In reply to J1234:
No, grrrr woof... the MTL is very tough. By all means try bits of it but to do it in one day needs physical strength and stamina. The section called the Famine Road above Rochdale is fascinating but is cobbled for its full length so quite wearing on the arms and situpon. The bit below Stoodley Pike is also fascinating and easy to access from Hebden Bridge though with steep climbs out of the river gorge. There are some beautiful stretches of old Pennine packhorse trail there with stone setts going for miles. Read up about the South Pennine Packhorse Trails Trust.
Here's one I did when I got my first mountain bike, I really enjoyed it and on Sunday I recommended it to a roadie friend who fancied something different and he also loved it:
http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/visit-the-dales/get-outdoors-dales/mountai...
Check the Route Description; it's quite difficult in places but one can always get off and walk. At 19 miles it's a respectable distance for a novice and the height gain isn't too severe. If you want you can extend it a little down to Litton where there's a good pub on the village green.
Another excellent little trip is to drive to the White House pub on the A58 above Littleborough, head NE for Mytholmroyd but then turn left at a gate and follow the leats along the same contour line for 9 miles anticlockwise around the top of the hill, rejoining the A58 by the Blackstone Edge reservoir. I took my 60 year-old Mum around that on a hired bike and she loved the space and sense of exposure up on the tops.
By the same token from the White House you can ride south above Blackstone Edge towards the M62 footbridge, which gives rocky, challenging and testing riding but amazing views. Some of that may not be bridleway.
If you enjoy the Fylde try the old Glasson Dock railway line up to Lancaster, the Cafe de Lune is a nice place to stop. Also on the Fylde, park at the Elletson Arms in Stakepool then ride along the sea wall to Knott End, take the foot ferry to Fleetwood and follow the front down to Clevelys then turn inland to Wyre Estuary Country Park (good cafe) then follow the riverside track round to the fascinating marina at Skippool. Then cross the Shard bridge and follow the lanes back to Pilling. That's 21 flat miles, do it clockwise or anti depending on the wind, so as to enjoy being blown up the front. Ooer.
Post edited at 14:21