Monday 5th August 2024
Monthly Short Walk: Greenmount, Walshaw, Ainsworth and Tottington.
Seventeen walkers left Greenmount on a dry and warm morning and headed down Barndlesholme Road as far as a narrow footpath on the right which took us to Tower Farm. From the tower we continued through the woods up to Kirklees Trail and walked as far as Darlington Close where we turned right and crossed Tottington Road. After joining a narrow footpath, on the opposite side of the road, we walked across the fields to Bolholt, once a bleaching and dying works that is now a collection of businesses including a popular hotel. After turning right, we joined a footpath that led through the fields earmarked for house building. At the end of the path, we crossed the road into Owler Barrow and headed up to Walshaw. Once across the road we turned into Slaidburn Drive and joined footpath to Whitehead Lodges, now called Lowercroft Reservoirs, where we enjoyed our coffee stop.
Lower Lodge
Coffee stop
Feeling refreshed, we headed up to Meadowcroft Lane and turned left and walked up to the recently rebuilt farm, where you can walk with alpacas. Once through the farm we climbed up to Bentley Hall Road, turning left for a short distance before following the footpath sign, on our right, which took us across the fields to Four Lanes End.
Meadowcroft Farm
Heading from Bentley Hall Road
Once across Bradshaw Road, and after checking that there were no cows in the field, we walked through the fields to Hey Head.
Walking to Tottington
From here it was just a short walk down to Sunny Bower Street and the centre of Tottington. After making our way around the back of the library into Town Meadow Park we spent time admiring the mural, painted by Tony Kelzo and Evan Barlow, to celebrate the life of George Stanley Peachment, from Tottington, who was the youngest soldier to receive the Victoria Cross in the First World War, being 18yrs and four months when he died.
Five signets
We completed our monthly short walk by heading back to Greenmount, along the Kirklees Trail, stopping at the bridge to admire the five signets with their parents, having covered an historic seven miles.