Monday 6th March 2023

Monday 6^th March 2023

Monthly Short Walk: Greenmount, Red Earth Farm and Boardman’s Farm

From Greenmount Old School, twenty-two walkers headed towards Greenmount Golf Club and 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, carefully avoiding the collapsed culvert on our right. Once we had made our way around a couple of abandoned cars, we climbed up a steep footpath where Bottoms Hall Farm could be seen in the valley below.  After climbing over another stile we headed across the fields towards Burnt House Farm, which is slowly being renovated and passed two mill lodges, now used for fishing.

Once passed the lodges the footpath descends back down onto Two Brook Lane, where we turned left, at Hawkshaw Tennis Club. From the lane we were able to see the large lodge on our left that was used by the Whowell family, who owed Croichley Hey House, to entertain friends and family by boating on the lake. Charles Whowell was also the owner of Two Brook 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 off, Hawkshaw Lane, then joined a footpath on the right taking us down through High Ash Farm and on to High House Farm and over to The Range House.

From here we followed familiar footpaths back to Greenmount having covered 6.5 historic miles.