Monday 8th August 2022

Monthly Short Walk: Greenmount, Walshaw, Ainsworth and Tottington.

The route of this month’s walk was a change from the advertised one due to walk leader availability. The group left Greenmount on a warm sunny morning and headed down Kirklees Trail 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 walking along the road for a short distance we turned left into Owler Barrow and headed up to Walshaw. Once on Meadow Croft Lane we continued along the track to Whitehead Lodges, now called Lowercroft Reservoirs, where we enjoyed our coffee stop.

Whitehead Lodges

Feeling refreshed, we walked around the reservoirs, admiring the views over to Manchester and watching the wildlife on the water. After crossing the bridge, we climbed up the steep slope, passing the underground reservoir on our right, and on 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 Ends.

Crossing the bridge

Once across Bradshaw Road, and after checking that there were no cows in the field, we walked through the fields to Hey Head, where we stopped to cool off under the shade of the trees and chat to the friendly horses.

Over the fields to Hey Head

Cooling off

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, recently 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.

Tottington Mural

We completed our monthly short walk by heading back to Greenmount, along the Kirklees Trail having covered an historic 6.5 miles.