An excellent short circular ride just over the Lancashire border with all the makings of a classic evening blast.

The route starts at Wycoller, with a short and satisfying tarmac climb through Trawden and views towards Boulsworth Hill.

There’s some tricky downhill singletrack past Saucer Hill Clough, very boggy and pitted – parts of this track are ancient packhorse routes and the crude rock paving remains in places. Finally a superb rough descent on singletrack back to the start point at Wycoller, an attractive old cotton loom village with more than its fair share of primitive bridge crossings and architecture.

Throughout this ride there’s engaging views of Pendle Hill, which looms in the distance. The ride takes in sections of The Pendle Way and The Pennine Bridleway.

Terrain: Tarmac climb, hard packed bridleway, rocky & pitted single track – very muddy in the wet. A summer evening route ideally.

Start Point:  Wycoller Country Park car park – nearest train station is Colne (2 miles)

An easy one:

•  The Pennine Cycleway – turn left on tarmac from the car park at Wycoller. Following signs for Trawden one left turn and a short steep tarmac descent away. Left at the Hartleys jam dish junction.
• Pendle Way/Lancashire Cycleway – Continue through Trawden village with a steady but increasingly steep tarmac climb. The roads signs indicate a dead end as the roads ends and turns into bridleway, follow this until it forks – you go left, the right ends at a farm above you.
• The bridleway eventually transforms into rough and rocky packhorse track running parallel to a drystone wall. Continue as it descends eventually at a bridge (Turnhole Clough) which you cross.
• Ride past the public footpath to Wycoller on your left, next left is the nice bridleway descent which takes you back to the start point, taking in some superb ancient architecture in the village. Wycoller is closed to cars so its pretty likely your parked in the car park at the far end of the village through the ford (500 metres approx).

There’s a cafe at the start/end point in Wycoller. Its a nice place to wonder around for a bit. Alternatively Try Whitesides deli, a mile or so away at the Winewall/Colne/Carleton roundabout, highly recommended.