Local exploring

Sunday came around and I wasnt going to bother with going out.... the weather had been pretty shitty, shoulder was still hurting a bit and I hadnt had a proper ride since Skipton. There was a dearth of emails on whether anyone was bothering and I hadn't fitted my repaired brake.

However, as it was, I decided at the last minute to go out, and as I was on my own I decided to have a bit of a mooch out to pastures new.

I had always thought that the hills above the Grain Road and Broadhead Road looked promising but a study of the map showed that there wasnt really much in the way of paths. But its a long ridge, running from Pike Lowe all the way to its end at Peel Tower and there must be something up there. Also, on the numerous times we have descended Cadshaw, I had noticed a promising track up The Naze above the roman road. So a plan was hatched. I head up WW to the Duck, see if I could bag some cheeky riding, heading to the ridge and taking in Trig Points of Hog Lowe Pike, Bull Hill and Peel Tower, and no one to moan at me if / when it all goes wrong.

Nice run up to the Duck and I found the place to be open!! and packed to boot. Have to try and engineer a call on a night ride soon to sample the Ale. I was hoping to take a footpath which looked VERY promising from Entwistle station up the Wayoh Farm, but it was rammed with Sunday walkers. UU have also had a big blast putting "No Cycling" signs up everywhere so I though better of it and climbed Hob Lane. Along the Roman Road and then up the Naze. The path over the moors was very very muddy, livestock and rain had made it a mud fest, but the track soon became firmer and eventually spat me out at Pastures Farm on Broadhead Road.

Spin over to the footpath at Edgerton Moss and the plan was to hit the fence running along the ridge and "HOPE" there was something on the ground that I could follow and there was!! I roundly ignored the "No Cycling" sign on the gate and hefted the bike over, then followed the fence on the ridge to Hog Lowe Pike. Surprisingly nice grass singletrack which wasnt too wet. The grass was about knee deep in some places making riding a bit of a test of faith, but even when I did fall off, it was a soft landing. Nice views from the the Top of Hog Lowe as well, apparently, there is some evidence that this is a burial chamber, similar to Round Loaf. This view is looking back the way I came and on towards Entwistle.

From the Pike there was a nice weaving grassy descent to the path over towards Musbery Heights, but I stayed on the ridgeline, climbing up a seldom used path over Causeway Height to the line of the new Pipeline, same one that went over Darwen moor some years ago. Here, it all went tits up. The path just stopped. I could see Scholes Height but there was no path on the ground at all, except the path that descended to Coates Farm and the Toby inn. It just looked like a push to be honest so I hooked a left and desended on what turnout out to be a nice bit of singletrack towards Coates. I turned left again on the track above the old quarry to take the footpath towards the Toby, but it was just fookin ridiculous. Grass past my bollocks and unrideable. I ended up just pushing most of it.

From the road, I retraced my steps once at Hob Lane for a nice relaxed spin home. All up about 23 miles with a fair bit of climbing. Oh and Crowthorn looks like its getting a new lease of life. The Developers are in.