Monday 3rd November 2025

Monday 3^rd November 2025

Southern Countryside Walk, Old Kays and Bowstones.

This month’s short walk started as usual from Greenmount Old School, where eighteen walkers, three of them new to the group, made their way down the Kirklees Trail. On reaching Shepherd Street we turned right and headed across Holcombe Road, and through Old Kays Park, where we crossed Turton Road and joined a footpath that took us across the fields to Watling Street (the Old Roman Road).

After turning left, we walked down to the junction with Tottington Road, where we crossed over the road and joined a track leading to Bowstones Hill. The track eventually becomes a narrow footpath, which we followed for a short distance down to a clearing, where there was a broken down stone wall, which was an ideal place for an early morning coffee stop.

Continuing along the path we soon reached Old Holt’s Farm, the point at which we had decided to change the planned route, due to the very wet and muddy surfaces. The new route was along very familiar paths that started by heading down Bently Hall Lane, as far as the site of the old hall, where we climbed over a stile, on our left, and walked over the fields to Four Lane Ends.

After crossing the road, we walked through a narrow gate, and crossed the fields to Birches Bower Farm, where we turned right and continued down to Hey Head. From here it was a short walk down to Sunny Bower Street and into Tottington.

Once safely across the road we walked past Tottington Centre and Library, and headed down to a park in Tottington that is named after one of Bury’s First World War heroes, Private Peachment VC.

After spending time admiring the memorial, we joined the Kirklees Trail and walked back to Greenmount having covered six very muddy miles.