Pennine Bridleway

The Pennine Bridleway is a 205 mile (330km) National Trail running north through the Pennine hills from Middleton Top in Derbyshire to Ravenstonedale in Cumbria, crossing the Peak District, the South Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales. It was designed for horse riders and is equally a fine route for mountain bikers and walkers, following old packhorse routes, drovers roads and newly created bridleways with very good waymarking. Ridden end to end without circling its two big loops, the Mary Towneley Loop and the Settle Loop, it is 174 miles (280km), and official guidance puts a full ride at anything from one to fourteen or more days. It also works as a base for shorter rides, from a weekend on the Mary Towneley Loop to a day on the Settle Loop.

The Route

The route starts at the Middleton Top visitor centre on the High Peak Trail near Wirksworth and finishes at the A683 at Ravenstonedale, on the edge of the Howgill Fells. The official advice is to ride it from south to north: most people start in the south because the southern section is an easier, gentler start, and the official cycling guide for the northern part is written in that direction. It can be ridden either way.

The trail is mostly a linear route with two large loops built into it. Ridden end to end, skipping the circuits, it is 174 miles (280km). The official headline of 205 miles (330km) is the length of the whole National Trail including the two loops, and the official trail information page gives the distances between the key points along the way.

The two loops each have their own character. Our Mary Towneley Loop listing covers the 47 mile circuit in the South Pennines, which is the original section of the Pennine Bridleway and makes a great weekend ride, and this page points to it rather than repeating it. The Settle Loop is a 10 mile circuit through the Yorkshire Dales limestone uplands that makes a good day out and can be extended using the bridleway network to take in Malham.

The Pennine Bridleway is not the same as the Pennine Way. It follows a different line and was designed especially for horse riders and cyclists, so bikes are welcome along its length. Middleton Top is also the starting point of the Great North Trail, a far longer route north to Scotland, so the two routes share a trailhead but are separate rides with their own guidance. The route is hosted by the National Trails website, which is the place to start for the official map, the interactive route planner and the GPX download.

Terrain by Section

The surface throughout is a mix of minor roads, aggregate tracks, grassed stone tracks, stone setts and worn causey flags. Some of it was created for the Pennine Bridleway and some is ancient highway that has been in use for centuries. There are gates throughout, and the official leaflet says there are no stiles or steps to negotiate. The route is a bridleway open to cyclists, although a route drawn for walkers can follow public footpaths where cycling is not allowed.

• Middleton Top to the Peak District moors (south): The first 10 miles (16km) follow the disused railway of the High Peak Trail. This is the smoothest riding of the whole route and is not typical of what follows, since the gradient and surface become more changeable and challenging after it. Further along, the route passes Chee Dale Nature Reserve and gives views across the Kinder plateau either side of Roych Clough, one of Britain's classic mountain bike rides. Where the official line is not yet complete, cyclists have a separate route, so follow the cyclist line shown on the official interactive map.
• Moors of Tameside and Oldham to the Mary Towneley Loop: The trail heads north across the moors of Tameside and into Oldham, clips the edge of Uppermill, passes a chain of reservoirs including busy Hollingworth Lake and crosses the moors of Rochdale before joining the Mary Towneley Loop. The South Pennine valleys crossed by the Mary Towneley Loop are particularly steep. The first part of the route runs through the Peak District, and our Peak District Mountain Bike Trails listing covers the wider riding in the national park.
• Mary Towneley Loop and Calderdale: Rough gravel tracks, bridleways, grassy tracks and old packhorse routes of large setts, which shake the bike hard. The route passes the Rochdale Canal, the water trough at Mankinholes where packhorse ponies stopped for refreshment and panoramic views over the valleys of Calderdale, Rochdale and Lancashire. For the riding around Hebden Bridge and the Calder Valley, see Calderdale Mountain Biking.
• Lancashire to the Yorkshire Dales: New trails and old link up in zig zags across the Lancashire moors to Wycoller with its ancient packhorse bridge, then the north Lancashire stretch through the Ribble Valley gives a more pastoral breather. As you leave Lancashire and enter North Yorkshire there are a few field crossings, which are pretty challenging by bike, especially if the fields have not been cut. Keep an eye on your rear mechanism so it does not clog with grass.
• Yorkshire Dales (Settle to Mallerstang): Classic limestone landscape with views of Malham Tarn and the Three Peaks of Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent, and walled lanes around Austwick. The route then heads onto the more isolated and sparsely populated Cam and Dent fells, passing the impressive viaducts of the Settle to Carlisle railway. Settlements are few here, so carry supplies. For the wider riding in the national park, see Yorkshire Dales Mountain Biking.
• Mallerstang to Ravenstonedale (north): Once up on Lady Anne's Highway there are stunning views along the Mallerstang valley, then a final push from High Dolphinsty takes the route up and over Wild Boar Fell (708m) before a welcome descent to Ravenstonedale in Cumbria. Riders' accounts describe the steepest grassy part of Wild Boar Fell as a push. Ravenstonedale is in Cumbria, and our Lake District Mountain Biking listing covers riding elsewhere in the county if you want to extend the trip.

Planning Your Days

Official guidance is that cycling the entire route can take anything from 1 to 14 or more days, depending on fitness, motivation and how much you stop to enjoy the scenery. The unmade surface means you will cover far fewer miles than on tarmac, and the official leaflet suggests cyclists can manage as much as 30 miles a day on this trail, so treat that as a ceiling rather than a target. At that ceiling the 174 mile through route is about six days, and most riders carrying luggage will want more.

