Calderdale singletrack

elchenuk

Afternoon, its been a couple of months now since I moved to the area (Calderdale) and I've ridden some great routes with lots of variety, hard climbs, techy downhills, forest tracks and wide bridleway tracks, but what I haven't come across yet is some prolonged moorland singletrack. I'm sure there is some as the area is supposed to be famous for it.
I went over towards Stoodley pike a few weeks ago and whilst the area is just my cup of tea i.e. windy, desolate, moorland tracks, it was teeming with hikers who would point out that I was on a footpath.
Whats up to the North East of Hardcastle Crags, there seems to be quite a few connecting bridleways?

stumpyjon

You can loop up around the crags and come back around to the east but it can get boggy in places. Some good stuff to the west of there across to Burnley including the northen loop of the Mary Townley.

There is a bridleway that runs all the way along under Stoodley Pike (again part of the MTL) which deposits you into the eastern end of Rossendale. Quite a few good bits of bridleway around Hades hill and down to Watergrove resevoir north of Rochdale or you can come up out of Todmorden on Flower Scar road and take the bridleway across Deerplay Moor before heading either north or south, on you guessed it the western side of the MTL.

elchenuk

cool cheers, I'll see if I can join those up and create a nice loop.

marcaudsley

If you drop into Pecket Well from hardcastle crags you can get across Midgley moor which is good, also just out of Sowerby Bridge (near Hebden bridge) you can get onto Norland moor which is a blast

dave_hill

elchenuk wrote:

it was teeming with hikers who would point out that I was on a footpath.

Correct, there is no legit access for bikes up to the Pike and given it's popularity with the red sock brigade it's best to stick to what is legit.

As for the single track - it's a myth, there isn't any. Well, there is but it's nearly all "secret" or it runs over very boggy moorland which given our current climate is unrideable 9 times out of 10.

elchenuk

dave_hill wrote:

Well, there is but it's nearly all "secret"

Wow sounds intriguing.

marcaudsley, Norland Moor sounds interesting is it rideable through the winter also?

marcaudsley

Its rideable year round, its very sandy so it drains well. Obviously it gets muddy in places when its really wet but its lovely.
Nice pub up there too, The Moorcock, better give it a plug, my mate works there!
If you need any more info or ideas please feel free to PM me