MOUNTAIN biking fans in Saddleworth can indulge their passion on their doorstep after a new route was launched.
The Tame Valley Loop passes through Greenfield, from the Pennine Bridleway and on to the Saddleworth Linear Trail.
The 17-mile track, which also takes in areas around Stalybridge and Mossley, was officially unveiled on Saturday, March 19.
And upwards of 60 people – including chief executive of Tameside Council and keen cyclist Steven Pleasant – were among the first to have a go.
The Tame Valley Loop is the brainchild of Phil Allen, of the Tame Valley MTB Association, who attracted backing from the Tameside authority and Cycling UK.
He hopes it has knock-on benefits, saying: “I first got the idea about six years ago, inspired by the Rolling Boars in Rossendale, Lancashire.
“They did a similar thing. They looked at their bridleway network and thought, ‘We can loop these up and out way marking signs up, so it’s easy to follow.’
“I thought we could do something similar for Tameside and the surrounding area. I spoke to Tameside Council and they said ‘Yes, it’s a good idea’.
“It took a while as we had the big moorland fires, some flooding that destroyed some of the bridleways and, of course, a global pandemic.
“But this is just the start, we’re hoping it will develop over time.”
The Tame Valley Loop must be carried out anti-clockwise because of restrictions around Stalybridge’s Gorse Hall area.
From Armentieres Square in the town, ride to Gorse Hall and up, then through Cheetham Park on to Matley Lane, then into Stalybridge Country Park down Gallows Clough.
From there, it is on to the Pennine Bridleway to Greenfield, then on to the Saddleworth Linear Trail towards Mossley and the Tame Valley Trail through Millbrook Sidings.
Then comes what was described as the ‘fun part’ – a cobbled climb through Heyrod to Arlies and a single-track descent back into Stalybridge.
There are three routes of differing distance – family, intermediate and advanced – and Phil added the hardest one is not easy.
“I developed the route by just using Ordnance Survey maps,” he admitted. “Also by using a bit of local knowledge after riding around the area for so long.
“I’ve also had help from people like Dan Makin at The Dirt Factory, Neil Merriman, a local mountain biker called John Taylor.
“It’s been a team effort, it’s not all just down to me.
“It’s a good route, a lot of people who ride it seem to enjoy it but the full route, an advanced one, is fine if you’re an experience mountain biker.
“If you’re just getting into mountain biking, it’s best to give the inter mediate one a go. If you find that fine, you should be able to do the advanced one.”
