Bike Tour Training Day - Langho to Hebden Bridge

The bike tour is now in the Calendar for late May. Training has been underway over the course of the last month or so. The longest day of the bike tour will be day 1 and will see me travel from my home in Langho to Kendal in Cumbria. The route was laid out in a previous post, though there will be some minor alterations to it. After some flip flopping, I ended up deciding on avoiding the Lake District National Park on day 1 and go straight to Kendal, which sits just to the east of the park boundary. The plan was then to cross the boundary on day 2 and head for Windermere. But I quite like the idea of travelling from home to the Lake District in a single ride. I will probably still camp at Kendal, but I will veer just over the park boundary on route. On day 1 I will be riding between 70 and 75 miles. 

I've never ridden that distance before. The most I have done is around the 50 mark. The first time I did this was the summer of 2020 when the country was in lockdown and the bike provided a welcome escape from isolation. I cycled from my hometown of Spennymoor to the coastal resort of Seaton Carew on the County Durham coast. I attempted this with no real bike training and on a heavy mountain bike. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it.

I hadn't repeated a 50 miler until by trip to Hebden Bridge at the weekend. I had been gradually working my way up to it. I did a 30 miler to Preston and back then a 40 miler return to Garstang. I've also been doing hill work, such as climbing the nick of Pendle that crosses the lower slopes of Pendle Hill. The hill training is all very important but I need to be confident that I can handle the mileage. I need to do at least 70 miles in training in a reasonable time to know I can complete day 1 with enough time to get on site to set up camp. But even that won't be total reassurance, as I will be carrying a load of gear with me for the camp. 

So, onto the ride to Hebden Bridge. I had never previously visited this town. It is close to the route of the Pennine Way, which runs past the large monument that sits atop Stoodley Pike, perhaps the most famous landmark in the area, which dominates the landscape. The town itself is quite picturesque, especially near the market square. I sat and had a nice lunch outside a cafe where an old bridge crosses the river. There are plenty of shops and a disproportionately large number of pubs and bars. There was an outdoor market when I arrived with a cosmopolitan selection of world cuisines. It seems like a nice place, though I wasn't there long enough to properly take it in. 

Onto my route. From Langho, I made my way to Whalley, took a right at the Coop up to the A671. After a short while I took a left then passed through Read, Simonstone and Padiham on route to the town of Burnley. At Burnley, I briefly got on the Leeds to Liverpool canal, before coming off near Burnley Wood. From Burnley Wood I made my way to the small hamlet of Walk Mill near Townley Park. A very steep and narrow country road led me up to the Long Causeway road, an ancient packhorse route sitting high on the moors, which goes from Burnley direct to Hebden Bridge. Cycling this road was the major highlight of the route, surrounded on both sides by desolate moor land. It takes in Grit-stone escapements and views over to the high moorland near Hebden Bridge, with the iconic Stoodley Pike in the background. Shortly before arriving at Hebden Bridge the road nose-dives into a severe descent, certainly not to be attempted without proficient brakes. It became apparent very quickly that I would need to find an alternative route back as this road was simply too steep. 

I stopped for a toastie and black coffee outside a cafe by an old bridge crossing the river. I then picked up a couple of rations for later on from the outdoor market. A couple of pasties from one of the stalls. I then had to decide on a route back. Instead of taking the old causeway route I decided on the A646 road between Todmorden and Burnley. Certainly a busier and less picturesque route than the Causeway but more manageable. From Hebden Bridge, I followed the Rochdale Canal to Todmorden. Shortly after joining the canal I passed a record shop on my right. I bet there aren't many canals with a record shop but Hebden Bridge does have a reputation for being a bit quirky. After joining the main road at Todmorden, I passed by the cricket ground where I started the flower scar fell race just over a year ago. The road took me back to Walk Mill, near Townley Park and I basically followed the same route from which I arrived at Burnley. 

A fantastic view from The Long Causeway with Stoodley Pike in the background

But instead of going straight home, I decided I'd earned a nice pint. Shortly after crossing the Calder at Whalley, I took a left turn on a hair pin bend on Whalley Old Road, an old route linking Whalley to Blackburn. After travelling a couple of miles up this gradually steep road I came to the tiny Hamlet of York, which is just about a mile away from my house. I enjoyed a nice ale in the Lord Nelson, a pub that has been around for a couple of centuries. After finishing, it was a nice steep descent back into Langho.