16 February 2017 

The weather forecast said it should be dry and pleasantly warm so it was cold and wet when we set out from Hellifield heading for Halton West. Not being Pennine Bridleway (PBW) purists we declined the chance of going round two sides of a muddy field and went round the other two sides on tarmac instead. However we soon joined the PBW and there was plenty of mud to keep everyone happy (or not) between there and Paythorne. There was a notice about a closed bridge as we started on the PBW but it helpfully didn’t tell us where it was. We soon found out. There was a locked gate in front of a bridge made of old railway sleepers with a hole in it. Heaving bikes over the gate was not too much of a problem but lifting a horse over it might have been more difficult. I wouldn't have trusted jumping a horse over it as it might have gone through the bridge on landing. 

A short bit of tarmac after Paythorne took us to the bridge over the Ribble and a slightly tricky climb on the PBW up one bank of the river. Then it was more field until the PBW runs alongside the main Gisburn to Long Preston road. A pleasant woodland stretch then led us briefly back on tarmac on the road from Bolton by Bowland to Gisburn. Here John and Irene left us to go to the café at Gisburn while the rest of us carried on the PBW, encountering even more mud. 

Where the PBW crosses the main A59 we turned into Gisburn to meet up with John and Irene. As they had decided to go back to Hellifield, our choices were to either ride back on the A59 to rejoin the PBW or carry on up the A682 for about half a mile to rejoin the PBW. As time was getting on we decided on the latter course.

The going along Coal Pit Lane was much better from here. It starts off as tarmac and becomes a good stone-based track. When we reached Stocks Lane it was time to head for Downham and lunch where Reid left us but not before we’d received a thorough soaking. 

After an excellent lunch at the Greendale View Kitchen on the Chatburn road it was back to Hellifield on tarmac. The good news was the strong wind we had battled against for much of the day was now more or less behind us. The bad news was we received an even bigger soaking.
It was a good testing ride but would be much better in dryer conditions. So PBW fans watch this space. We’ll put it on again and make sure we don’t cut out any of it.
Neville Cohen