Greenmount Walking Group

To view the schedule of Monday walks click Monday Walks.

To view the schedule of Wednesday walks click Wednesday Walks. (See note below regarding lunch options.)

The longer winter walks (in December January and February) have the option of a cafe lunch where possible. Click Winter Walks to see more information about the walks and the lunch options.

The Pilgrims' Way in 4 sections.  Click on the links to see the route and download the gpx files.

1  Whalley to Haslingden.       Click Whalley to Haslingden      to see the route information.

2  Haslingden to Hawkshaw.  Click Haslingden to Hawkshaw to see the route information.

3  Hawkshaw to Radcliffe.      Click Hawkshaw to Radcliffe     to see the route information.

4 Radcliffe-Manchester.          Click Radcliffe to Manchester   to see the route information.

For more information click  - buy the book!  Available from:  The Hub Café Greenmount and Tottington Village Butchers.

By post  - click holcombe moor heritage group or email hmhg_chair@btinternet.com

All proceeds to Holcombe Moor Heritage Group.

Walk Reports - Winter 2022

Monday 10^th January 2022

Western Village Walk

Seventeen walkers set-out from Greenmount on the first of the 2022 season of Monday long walks. This walk aimed to explore the villages in the west using some familiar routes of, the West Pennine Way (WPW) and to also introduce new routes to our programme. After heading across the golf course, we joined the WPW, turning right along the footpath to Bolton Road, which we crossed, and headed up Spenleach Lane to the Range House. Taking the muddy path around the perimeter of the MOD site and climbing the stile on our left we eventually arrived, covered in mud, at Withins Farm from where we walked the short distance to Boardman’s Farm, once the home to one of our local heroes of the early 20^th century, Ralph Rooney.

Leaving Withins Farm

Boardman's Farm

After admiring the small hamlet, we turned left down a farm track that once again became a very muddy foot path through the fields up to Plantation Road, where we turned left and after a short distance joined a path leading down to Edgeworth.

Heading for Plantation Road

Difficult stile on the way to Edgeworth

Once again, we enjoyed our morning coffee at the Barlow, in Edgeworth before crossing the road and joining a footpath leading to Wayoh Reservoir and onto Chapeltown where we stopped to admire the old cross and village stocks, apparently not used for some time. Turning right at the Chetham arms we headed down Station Road, the station long since demolished, and made our way to Turton Tower.

Chapeltown

We found a use for the stocks

Turton Tower

At this point we joined another section of the WPW and followed the way-marked route passed Jumbles Reservoir, through Kingfisher Valley and up to Affetside and lunch at the Pack House Inn. Before going into the restaurant, we all put on our plastic protectors over our muddy boots kindly provided by one of our members.

Views over to Winter Hill

The Pack Horse Inn

After a very enjoyable lunch we headed back down Watling Street and across the fields to Greenmount via Old Kays Park having covered 12 mostly muddy miles.

Heading home

Monday 3^rd January 2022of

Roger Worthington’s Grave Circular Walk

This was the first walk of the year, and perhaps, due to News Year’s resolutions it attracted a large number of walkers, 48 in all, many of them were new to our walking group. We left Greenmount Old School and started our walk by making our way across the golf course and up to Holly Mount where we crossed the fields to Croichley Fold and onto Bolton Road. Once across the road we headed up the narrow footpath, that goes passed the new houses, and through the fields to New Hoyles Farm.

Heading for New Hoyles Farm

After walking a short distance up Hawkshaw Lane we joined a path from Higher House Farm which eventually took us up to Holcombe Hey Fold Farm where we turned left and headed for an early coffee break at Roger Worthington’s Grave.

Coffee at Roger Worthington's grave

Once refreshed we re-traced out steps, continuing through Higher House Fold Farm onto Holcombe Moor and the site of Holcombe Moor Heritage Group’s (www.holcombemoorheritagegroup.org) archaeological dig where a member of the group enlightened us as to progress so far.

Holcombe Moor

The first site, at Cinder Hill unearthed the remains of cottages whilst the second dig, which is still on-going, found evidence of a Bloomery dating back to Saxon times (877-996AD). A Bloomery is a type of furnace where a form of wrought iron is smelted by fusing iron ore and carbon (charcoal). The iron ore was found locally along with the charcoal being made from the abundance of trees in the valley.

Cinder Hill

The Bloomery

After spending time at the site we climbed up to join the footpath along the ridge eventually descending into Redisher Wood where once across Bolton Road we followed the footpath that passes Holhouse Farm and leads back to Greenmount having covered 7 informative miles.

The Ridge