ON THIS SECTION AS WALKERS ALSO USE THIS TRAIL
Turn right onto the road and follow bearing left downhill half a mile until you reach the first road on the left called Edge Lane, turn left onto Edge Lane and follow this steep hill climb passing the farm on the left as it starts to even out, follow the road right for 400 yards, there is a gate right in front of you sign posted as ‘Concessionary Bridleway’ as the road bends left.
Go through the gate and start climbing the stony gravel track that follows the valley contours, the rain still coming down and we are absolutely soaked now.
You will come to a gate where a farm is situated on the left. Go through the gate and continue up until it drops down bearing right, passing the footpath on the right and then bearing left turning into a grassy dirt track which levels out to a gate 500 yards at the bottom and a road with a cattle grid on your immediate right.
Turn left on to the downhill road section, follow until you reach the T junction at the bottom, BRAKE HARD or you overshoot the T junction into the wall, I hit 40mph here and nearly lost it on the bend so be careful. Turn right down the hill passing the houses on your right and carry on straight onto a wide rocky/sandy road slightly uphill passing the car park on your left.
Stay on this track, admire the view now stopped raining, pass the kennels on your right, bearing left then right until you come to an obvious large gate on your right heading up to the tower. Go through the gate, very tiring climb up and round the right hand side of the tower until you reach a very steep path on the left (doubling back on itself) taking you to the top. Rest place, started raining again.
As you look towards the reservoir’s you can see the old tower in tact to your right, remains of what was once the castle, this is where you are heading towards, Go back down the path you came up and keep left following the trail to the bottom gate, a good rocky descent but the best is yet to come. At the gate with the toilets directly in front of you turn right towards the lone standing turret and castle walls. In front of you will have 2 tracks forking left and right. Take the left hand trail, down to the car park you can see at the bottom of the hill.
The sandy/gravel track now turns into the best rocky section I’ve ever rode, half a mile of loose rocks make up this bridleway which zig-zags left, then right, then left again down the hill, awesome, running water too from the downpour, very loose and very slippy...the descent that is! Not my girlfriend who is just soaking wet...lol. Stops raining!
There is also an easier single dirt track on the left hand bank of it but try the loose rocks, I managed to stay on my bike all the way down but my tired arms were shaking at the bottom. Jessica chose the dirt track and had to get off a couple of times as rocks jut out on there too, she is a new comer so fair play. Carry on to the tarmac lane that passes the car park on your right, and down to the T-junction 300 yards where it meets the road.
Ride this section with care as it is well used by walkers and fell walkers.
Turn left and stay on this road bearing left downhill 300 yards into Rivington passing the tearoom on the left and to a T-junction at the bottom, brake in good time as this is a busy road.
Turn right then left passing the school on your left towards the car park and trail through the forest 200 yards bearing left up to Rivington Lower Barn (café open Sunday’s too)
Take the road leading up to the Hall over the road and ride up to the hall and around the right hand side on the trail to the rear of the hall, directly behind the hall is a trail which climbs up the hill along the left hand bank of the stream, follow this trail to the bridge which crosses the stream bearing right and down the other side of the stream on a gravel trail following the valley side, through the gate staying on the main trail downhill and turning left at a junction of trails 500 yards up a slight incline along a straight trail to the tarmac road on the left as the straight section ends.
Turn left up the hill and climb the road 200 yards to the gate near the top as the road bends left into the farm and go through into the field up a rocky and grassy trail, killer climb...had to push this one.
Follow the trail all the way to the top and join the sandy rocky trail near the tower (you will remember the gate to the tower opposite) and retrace your steps for the return journey, another killer climb up the tarmac road to the cattle grid and back onto the trail across the moors.
Go back along the track half a mile to the farm on the right with the gate, and join the road straight ahead downhill, BE CAREFUL, VERY FAST DOWNHILL ON NARROW LANE INTO ONCOMING VEHICLES! Right at the T-junction, up the hill and turn left back on the trail through the golf course and all downhill.
Back down the road leaving the climb up Cinder Lane to some other brave sole and head for the car.
We have been soaked, dried in the warm breeze, soaked again and dried again in the sunshine, prefect North Western weather. A great days riding, superb views and cafes halfway round...marvellous.
Last Updated 21-08-2003
You can contact me at James@OffroadAdventures-Online.com
To return Home click here: www.OffroadAdventures-Online.com
All pages and content Copyright © 1999 - 2003 James Murnaghan or their respective authors. All rights reserved.
No content of this web-site may be used in whole or in part, without the express permission of The Editor.