Southern half of the Pennine Bridleway.
Given the good forecast (hah!) we decided to have a crack at the Pennine Bridleway. Didn't turn out quite as planned.
A bit dark and dank at the start by Black Rocks.
There's some fine industrial relics around Middleton Top, this is an old Midland Railway (presumably from the initials) wagon.
It was all a bit mirky with not much in the way of views. There was a strong breeze coming from the left with some fairly heavy drizzle.
Climbing out of Cheedale.
50Km done and time for a cafe stop at the rather excellent No Car Cafe at Rushup Hall.
Then it was time for Roych Clough - a lot easier than it used to be, especially at the bottom.
Then the descent towards Hayfield
Climbing out of Hayfield the rain began in earnest. This didn't make the traversal of Glossop any less pleasant! I've yet to get this completely right as some of the signage seems to have disappeared. More rain accompanied us out on the moors
By the time we got to Greenfield it was almost dark. The problem round here is that anywhere sheltered has been built on so you have to head onto the moors. We eventually found an old, roofless shed that gave some shelter from the wind. Pitching the tarp was awkward as the floor was a couple of feet deep in rubble.
Very much up and down with not much flat for the next section. We decided to take the eastern side of the Mary Towneley Loop. This is at the top of the climb before descending to Mankinholes
The wind had really picked up and it was a real struggle making progress so we decided to call it a day and headed home. Two long days in the saddle with 170Km and 4000m of ascent.
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