Walk Reports – Winter 2021
Monday 27th December 2021
Christmas Countryside Family and Friends Circular Walk
As is usual our annual festive walk began at Greenmount Old School on a dry but overcast morning with a record 62 walkers heading down Brandlesholme Road for a short distance before turning right across the fields and onto Shephard Street. At Tower Farm, built by Joshua Knowles in 1840 as stables for working horses, we stopped to admire the old building before turning left down Mill Street and into Tottington Wood.
Tower Farm
Continuing along Mill Street we had a good view of the old railway viaduct and Island Lodge with evidence all around of the mills that gave the road its name. After a short distance we turned right over a stile and across the fields towards Stormer Hill House.
Climbing up to Stormer Hill
Once across Holcombe Road we turned left and made our way through Old Kay’s Park and onto to Turton Road, which we crossed and followed a track on our left up to the top of Cann Street where we turned right onto a very muddy path. After a short climb we passed several attractive cottages and Windmill Farm on our left and on our righthand side we had glorious views over towards Holcombe Hill and Peel Tower, as by this time the clouds had cleared giving us blue skies and sunshine.
View of Peel Tower
On reaching the end of this footpath we turned right and crossed Turton Road taking a footpath across the fields, again very muddy, we descended passed the ruins of Bottoms and Ferns Mills, in Two Brooks Valley. Once over the stream we joined a footpath behind the cottages that climbed steeply up to Holly Mount where we enjoyed our customary treat of mulled wine and mince pies in the old orchard, originally planted by the nuns but now caringly nurtured by local volunteers. After our refreshments we completed our walk back to Greenmount having covered a distance 5 festive miles.
Holly Mount Orchard