The Mary Towneley Loop is a circular route that forms part of the
Pennine Bridleway National Trail, along the borders of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
and
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. The loop was opened in 2002, the first section of the Pennine Bridleway.
It is named in memory of
Mary, Lady Towneley, who drew attention to the poor state of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
's bridleways and the need for a long-distance route for horse-riders by riding with two friends in September 1986 from
Hexham
Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
to
Ashbourne in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
. She died in 2001.
The route joins the main Pennine Bridleway at two points, one near the village of
Summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
between
Littleborough and
Todmorden
Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is north-east of Manchester, south-east of Burnley and west of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Hal ...
, and one just east of
Worsthorne. Heading west from Summit the Loop climbs to Top of Leach at . The trail then passes through the town of
Waterfoot in the
Rossendale Valley
The Rossendale Valley is in the Rossendale area of Lancashire, England, between the West Pennine Moors and the main range of the Pennines. The area includes the steep-sided valleys of the River Irwell and its tributaries (between Rawtenstall a ...
and follows new tracks via
Lumb before entering the
Cliviger Gorge and then climbing up to the Long Causeway. It then heads north to rejoin the main Pennine Bridleway just east of Worsthorne. The Loop then follows the main route to enter
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
at Widdop, crosses Heptonstall Moor and drops down to cross the
Calder Valley Calder is a Scottish name and may refer to:
People
*Calder (surname)
*Calder baronets, two baronetcies created for people with the surname Calder
*Alexander Calder (1898-1976), the American sculptor known for his mobiles, son of Alexander Stirlin ...
just west of the town of
Hebden Bridge. The trail passes the villages of
Mankinholes
Mankinholes is a hamlet in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the Pennines and the nearest town is Todmorden. The hamlet is part of Calder Ward in Calderdale Parish Council. It has a YHA hoste ...
and
Bottomley Bottomley and its homophone Bottomly are English surnames. They come from the placename formed by combining geographic terms "bottom" and " ley", and which refers to two small settlements each on opposite sides of a hill near Walsden and Halifax, We ...
to return to Summit.
An annual relay race, organized by Rossendale Harriers, took place in late January or early February until 2011. Teams consisting of five pairs of runners race over five relay legs completed the entire 47 miles and 6,400 feet of ascent of the loop, clockwise from Fearns Sports College in
Stacksteads
Stacksteads is a village between the towns of Bacup and Waterfoot within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. The population of this Rossendale ward at the 2011 census was 3,789. Stacksteads includes a mountain bike trail called Lee ...
. The last race in 2011 took place on 30 January and hosted 109 teams, 1,090 individual runners from clubs across the north of England, and was won by Salford Harriers.
References
External links
National Trails leafletPennine Bridleway Relay Results on Fellrunner.org2007 Pennine Bridleway Relay Results
Long-distance footpaths in England
Bridleroutes in the United Kingdom
Footpaths in Lancashire
Footpaths in West Yorkshire
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