Friday 15 th August 2025
Friday Evening Walk: Ramsbottom/Buckden Wood
Twenty-six walkers set out from Ramsbottom Station Car Park on a very warm summer evening under blue skies. We made our way up Bridge Street, crossed the A676 and ascended up Carr Street. Just before the Rose and Crown, we turned right to walk up Gutter Lane and continued on the path passing the Old Mill Hotel. After following the track, we turned off to the right before the gate to take the narrow path bordered by a field on our right before we reached the small gate at
the entrance to the deciduous woodland of Ox Hey Wood.
We walked through the wood, initially having to divert slightly in order to avoid a fallen tree that had blocked the path. Continuing north we reached Stubbins, following the road up past the houses and via the gap by the gate to walk along the track through the wood before diverting left to go up through the gate and back across the field to the Tentering Tower. Built in 1866 the tower was used in order to stretch newly made cloth and let it dry. There are ornamental battlements on the three sides that can be seen from the village below.
We retraced our steps back through the gate to the woodland track which we continued along until we reached the footbridge in Buckden Wood which we crossed. We then turned right to follow the path with the brook on our right until we reached Strongstry. We followed the road under the railway bridge before taking the path on the right to walk alongside the River Irwell to Ramsbottom, spotting a heron in the water to our left on our way.
sheep hey stubbins
We crossed Bolton Road North (A676) and continued on the track opposite. We passed through the gate into the field with the River Irwell now on our right, crossed over the footbridge and into the field behind. The cattle were grazing peacefully up on our left away from the path as we made our way across and through the gate to emerge by the waste and recycling plant. We turned left up Kenyon Street before reaching the main road and turning right, crossing the railway line and crossing Bridge Street to return to our starting point after a very pleasant walk of under four miles, grateful for the shade that had been provided by the woods.