Route Summaries
Forest of Bowland and the Ribble Valley
Quiet Lanes to Beacon Fell
A circular route from Chipping including Whitechapel – Inglewhite – Claughton – Beacon Fell
Distance –32 miles
Short cut option – 7 miles & 18 miles
Terrain – Quiet lanes
Grade - Easy/Medium
Starting point – Chipping (Toilets, Cobbled Corner Cafe/Tea Rooms, 2 x Pubs, General Store)
Duration – 3 to 5 hours
A Village Tour of Ribblesdale (start option from Clitheroe Train Station)
A circular ride on quiet lanes including Chipping – Dunsop Bridge – Newton – Slaidburn – Whitewell.
Distance – 24 miles
Short cut option – 6, 13, and 19 miles
Terrain – Quiet lanes
Grade – Easy/Medium
Starting point – Clitheroe Train Station, Chipping (Toilets, Cobbled Corner Cafe/Tea Rooms, 2 x Pubs, 2 x General Store) Slaidburn (Toilets, Cafe/Tea Rooms, Pub, General Store), Newton (Pub/Restaurant), Whitewell (Inn/Restaurant)
Duration – 2.5 to 4 hours
Lune Valley Village Tour (start option from Lancaster Train Station)
A circular route from Lacaster train station or Caton village venturing through the beautiful countryside of the Lune Valley including, Caton, Gressingham, Arkholm and Over Kellet.
Distance - 26 miles
Short cut option – 9 and 18 miles
Terrain - Quiet lanes and broad tracks
Grade – Easy off road sections with a few moderate but short climbs
Starting point – Lancaster Train Station
Duration – 3 to 5 hours
The Ribblesdale Rider
A circular route from Chipping Village including Hothersall Lodge – Ribchester – Hurst Green – Longridge Fell – Jeffery Hill.
Distance - 20 miles (14 miles off road)
Short cut option – 9 miles (3 miles off road)
Terrain - Broad tracks, grassy paths and quiet lanes
Grade – Easy off road sections with a few moderate but short climbs
Starting point – Chipping (Toilets, Cobbled Corner Cafe/Tea Rooms, 2 x Pubs, 2 x General Store)
Duration – 3 to 5 hours
The Salter Fell Crossing
A circular or return route from Slaidburn including Salter and Croasdale Fells, Wray, Low Gill and Slaidburn
Distance – 28 miles (8.5 miles off road)
Short cut option – 20 miles (17 miles off road – turn back at end of Salters’ Way)
Terrain – Broad tracks (rocky in sections) and quiet lanes
Grade – Medium/Hard – long ride with some short but steep climbs
Starting point - Slaidburn (Toilets, Cafe/Tea Rooms, Pub, General Store)
Duration – 4 to 7 hours
Dunsop Valley - Family Friendly Route
A linear return route from Dunsop Bridge Village through Dunsop Valley and Bowland Forest
Distance – 6 miles (off road easy level tracks)
Short cut option – turn back at any stage to shorten as necessary
Terrain – Broad tracks and surfaced lanes
Grade – Easy - suitable for families with young children
Starting point - Dunsop Bridge Car Park (Toilets, Cafe/Tea Rooms, General Store, Children's playground)
Duration – 1 to 2 hours
Longridge Fell - forest tracks and trails
Distance – up to 15 miles (all off road)
Short cut option – many options (all off road)
Terrain – Well maintained forest tracks + technical rocky decents and climbs
Grade – Medium
Starting point – Two car parks on Birdy Lane at West and East end of the Fell
Duration - 1 to 4 hours depending on route option
Gisburn Forest - forest tracks and trails
Distance – 7 miles (blue route) and 12.5 miles (red route) - all off road
Terrain – Forest tracks and moderate/difficult single track
Grade – Easy to Difficult (blue, red and black graded single track)
Starting point – Cocklet Hill car park, Gisburn Forest
Duration - 1 to 4 hours depending on route option
Map of New Gisburn Forest mountain bike trails
Further information - new Gisburn Forest trail development
The Chipping Challenge
A figure of eight route from Chipping including Dunsop Bridge with some great technical mountain bike trails
Distance – 14 miles (5.5 miles off road)
Short cut option – 7 miles (2.5 miles off road)
Terrain – Broad tracks, rocky in sections, grassy paths and quiet lanes
Grade Medium – some difficult technical tracks (on full route) combined with 563m height gain (on full route)
Starting point – Chipping (Toilets, Cobbled Corner Cafe/Tea Rooms, 2 x Pubs, 2 x General Store), or Dunsop Bridge (Toilets, Cafe/Tea Room/General Store)
Duration – 2.5 to 4 hours
The Bowland Classics
A circular epic taking in the classic Trough of Bowland & Salters’ Way Moorland crossings including the villages of Slaidburn and Dunsop Bridge.
Distance – 35 miles (8 miles off road)
Short cut option (if starting at Slaidburn) – 20 miles (16 miles off road - turn back at end of Salters’ Way)
Terrain – Broad track with some easy/moderate technical rocky sections, and quiet lanes
Grade – Meduim/hard – three notably steep climbs, one on technical rocky terrain
Starting point – Slaidburn (Toilets, Cafe/Tea Rooms, Pub, General Store)
Duration – 4 to 6 hours
The Trough of Bowland
A circular route on quiet and remote country lanes including the classic Trough of Bowland Mooreland crossing visiting Chipping, Dunsop Bridge, Abbeystead and Oakenclough.
Distance – 27 miles (4 mile off road option)
Short cut option – 13 miles (turn around at Dunsop Bridge if starting at Chipping)
Terrain – Quiet lanes with 4 mile off road option
Grade – Medium/Hard
Starting point - Chipping (Toilets, Cobbled Corner Cafe/Tea Rooms, 2 x Pubs, 2 x General Store)
Duration – 2.5 to 4 hours
