This might help you out Les. Route info Nick, the Underhills and a few others rode it a couple of years ago, sure they'd help you out.

The offer to borrow my GPS is still open, but if you buy one be aware that the more basic of the Garmin bike-specific ones are more for training monitoring purposes than navigation. Unless you want hideously expensive, a basic walking model with a bike mount is better for directions.

Hi Matthew, thanks for the info will give Nick a call. I have been looking on internet for MTB GPS, looks like a mine field, who has all the co-ordinates to log into the unit and how do you down load them anyway?. I do not understand most of the current techno talk and still fine it hard to use a TV remote, so my mine is now going into Japaness meltdown causing possible cretin fall out to contaminate anyone within a 10 mile radius of me.When my re-actor has cooled down , I will start investigation again. Therefore I may even take you up on your offer Matthew, so any advice ( like a walking GPS) is appreciated. Basic info distance, time is fine but I would not need Heart Rate, altitude, temperature or after event down-load, is there such a unit on the market?
Cheers Les

Hi Les, just checking out the site from Oz! Back home this weekend and we're looking forward to getting back on our bikes again - in the meantime, yes we've done the Mary Townley loop with Nick and Rob Jones a couple of years ago. It's a fantastic route covering some amazing tracks - including old packhorse trails made up of stone steps and cobbles, with fabulous views over the Pennines. It's a really long ride - we did it on one of the longer days of the summer and I recall it took us a good 8 hours and even then Kev and I short-cutted some of the last stretch by riding on the road (I think Nick did the whole thing). It's hard work - lots of climbs - but I can't remember it being particularly technical, I think we managed to ride most of it (although I was off and walking up some of the climbs). If you check it out on Google there's a good route description with photos. I think there's an account of our ride somewhere on the bogblog if you go back far enough..

Hi Oz, thanks for the reply regarding MTL, yes have got it all sorted out now thanks very much as I have spoken to Nick. Hope your holiday is going well OZ, where ever you are. ( who the hell is Oz). Oh by the way, you look very similar to another old duffer in the WVCC Oz. Thanks again Les

Sorry no reply sooner, not logged in for a bit.

This Garmin is similar to the one I have. You'd need to buy a cable to transfer data from your computer to it, (the routes you want to follow) which you can get from various websites like map my ride and I think that a number of the sportive organisers also send out the GPS tracks before the event too. Oh, and a handlebar mount of some kind.

The routes that are stored are basically a string of co-ordinates, as your ride progresses and you pass each one, a nice big friendly compass pointer on the screen points you to the next. You can also choose a screen with an outline of the route on it, if you start to stray away from the path it's quickly apparent you made a mistake. You can get versions with maps too, but then the price goes up from less that £100 for the basic one to closer to £200.

Hi Matthew, thanks for the reply but events moved at lightening speed. I emailed Nick and by sheer coincidence he had been invited to ride the MTL yesturday, Good Friday. with an old friend from Nick's time at uni. and three other friends of his uni. mate. Nick said that I would be welcome to join them, making it 6 of us in all. Nick as you know had ridden the loop before and so had his friend. We started at 9.15am from just outside Hebden Bridge and finished at 5.15pm exactly 8 hours , as the weather was so good we had several stops to enjoy the senery so actual riding time would have been just under 7 hours. I am not one for technical decents but luckeley
there was only about 5 or 6 that made me wet my pants but the rest of the loop was fantastic and I recommend it to the house. Well thanks again Matthew will get intouch when I find another route that could need GPS. See you Soon. Les ( follow others) Charnley

Glad you enjoyed it Les and sorry to anyone else who fancies riding the Loop for not inviting you, but I didn't want to flood my friend out with super fast club riders! I thought old timer Les will be steady enough, but he rode us all of his wheel on every climb. Good job we could get our own back on the descents.

It's an even better route than I remember, so would be happy to do it again if others are keen. Late summer before the nights draw in would be good - leave a comment here and I'll plan it in with the off road rides for a Saturday when we are all free