Friday 14th June 2024

Friday 14th June 2024

Leaving the lay-by opposite the Owd Betts Pub we walked towards Edenfield before taking the footpath through the gap in the wall, then left around 3 sides of Owd Betts Reservoir.  It was a fine, clear evening and the views were marvellous. After a short walk up Ashworth Road, we turned right heading down to the Cheesden Valley where two herds of cattle are left to roam. We could see them but fortunately, they were not on our route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We followed the stony track down before crossing a bridge over Cheesden Brook which at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution powered 15 mills. We stopped to look around the site of Deeply Hill mill before going through the field to Closes Farm and passing the site of what had been Longlands Mill, to pass Buckhurst house which had once been a school.

The footpath and stiles back down to the brook and up to Cheesden Lumb Mill was very bad and great care had to be taken. The sites of Lower and Upper Croston Close and Cheesden Lumb Lower mills were passed before we reached the substantial ruins of Cheesden Lumb Mill, built in 1786.

We then followed the footpath behind the mill back to the starting point.

 

Monday 10th June 2024

Despite the bad weather forecast 8 walkers plus two leaders set off from Ramsbottom Railway Station on a damp Monday morning for the long walk up to Whittle Pike.

Our route took us along Kenyon Street then through the fields to Shuttleworth, then up Bye Road to Turn.  Here we had the very steep climb up a field towards Scout Moor Quarry.  After a coffee break, we followed one of the Wind Turbine roads around the moor to the footpath heading for the Cross on top of Whittle Pike.

This Cross is in memory of Geoffrey Molyneux, who as a scout leader at St. Mark’s Bury took his scouts up Whittle Pike to see in the New Year. He joined the RAF and was in one of two Shackleton aircrafts which disappeared over the Irish Sea in January 1955. For many years afterwards, some members of St Mark’s Scout Group camped overnight in January on Whittle Pike to remember Geoffrey.

This was a marvellous viewing point, but the wind was very strong, probably keeping the rain off us although we could see the rain clouds in the direction of Rochdale. We headed directly towards Owd Betts Reservoir, after crossing Coal Pit Lane we followed the path steeply downhill through the ruins of Paradise to Edenfield along Rochdale Road. Then on to the ruins of Cheesden Lumb mill where we had our lunch.

We returned to Ramsbottom via Harden Moor, Grants Tower and Nuttall Park.