Up and Down in the Mist till lunch then back on the flat in the rain!

Not a bad turnout for a misty morning promising rain!  Sixteen of us turned up at the Lime Kiln for a ride in the rain.  Depsite the low hanging mist and cloud the only way was up to glory in the views from Standedge down the Tame Valley to Stockport and beyond!

We began with a gentle roll along the Delph Donkey (Former branch line from Uppermill to Delph) but within minutes we'd had a mechanical!  At Delph we turned up the main A62 road briefly before taking a, new to some, lane alongside the Cricket Club - Rumbles Lane.  This took us into the village where we took a gentle bridleway alongside Hull Brook to the back of Phil's house!

"Enough of this flat malarky!" they cried and so we began the morning's climb out of the village, along the aptly named Waterworks Road up past the two Castleshaw Reservoirs to peak at the equally aptly named Bleak Hey Nook.  "More!" they cried, so more they got as we followed the Penine Bridleway nearly to the top of Standedge where we paused to admire the view!  FInding no view, Tish reminded me of my obligation to reward a good climb with treats, this time Jelly Babies for all!

"Enough!" they cried and so we took to "Boat Lane" simply the best descent in Saddleworth taking you down a rocky, rolling and at this time of year exceptionally muddy single track, over a tricky little ford where someone had kindly put a big rock richt in the middle of my normal line and down to the little hamlet of Diggle edge where we reconvened before taking the more gentle but still enjoyably fast track down to the Diggle Hotel. An hour's climbing for about ten minutes of descent but well worth it!

Time dictated that we would pick up the Pennine Bridleway once again and after an enjoyable photo opportunity with a mosy suitable sign we meandered comfortably on to Roaches Lock for a well deserved lunch - when a pud is only £1 extra, it's churlish not to have one!

The rain had well and truly set in by the time we left the pub warmed by an overdose of sugary puds.  Perhaps it was those puds, or maybe the rain, but the concensus was that we simply bowled back along the canal to the Lime Kiln to end an excellent day out glorying in the beautiful views that you find every time you come to Saddleworth for  a ride!

Photos coutesy of Roger.

More of his photos can be viewed on Flickr here: