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Does anyone know how to get to the descent from the Turbines at Scout Moor to Owd Betts ?
I'm familiar with the Coal road and have ridden on Scout Moor many times but have never figured out where you get onto that descent which ends up at Owd Betts? Is it easy to get to from the Turbines Road ?
Turn right at the top of the coal Road and keep your eye out for a sliver of trail on your right which almost always catches me out. It's by one of the masts off to the right that's sort of tucked down a little embankment to your right as the turbines Road is heading downhill. I usually take a couple of wrong turns before I get it right but you should see a ditch running down the hillside (when I get it wrong I often end up having to jump that ditch) and the trail is literally just on the other side.
Sorry if that's a rubbish description. I'm sure binners will be along shortly to tell it properly.
Very easy to get to from the turbines. Have a look at the aerial photo on Bing Maps (Google is pre-turbines), and you'll soon spot it.
And obviously you have to follow it up with a run down Bamford Rd.
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Thanks for the replies
Anyone done Owd Betts it on Strava ? If I could get the GPX I won't be able to go wrong
Yes, know about Bamford Road it's a good descent
I've previously come down Sandbeds but its muddy as hell now and there's a lot of gates which spoils it
Owd Betts will be manky at the minute too tbh.
It's pretty straight forward but maybe try climbing up it from owd Betts the first time? I don't think it's all that really, esp with the stupid style in the middle.
It wasn't a bad run a couple of years ago. As people have used it more and more while it's been wet through it's turned into a really wide slop fest.
To get to it you basically you keep taking every right hand turbine road at the top of the coal road. You'll end up following a long left hand curve round the bottom of a turbine, the start is a couple hundred yards on the right.
Well I went and did the descent yesterday afternoon and it was phenomenal. The mile or so of Turbine roads were very fast with superb views and generally going downhill, then saw the obvious footpath that heads towards Owd Betts which was a great descent. Can confirm its very wet though and there is some mud in places, but easy enough to get through it all without putting a foot down.
There is a style half way but it was just an excuse to stop for a few seconds to enjoy the view and the afternoon sunset.
Once you hit Owd Betts itself it's just another half a mile up Rochdale Road for another descent of the rocky Bamford Road, a fast descent which at the bottom was near the Fisherman's Retreat where I had parked my car.
Overall think it was better than the alternatives, which is either just to ride back down the coal road, or circle around the moors and ride down Sandbeds with its numerous gates.
Looking at the maps it looks like its possible to go further down the Turbine roads to get access to a trail which goes up and over Knowl Moor and also comes out at Owd Betts. Is it possible to get onto this from the turbine roads and what's this trail like ?