Looking at the weather forecast and scanning a grey threatening sky over breakfast whilst fielding texts and emails apologising for not being on today's ride, I must admit I didn't really feel like turning out myself.
Still the old "Windmill Theatre" spirit drove me on and out to the car to brave the Isle of Skye road - awash with water - over to Holmfirth and then on to New Mill. Alone in the car park I have to admit I was thinking of a quick return home, maybe via a cafe in Holmfirth, when suddenly Eric appeared with his E-bike! We were committed (or should have been committed maybe!) and after giving anyone else a reasonable time to turn up, off we set.
My route out of New Mill is a typical Pennine route - plunge down to a river crossing then a big bastard hill up the other side. Eric seemed to manage this in style whilst I puffed and panted behind but the reward was a lovely contouring bridleway descent along the side of Brown Hill to Haddingley. The arrow straight Dearne Dike Lane passes straight onto the equally unbending Broadstone Road with Wind Turbines sprouting up all around us. A favourite bridleway, High Lane, towards Inchbirchworth started in the mire but eventually became firmer under wheel affording another lovely descent and then a slow climb up to the farm shop at Delf House Farm for an early lunch, thus beating the yummy mummies and their offspring who were arriving in droves as we were preparing to leave!
The experience of the mire at the start of High Lane persuaded me to avoid a couple of very muddy bridleways on the route to Cannon Hall and since we had already had a good lunch we decided to cut off the corner, keep to the lanes and instead scratch an itch I've had for some time now regarding a bridleway from Exeley Gate (SE 241 084) down to Blagden Hall. It looks like a dead end on the map and I've never felt like leading a dozen or more members into a cul de sac - some might argue that it's never stopped me in the past - but with just the two of us it seemd like a good idea and if we had to hike our bikes at the end then so be it. It turned out to be a splendid route and miraculously the dead end turned out to be a misapprehension and a wide farm track took us behind Blagden Hall and down to Nortonthorpe Mill near Scissett. An added delight was the engine house to the mill which contained a restored steam engine called Violet! Unfortunately we were not able to make her acquaintance fully as it was shut and no mention was made of the opening times when we could get to know her better. Still you can find out a bit more about her here:
Our route back follows, rather vaguely, the various off-shoots of the Trans Pennine Trail through Skelmanthorpe towards Shelley where we had the delight of seeing the little steam train of the Kirklees Light Railway and the pain of a puncture. After an effortless replacement and repair we made for Shepley where we took an old lane which runs out into a nice piece of single track; well it would have been nice were it not for the mud. Again Eric's E-bike came to the fore as it propelled him inexorably on through the mud with wheels a slipping and a sliding. The track pops you out on the lane above our starting point so all that remained was a superb descent back to the car-park - so enjoyable that Eric nearly went straight past!
Thanks Eric for great company and for making sure I went on a ride. If the weather was foul we ignored it, but in all honesty we can say that it didn't put us off, we neither got cold not PWT and had a grand day out. Strangely though we were done by about two o'clock. Whether this was because there were just the two of us, whether because of cutting the corner to Cannon Hall or whether Eric's E-bike meant we went a little faster than usual, we will never know!
Rob Newton
{gpxtrackmap}/rslnewton/gpxtracks/New Mill Feb 2016.gpx{/gpxtrackmap}