Pennine Bridleway - Tonacliffe to Littleborough (★★★★☆)

Today is the second day of walking, having walked from Hurstwood to Tonacliffe on the previous day - and today is a shorter day of walking, after which we will have completed the Pennine Bridleway.

To start the day we head by train to Rochdale, and then make use of the regular bus service between Rochdale and Accrington that drops us almost exactly on the trail at Tonacliffe.

From here we turn off the main road, and start to make our way past the houses, before diverting off onto a very minor road that climbs up onto the ridge above. 

Here we turn off onto a path that is very wet on this early morning - and here we have a bit of a soggy affair ahead of us, as we keep coming across deep puddles that submerge much of this path.

The view from the path

But having got through this section, we meet up with some houses on the edge of Broadley - and from here we are able to follow a much higher quality path out onto the moors.

Heading out onto the moors

Here I do make a navigational mistake - and whilst I should have turned left by Hopwood Hall, I instead continue to go straight - following the wrong track round (here I blame the numerous overlapping named routes shown on the map).

But with both of these heading across this stretch of moorland to the far side, I end up sticking with my mistake, before getting back on track to the east of Waingap Hill.

These routes across the moors are very good - and here we are following the wide tracks that this trail is best known for.

Soon we find ourselves heading past Brown Hill, and here we have a lovely undulating landscape ahead of us, with Brown Wardle Hill being particularly prominent ahead of us.

The undulating landscape

Up ahead of us we also have another set of wind farms - and this is Crook Hill Wind Farm - but more importantly that wind farm sits only a mile to the west of the eastern side of the Mary Towneley Loop of the Pennine Bridleway.

This means that we are already getting close to the end of our journey, but perhaps not as close as it looks, for we have a very winding path ahead of us.

Once past Brown Wardle Hill, our path turns to the east - and soon meets up with a steep sided valley.

Here there is a footpath that heads down and up a set of steps to directly cross Higher Stack Brook - but instead we loyally stick with the Pennine Bridleway - turning right and following a path down to a bridge over the brook, before then turning left to follow the river back up to the end of the steps on the far side.

On the far side of the brook

With this brook crossed, we now continue to head east - before then turning to the south, along another of the brick roads that can be found in this area.

On the previous day we had come across the Cotton Famine Road (also known as Rooley Moor Road), which had been built by mill workers during a period when cotton mills were frequently closed due to disruptions in both the demand for textiles, later in the supply of raw cotton.

This route here is Ramsden Road, and as far as I can tell this was similarly built by unemployed millworkers.

Ramsden Road

Today this road heads down to Watergrove Reservoir - but once upon a time it led to the village of Watergrove, and the remains of that village can still be seen at the base of the reservoir during times of drought.

This reservoir was built in response to a period of drought in the 1930s - but we only briefly meet up with it before heading back up the ridge above.

Watergrove Reservoir

Once back up on the ridge, we resume our moorland walking - and here we are following a meandering route that generally bends it's way around the hills, rather than heading over the top of them.

On through the hills

Passing a pond that seems to have no name

And past these small oddly-shaped hills

The landscape here features numerous small hills, which we meander around on a route that flows like a river through the landscape (you can see the path bending round in the last of the pictures above).

In time we start to head up on a small climb, as our path heads to the north of Stansfield Hill - and from here we very gradually start seeing increased signs of civilisation - as we make our way towards Calderbrook.

On our way past Calderbrook

We do eventually reach the far edge of the village of Calderbrook, but here we pass it along its furthest edge - and soon start spotting the air shafts that mark the passage of the railway beneath our feet.

This means that we are getting very close to meeting up with the eastern end of the Mary Towneley Loop, and before long the moment has come when we join up with that path, and head together down to the summit of the Rochdale Canal.

From here the onward route of the Pennine Bridleway heads off to Chelburn Reservoirs, but since we have already done that walk before, we turn to follow the Rochdale Canal round to Littleborough - and this proves to be an enjoyable walk along the towpath.

Along the Rochdale Canal

And now nearer to Littleborough

It isn't long until we do indeed make it to Littleborough, and here our shorter than usual walk comes to an end at the train station - where we catch our train home.

For me the Pennine Bridleway has been a bit of an unexpected gem - it is a walk I only thought about doing because I had stumbled across it a number of times on other walks - and it has proven to be one of the best stretches of walking in the country.

It is very clear that very few people walk this trail - and the walking can be fairly remote and lonely - but it takes you through some incredible stretches of countryside.

For those that have already done the Pennine Way it may feel like a bit of a duplication, but the two routes feel very different, and if this trail stretched all the way up to Northumberland, I think this would be the better trail.

This western loop has been a bit less exciting than the rest of the trail, but it's still nice to have completed in full another of our excellent national trails.

Total Distance: 9.2 miles (7.3 miles on the Pennine Bridleway)

Total Ascent: 968 feet (955 feet on the Pennine Bridleway)

Enjoyment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5

Click for the adjoining sections of the Pennine Bridleway from Hurstwood to Tonacliffe and from Hebden Bridge to Greenfield

Click for connecting walks along the Rochdale Canal from Littleborough to Halifax and from Manchester to Littleborough.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 109 OS Landranger map - while there is also a Pennine Bridleway guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked, but the number of overlapping routes on the map can be confusing