Monday 13th May 2024
Roger Worthington’s Grave, Lark Hill and Redisher Wood
On a warm and sunny Monday morning, nineteen walkers set off from Greenmount Old School. After turning right out of the school yard, we crossed Holcombe Road and walked behind the church and through the estate, bearing left to the golf course. We followed the path across the golf course to the club house where we turned right through the gate to follow the path by the stream and through the woodland before crossing the stile and walking on the field path up to Bolton Road (A676), admiring the bluebells along the way. After crossing the road, we walked up Col Eric Davidson Way to Holcombe Moor Training Camp. This road was formerly known as Spenleach Lane and was renamed in March 2024 in honour of the armed forces campaigner made an MBE in 2018 who organised Bury’s annual poppy appeal and Remembrance Sunday parades.
At the signpost, we kept straight ahead and crossed the field to come out at the back of Range House, following the path round to the left before going over the left hand stile into the field towards Higher House Farm. After passing through the field gate we crossed the farm yard to the right to pass through the narrow gap to take the path heading north up the left side of the field. We continued to follow the path up through the fields and then up and round to the left of the two properties before crossing the stile behind them and emerging onto the road. We went over the stile immediately opposite into the field with two horses that happily ignored us as we headed up through the field to the stile where, instead of crossing it, we turned left, walking along the boundary fence to squeeze through a narrow gap in the stone wall. We then followed the somewhat overgrown path before emerging at Boardman’s Farm where we turned right onto Hawkshaw Lane. As we walked up the lane we paused to watch a deer as it jumped over the fence from the field on the right and onto the road before disappearing over the fence on the left.
We then carried on, turning left at the junction to reach the enclosure which is Roger Worthington’s Grave where we stopped for a break. Roger Worthington was a Baptist preacher who died in 1709 and who chose to be buried in a field belonging to his farm.
We then turned right out of the enclosure, walking back along the track before taking the second path on the left through the gate and up the steep but mown grass path up the hillside. After crossing the first stile we paused to catch our breath and to appreciate the panoramic views around us, including being able to see Darwen Tower, Winter Hill and Peel Tower as well as Manchester in the distance, before carrying on up Lark Hill to the next stile and onto Moor Bottom Road.
There were no red flags flying so we were able to turn right and follow the stony track, curving round the valley with vast swathes of winberry bushes on our left. We crossed Red Brook and carried on along the path with Harcles Hill on our left. We turned right off the track to follow the path which passed through the gate and descended through the field, following it round to the left at the bottom. We were told about the archaeological dig by the Holcombe Moor Heritage Group on the MOD land on the right which uncovered the remains of a rare medieval ironworking site. As we continued to walk, we were horrified to see a dog off its lead running down the hillside to chase after a lamb, isolating it from the flock, only returning back up to its owner as we all shouted. Fortunately the lamb appeared to be unhurt and the ewe was able to return to it.
We carried along the path with woodland now on the hillside on our left before we entered Redisher Wood. We descended through the wood, following a fairly steep path before emerging at the bridge which we crossed and turned left to walk through the gate and onto Redisher Lane which we followed back to Bolton Road. After crossing the road we turned right, then left to follow the footpath along the field to Holhouse Farm where we turned right to walk along the side of the field, before turning left and going through the small gate to walk back along the side of the golf course to retrace our steps through the estate to the church and across Holcombe Road back to the old school to finish our walk of just over 6 miles.