LET’S TAKE A RIDE
This is a majestic circuit on quiet lanes either side of the Lancashire and North Yorkshire border
THE ROSES BORDER RIDE
Start point: Long Preston
Distance: 35 miles (56km)
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Terrain: Roads, hill, steep in parts
This ride includes the challenging yet beautiful climb over Keasden Moor, offering some of the best views in either county. Descending through Gisburn Forest you also have the opportunity to go off road and use the mountain bike trails or to stop and contemplate the views of Stocks reservoir, and the tranquillity of St James Chapel at Dale Head – moved from the hamlet of the same name when the valley was flooded in the 1930s. The chapel is wind powered, and the turbine stands in a graveyard which has rich botanical interest due to the abundance of wildflowers growing there.
1 Turn left on leaving the car park and follow the road over the River Ribble and follow the road to Wigglesworth.
2 Turn right just as you enter Wigglesworth (just before the pub) – signposted to Rathmell.
3 Follow the road through Rathmell to the A65.
4 Turn left onto the A65 then turn left again after 300m on an unmarked lane passing under a railway bridge.
5 Turn left at the crossroads signposted Eldroth.
6 Turn right immediately after passing underneath the railway bridge – signpost to Clapham. (Ignore the right turn just before the bridge.)
7 Turn left at T-junction (Clapham station is adjacent to the bridge on your right. If starting from here turn right out of the station, under the bridge and straight on.)
8 Follow the road up the long climb through Keasden Moor and Bowland Knotts (the highest point of this ride at 422m) and the Yorkshire – Lancashire border. Descend carefully down through Gisburn Forest and Dale Head.
9 Turn left at the crossroads (signpost to Wigglesworth and Settle) and continue through Tosside and cross the border back into Yorkshire.
10 Continue straight through Wigglesworth and back to Long Preston station.