• Six to eight days: A steady end to end ride, splitting the official distances into stages of 20 to 30 miles that finish in places with accommodation and services, such as Hayfield, Hebden Bridge, Settle and Kirkby Stephen or Ravenstonedale, all of which appear in riders' published accounts.
• Three to four days: Possible for strong, lightly loaded riders and long, hard days. One published e-mountain bike account of a modified 227km version took four days, with roughly 1,200 to 1,450 metres of climbing each day.
• Shorter rides: Split the route at the loops. The Mary Towneley Loop is best done over two or three days, or in a day by strong riders, and the Settle Loop can be completed in a day. A guided three day route from Kirkby Stephen to Hebden Bridge (160km) is also offered by an operator listed by the National Trails.

The best time to ride is April to October, when the weather is most favourable. The route is steep and exposed and the weather in the Pennines changes quickly, so be prepared.

Bike Choice

The official Pennine Bridleway ranger advises that you can ride the route on any bike, but that it may not be fast or comfortable and may not stand up to the terrain for long. The route is not a canal towpath, a smooth cycle path or a well-groomed forest gravel track. A cross country hardtail with front suspension is his recommended compromise between comfort and speed, a full suspension bike is comfortable but slower, and he would avoid hybrids and road cleats. Tyres with some grip are better than very fast rolling, lightweight treads, and there are many short, steep climbs and long drags, so choose gearing that lets you winch uphill. Suitable shoes for walking are worth having, since getting off and pushing is fine.

Pack light, since the more you carry the harder the bike is to handle. Bring brake pads, since wet South Pennine grit can wear out a set in a day, plus a spare rear mechanism hanger, a split link and chain splitter, and spare inner tubes even if you run tubeless. Take a map or guidebook, waterproofs and warm layers, and expect patchy phone reception, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.

Resupply and Accommodation

There is a good choice of bed and breakfasts, hotels, pubs, self-catering, campsites, hostels and bunkhouses close to the trail, and the official interactive map has filters for accommodation with secure cycle storage and pick up and drop off services. The area is popular, so book well in advance in peak season. In England there are normally no rights to wild camp along a National Trail, so seek the landowner's permission if you plan to camp away from a campsite. Wi-Fi is available at some accommodation, pubs and cafes.

The northern half is much more remote. As the route goes north through the Yorkshire Dales, settlements are fewer, so carry food and water and be ready for any weather. Bike shops along the route need a detour of several miles, and some sections are very remote, so carry the spares and the skills to get yourself off the hill.

Guidebooks, Maps and Guided Rides

• The official map, leaflets, guidebook and a GPX download are on the official trail information page. The full GPX file may contain multiple tracks, so check that your app displays it correctly.
• Cycling the Pennine Bridleway, published by Cicerone, is a cycling guidebook covering the route from the Mary Towneley Loop to Ravenstonedale, plus day rides. It was first published in 2012, so check current route information against the official map.
• Saddle Skedaddle runs a guided mountain bike weekend on the northern section, with support vehicle and bed and breakfast accommodation.
• Several companies move luggage, help you plan your trip or arrange a full package, and the official trail information page has the current list.

Riding Responsibly and Route Status

The Pennine Bridleway is a shared use route, so you may meet other cyclists, horse riders, walkers, dogs, runners, and people who live and work along the trail, plus livestock. Slow down, say hello and pass horses safely; the official guidance points to the Be Nice Say Hi campaign and the Countryside Code. Keep to the worn track, close gates behind you and take your litter home.

Sections of the trail are subject to periodic closures and diversions, and the cyclist route can differ from the walkers and horse riders route. Always check the official news page and the diversions layer on the interactive map for current alerts before travelling.

At the northern end, the official news page reports the trail closed at Hazelgill, close to Ravenstonedale, where the bridge over the River Eden is partially collapsed, and says the closure is likely to last for a considerable period of time. Cyclists are advised to finish or start at Kirkby Stephen by an alternative route shown on that page, instead of at Ravenstonedale, so check the current position before you plan an end to end ride.

Getting Here

The route is point to point, so plan how you will get back to your start.

• Start, Middleton Top: Middleton Top Visitor and Cycle Hire Centres, Rise End, Matlock DE4 4LS, on the High Peak Trail near Wirksworth. The nearest railway station is Cromford, a mile from the start of the High Peak Trail, and public buses stop about a mile from Middleton Top.
• Finish, Ravenstonedale: The official route ends at the A683 in Ravenstonedale. The nearest railway station is on the southern edge of Kirkby Stephen, about 6km away, and an alternative route branching off the Pennine Bridleway reaches it using public rights of way. There is an infrequent bus between Ravenstonedale and Kirkby Stephen station. Cyclists are currently advised to finish or start at Kirkby Stephen instead of Ravenstonedale because of a closure at Hazelgill, so check the official news page before you plan.
• Trains along the way: In the Yorkshire Dales the trail follows and leap-frogs the Settle to Carlisle railway, so you can ride a section and return by train.

Not all trains and buses carry bikes, and some limit the number, so contact the operator first. If you leave a car for several days, the official advice is to arrange it with your accommodation provider or tell the local police.

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