The Mary Towenely Loop. Pennine Bridleway.
We decided to try the Mary Towneley Loop this year because we had heard such good things about it and it seemed ideal for riding over a long weekend without having to take any holidays from work. There is plenty of information on the website (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/penninebridleway) to help you plan your ride and free leaflets listing accommodation and other service providers.
We started from Watergrove Reservoir, just north of Rochdale and only 3 miles from the M62. There is a visitor centre and car park and it is right on the route. After contacting the warden we were given permission to park in the more secure car park reserved for disabled users. It was situated on the far side of the reservoir, accessible via a locked gate and away from the gaze of troublesome local youths who apparently like to burn out stolen cars in the main car park at night!
Lizzie and Danny are easy travellers, (usually) loading themselves once I open the back of the trailer and keeping calm despite the heavy traffic on the M6 and M62. It took about 1¾ hours to reach Watergrove from home near Denbigh, North Wales. I took both my horses because Lizzie was going to be ridden by my friend Steph or her daughter, Beth, as they had recently sold one horse and only had black and white cob, Hattie.
Are we nearly there yet? Beth with Hattie
We tacked up and left the car park just before 11.30am. The weather was ideal really, being overcast but not cold, although it did look as though rain was not far off. We passed some ruins of cottages that were part of the village of Watergrove that was sacrificed to make way for the reservoir and started off on a cobbled road. This soon turned into a hard track with lovely views over the hills and towns below.
Unfortunately we very soon had our first incident, when Lizzie gave Hattie one of her evil looks and Hattie decided that attack was the best form of defence. As is often the case, the intended victim escaped and poor Danny felt the full force of Hattie’s (rather large) hoof on his buttock. Luckily none of them are shod, but I think it was still very painful. He seemed okay after a few minutes, so we moved on.
We then had a dither about which way to go, since there were two bridlepaths to choose from and it wasn’t very clear, from our directions, which one we should take. Just at that moment, around the bend came a local horse and rider and we were chaperoned along for the next couple of miles. We passed the edge of a golf course and soon reached Broadley. By this time the rain had arrived, together with a cold wind. The guide helpfully suggested “Make sure you pick good weather for this section”. Oh, well! We set off along Rooley Moor Road and it was pretty bleak. Much of it stone-setted, or cobbled, but not really a problem for barefooters since these were large flat stones and there was generally a grassy verge. Apparently on a clear day you can see over to the Clwydian Hills from the top of the moor. We had our heads down against the cold and admired the restricted view as much as we could.
Eventually we came down off the moor to reach Waterfoot, where we had our first experience of a Pegasus crossing. A noisy bus arrived just as the light went green for us to cross and Hattie couldn’t make up her mind whether or not it was safe, just managing to trot across as the light changed again. We made our way to Lumb and soon reached our first night’s accommodation at Peers Clough Farm. This was about 15 miles from our starting point.
Chris Thomas welcomed us and showed us to the horses’ paddocks. They are all used to being turned out, but stabling is also available. Coarse mix and carrots seemed to go down well.
We then had a welcome cuppa with buttered scones and chatted to a couple who were walking the Loop.
Our rooms were first class and we had a refreshing shower before changing and walking down to the pub in Lumb for our dinner. I think the Hargreaves Arms was the only pub within easy reach, so we were pleased to find it friendly and with a varied menu. Food was good value and tasty. I don’t normally drink beer, but decided to join the girls in a half of real ale. I actually found I could drink the Black Sheep bitter but I’m still not converted from my normal tipple of red wine.
Lizzie thinks rations are a bit short!
We walked the mile or so back to our B&B and read through the various magazines before checking out the weather and retiring to bed.
Next morning we had arranged to bring the horses into the barn before breakfast, so they could have a feed and dry off. Poor Danny came in very cold and uncomfortable – he is just not as tough as the mares. I had brought a small massager with me, since he has had muscle problems before, and gave him a bit of a treatment to try to loosen him up. You could clearly see the imprint of Hattie’s hoof on his bum now, but it wasn’t on a dangerous spot, so just bruised. He soon stopped shivering and we left them all with hay to chew on while we went in for our 
breakfast. This was a wonderful spread of cereals, fruit and yoghurt, followed by cooked breakfast and toast. Our fellow guests had decided to make use of Chris’s luggage transfer service, so they didn’t have to carry their heavy rucksacks again for a fully day. We were travelling light, so had managed to get everything into our saddlebags.
Just about to leave Peers Clough Farm . We had a long day ahead, with about 23 miles to go, so we didn’t want to be too late setting off. The route from Peers Clough was very easy to follow and exceptionally well signed. We met several walkers, and mountain bikers but not many horse riders. There was a stretch where the path ran alongside a fairly busy A road, but there was a fence and a fair amount of ground between us, so it wasn’t a problem.
We reached the memorial to Mary Towneley, and were pleased when a passing mountain biker offered to take our photo there. We certainly felt grateful for all this lady’s hard work in paving the way for the route.
There was a steep downhill section after the memorial and in case Danny was still a bit sore, so I got off and walked for quite some way.
We reached a path which passed under the railway, with a little Shetland pony stationed as look out in his stable just by the underpass. Luckily no trains passed while we were there. Shortly we came to a very nice looking pub, the Ram Inn, which apparently had facilities for tying up horses outside. We didn’t stop, but if you timed it right for lunch, it would be ideal.
Climbing up from the village we had fantastic views of the Cliviger Gorge and sandstone crags. As well as the natural beauty of the area, there were plenty of examples of its industrial heritage too. The 
“hushings” was a strange looking collection of grassy hillocks which were all that was left of the local industry of burning limestone to produce quicklime. Quite eerie!
