Monday 11th September 2023
West Pennine Circular Walk report – Greenmount to Turton Tower
14 walkers met at Greenmount Church for September’s circular walk over to Turton Tower.The weather was overcast and stayed dry for most of the day except for a short shower just prior to lunch.
The walk began by crossing Greenmount golf links and then passing Hollymount School and Orchard before descending to Bottoms Hall Cottages in Tottington. From here it was a steep climb to Turton Road and then a further climb to Windmill Farm and beyond to Yeomans Farm. Here the group split into two to allow those with a fear of cows to walk on the road and meet the other walkers further up on Watling Street.
We walked up Watling Street for a short distance to the stone cross at the centre of Affetside Village. The Cross is thought to be medieval in date and was probably a pilgrim’s cross that was used as a place to stop and pray for a safe journey by weary but religious travellers.
We turned left at the cross and descended through meadows and a lane to Bradshaw Road. Once safely across this busy road, we passed Bradshaw Fisheries and continued up to the Jumbles reservoir and country park.
The group had a short break outside the Jumbles cafe before continuing along the reservoir to Chapeltown. On the path just before the main road, we passed a Pill Box which was constructed between 1940-41 as a defence against a possible enemy invasion during the Second World War. The structure is still in reasonable condition despite its age although it’s unlikely to have seen any action.
The next stop was lunch taken in the lovely gardens of Turton Tower. The property is a distinctive English Country home and is over 600 years old. Originally built by by the Tudor Orrell family to defend their land, it later became a luxurious home furnished and extended in both the Tudor and early Stuart periods. It is now a museum and cafe.
After lunch the group walked through the centre of Chapeltown Village taking a short stop at the village stocks. The route continued past a football ground belonging to Old Bolts FC who were formed in 1871 as the first football club in Lancashire.
The walk then descended into Turton Bottoms and up to Quarlton Farm. The remaining miles were over farm fields to Hawkshaw Village and back to Greenmount via the golf course.
Distance covered – 10 miles