Start: at the A41 road, next to petrol station
End: top of the steps up Mow Cop folly
I started at the western end at 07:30 and ran the first half on my own. I met a friend at roughly half way in Hough, and she accompanied me the rest of the way - so this counts as a supported effort. I carried supplies myself.
I wanted a long day out training, with some practice at navigating and getting through mud, and that's exactly what I got. I hadn't done a recce of any of the course, so apart from the last few hundred metres which I knew from the Gritstone Trail it was all new to me. I made a few navigational mistakes taking the wrong line around fields and farmyards, and at one point crossed the wrong field. All these little mistakes added a total of an extra 5 km over what I was expecting. Anyone wanting to do this should follow the official route, not mine!
If you're after a fast time, then go east to west which is net downhill - do the fast descent from Mow Cop at the start. The way I did it I had a satisfying but tough uphill section at the end.
The eastern half is the most pleasant with some good variety, the western half consists of a long series of muddy fields and green lanes. It's nice in its own way, but a bit of a slog at this time of year - at least I got that over with early on. It was a cold and drizzly day, with plenty of mud all around.
An enjoyable and satisfying day out. There's a lot of time to be gained, particularly if you go east to west when the ground is dry - good luck to whoever goes next.