Next we crossed the first reservoir dam of the day. Plenty of cyclists and walkers in this area. We caught up with our fellow B&Bers from Peers Clough Farm since they had stopped for a snack and to rest their tired feet. We have found on other rides that it doesn’t pay to try to go too fast with all your worldly goods in your saddlebags, so we were probably only averaging 4miles per hour – not much faster than a good walker. We stopped for lunch a bit further on, so they passed us again for a while.
There was then a long but steady climb up Rams Clough and Spring Head, where we crossed the border from Lancashire to Yorkshire. Here we had lovely views of Gorple upper Reservoir, which we would eventually swing down and round to meet.
First however we had to tackle Gorple Lower Reservoir. The wind was blowing at some force and was causing huge waves to breach the wall where we had to cross the dam. The horses were a bit put out when they got a shower, but there wasn’t much we could do about 
it.
The path then meandered along the valley for a while. This was a section with a fair amount of road work, but they were extremely quiet lanes with lovely views as we ambled along. When we reached Jack Bridge we rang our next B&B lady to check how long she thought it would take us – about an hour, so not too bad. There seemed to be a lot of uphill on the last section, and we travelled through woods with cows and calves grazing between the trees. Lots of signs to keep you on the right track – or so we thought.
Just as we climbed out of the woods on a new track, heading towards a lane, my phone rang. “You’ve missed us!” said Fiona from the b&b. “Are you sure?” I asked, “We’ve followed signs all the way.” Well it turned out that we had followed one sign too many. The powers-that-be had decided to change the route a little and in future it will not pass through the hamlet of Horsehold, but will cut the corner along the new track we were following. The new route signs were in place (and we dutifully followed them), but the sign for the b&b wasn’t ready and, more importantly, the new route wasn’t yet open, so we would have been 
faced by a locked gate at the end of the new path. The rescue party (Fiona, her daughter, assorted daughter’s friends and two dogs) came to meet us as we turned tail and found the correct path to Horsehold.
Horsehold is great. Apparently it was virtually all owned by Fiona & Andrew’s family at one point, and got its name because it was where the main local horse owner / dealer lived. The horses were again sorted out first, with any nature of feed available, stabling if required and grazing with a big barn for shelter. Hattie refused to be housed alone (which we had thought safer) and was soon trailing round the field after Lizzie and Danny, trying desperately to be allowed into the gang. We retired to the farmhouse for a cuppa and a large slice of homemade chocolate cake.
Fiona & Andrew have recently been granted planning permission to convert one of the stone buildings to a self contained unit for B&B guests, but at present rooms are with the family in the farmhouse. Camping is also available.
After a refreshing shower and change of clothes, followed by a quick check to make sure the horses were now settled and grazing, we gratefully jumped into Fiona’s car for a lift into Hebden Bridge.
Whatever you want to eat, you are sure to find it in Hebden Bridge. There seemed to be something for everyone – pizza, Chinese, Indian, posh restaurants, wine bars and pub grub. We settled for the White Lion, which seemed to have a reasonable selection, including veggie stuff for me. It was an added bonus to find that the dishes were 
homemade, tasty and very reasonably priced.
The next morning, Steph and I checked the horses before breakfast. Danny was a bit cold again, having shunned the barn and braved the elements. The two mares were fine. We gave them some breakfast and returned to the farmhouse for ours. We soon found out that a little Dales foal had been born during the night. Fiona’s daughter had been hoping for an all black filly, but a colt with a white star and white foot was what she got. The most important thing was that both he and his mum were healthy.
New arrival at Horsehold Beth & Hattie with Horsehold in the background
Fiona’s idea of a hearty breakfast was a feast. We didn’t seem to make much impression on the huge stacks being kept warm on the Rayburn, but it was all very tasty. Fiona said she is more accustomed to providing breakfast for the mountain biking lads who camp overnight. Apparently they eat like there is no tomorrow. Luckily the family was soon on hand to polish off everything.
When we went out to catch the horses Hattie took one look at us with the headcollars and then cantered head on towards Danny & Lizzie, chasing them around the field for a good 5 
minutes. At least it warmed Danny up. A bucket of feed brought the fun and games to an abrupt halt and we took them into the old milking shed to tack up.
Having said our goodbyes, we set off along the quiet lanes from Horsehold. After a while we were back on the old packhorse trails across the moorland, passing below Stoodley Pike. The route then dropped down to Mankinholes and from there along a very narrow, very steep downhill causeway to Lumbutts. We passed a couple of likely looking pubs, but it was too early!
Much of this section is very similar – steep, stone-setted paths, passing through hamlets and sections of moorland. Very pretty, but requiring attention to footing, especially if conditions are damp / slippery.
Eventually we crossed the A6033 at a Pegasus crossing and climbed up a grassy hill. We passed several air shafts for a tunnel on the Manchester – Leeds railway and followed a more level path along the hillside.
Not long after this we came across the place where the southern stretch of the Pennine Bridleway joins the MT Loop.
It really was a breeze then, all the way back to Watergrove Reservoir along good tracks with pleasant views, passing ponies and cattle grazing on the moorland. There were a couple of places where the horses could drink, but they seemed to know they were nearing the finish, and wanted to push on.
This section looked to be only about 10 miles on the map, but it seemed further on the ground, and took us longer than we had expected – perhaps because of the trickiness of negotiating some of the paths. No matter though, as we were back at the trailers by lunchtime and were relieved to find them safe and sound.
I would thoroughly recommend this route to anyone taking their first long ride. It is a distance which can be easily done over a long weekend, which makes planning a lot easier.
The route is well signed and popular with walkers and cyclists, so you are unlikely to be too isolated, even if you rode it alone.
There are ample B&Bs along the way, so you can plan for whatever distance you wish to do each day.
The countryside is marvellous and the amount of roadwork very acceptable in my opinion.
I’m sure we will do it again soon.