Description
Rivington Pike
Rivington Pike and the surrounding West Pennine Moors, just north of Bolton in Lancashire, are a popular natural riding area. There is no single trail centre or waymarked network here: riders explore a web of bridleways and tracks across Anglezarke, Yarrow and the Rivington reservoirs, the Anglezarke and Rivington moors, and Winter Hill, with well-known local descents including White Coppice, the San Marino descent, the Shooting Hut descent and the Two Lads descent. Close by is the Healey Nab downhill base.
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Riding Here
The area is natural trail riding on a network of bridleways, so there is no MTB trail-specific waymarking or grading, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off. Two established route guides cover the area in detail.
Pedal North
- A 12km (7.3 mile), mostly stone-based route around Rivington Pike suitable for evening or day rides. Full route and GPX download at pedalnorth.com/rivington-pike.
FlatTyres MTB
- A longer 28.6km (17.8 mile) loop through Rivington Country Park, including Rivington Pike, that also leaves the park to take in the surrounding reservoirs and the Healey Nab MTB base. Mostly moderate with a few technical sections. Turn-by-turn instructions at flattyres-mtb.co.uk.
Groups and Clubs
- The Tribe Mountain Bike Club, a Cycling UK affiliated group covering trail-orientated riding across the North West.
- The Woollybacks Mountain Bike Club, a Cycling UK affiliated club based in the North West with a store of member GPS routes.
Gravel Riding
Rivington Country Park and the surrounding Anglezarke estate carry an extensive network of stone tracks, reservoir-side paths and old lanes that suit gravel bikes as well as mountain bikes. Both are popular with local gravel riders for loops ranging from easy family-friendly distances up to 30km-plus routes taking in Rivington Pike itself.
Getting Here
The main car park for riders is at Great House Barn on Rivington Lane (BL6 7SB), which also has a cafe. Directly opposite is the Rivington Hall Barn car park, useful as overflow parking when Great House Barn is full. Both the Pedal North and FlatTyres routes above start from around this area, though exact start points vary by route, so check the route guide before you set off.
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- If you have ridden the trails around Rivington Pike and the surrounding area then please share your reviews, photos, and videos to this listing.