The Mary Towneley Loop is a circular route that forms part of the
Pennine Bridleway National Trail
National Trails are long distance footpaths and bridleways in England and Wales. They are administered by Natural England, an agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, UK government, and Natural Resources Wales, a Welsh Government, Welsh ...
, along the borders of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
and
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
. 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'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 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 nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administra ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
to
Ashbourne in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
. 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 topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
between
Littleborough and
Todmorden
Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and 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, Halifax. In 2011, it had a popul ...
, 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 an ...
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 counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
at Widdop, crosses Heptonstall Moor and drops down to cross the
Calder Valley just west of the town of
Hebden Bridge. The trail passes the villages of
Mankinholes and
Bottomley 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. 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
{{WestYorkshire-geo-stub