Monday 4th November 2024

Monday 4th November 2024
Monthly Short Walk: Greenmount, Hawkshaw including Hollymount Two Brooks Valley and Quarlton.
From Greenmount Old School, twenty-nine walkers headed towards Greenmount Golf Club where we turned left along Whipney Lane before turning right, passed Hollymount School. After climbing over a stile, we followed a muddy footpath down to Bottoms Hall Cottages and across the footbridge, where we turned right along the newly repaired footpath, over the culvert. Once through the kissing gate we made our way through the fields, where we had sight of two buzzards and a couple of deer, before reaching a ladder stile.

After climbing the stile, we headed up to Two Brooks Farm and once on the track we joined a narrow footpath on our left which eventually took us onto Two Brooks Lane. On our left we could see a large lodge that was used by the Whowell family, to entertain friends and family by boating on the lake. Charles Whowell was also the owner of Two Brooks Mill.

After crossing Bolton Road, we headed up Hawkshaw Lane for a short distance before joining the first footpath on our left, which after crossing over a footbridge, follows the brook, passed Calf Hill, on the left and Hawkshaw Wood on the right. Once reaching the woods at Clough Bottom, we enjoyed our morning coffee whilst discussing the potential origin of The Big Stone, a large rock on the other side of the brook.
Our next challenge was to cross the fields, of Red Earth Equestrian Centre, without being accosted by their horses, we made it.

The track then heads up to Boardman’s Farm, built in 1783 as both a farm and public house, called Peel’s Arms. Towards the end of the nineteenth century the building was converted into cottages, one of them being the home of Ralph Rooney, a famous local rambler.
Our route then turned left, behind Boardman’s Farm, and joined a footpath which took us down through the fields, passed High Ash Farm and on to High House Farm before arriving at the MOD Range House. From here we turned left and made our way to Simon’s House Farm and down into Redisher Wood. After following the footpath past Simon’s Lodge, we turned right across a footbridge and climbed up the new alternative footpath passed Hollingrove Farm.

Once on Redisher Lane we joined familiar footpaths back to Greenmount having covered six and a half enjoyable miles