This Saturday’s Stockport Community Cycling Club ride was along the Longdendale Trail which runs alongside a number of reservoirs. The Longdendale Trail also forms part of NCN Route 68 and therefore the Pennine Cycleway which a number of us had completed a few years previously.

Andy S and I had cycled to the start and the final section of our route had been along the trail. It had rained a little as well. Thankfully as we arrived at the start, which was at one end of the Woodhead Reservoir, the rain had abated. I was quite glad of this, since the previous time the club had cycled this route the weather had had a major impact.

The first section of the ride was to the far end of the trail and to the Woodhead Tunnel.

We then returned back to the start point of the ride!

Thankfully that wasn’t actually the end of the ride and we continued back along the trail and alongside Torside Reservoir.

With Fair Vage Clough to our side and Peak Naze in front of us.

However at the end of Torside Reservoir we crossed over to the other side and followed a path on the northern side of Rhodeswood Reservoir.

At the end of Rhodeswood Reservoir we crossed back on to the southern side of the reservoirs again and picked up another trail which ran alongside the next reservoir – Valehouse Reservoir

Then it was back over to the other side of the reservoirs and a cycle alongside Bottoms Reservoir. We admired the Victorian engineering of the water plant at the end of the River Etherow.

And then continued on to the coffee break at Hadfield.

This was taken at the Food Bar which provided basic but tasty homemade food. Ideal for cyclists …and cheap!

Then it was back on to the Longdendale Trail for the journey back to the start.

The first section is part of NCN Route 62 and whilst just a part of the Longdendale Trail is included on the Pennine Cycleway, the whole of the trail is included on the Trans Pennine Trail. This section for instance is part of the TPT but not the Pennine Cycleway.

This 15 mile route is a regular Stockport Community Cycling Club ride and it is easy to see why. Most of the ride is off-road and the scenery is fantastic. You can view today’s Longdendale Trail route below:

[sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/sccc-longdendaletrail2015.gpx”]

By the end of the day, when including my cycle ride to the start and back again I had completed 50 miles of enjoyable cycling.