Monday 8th September 2025

Monday 8^th September 2025

Monthly Long Walk, Jumbles, Hall I’th Wood, Firwood Fold, Harwood and back along farmland.

This month’s walk started in the car park of Jumbles Country Park, with twelve walkers heading down the slope at the back of the car park. Once across the footbridge, over Bradshaw Brook, we climbed through the wood up to Grange Road, where we turned left and walked down into Bromley Cross. After crossing the railway line at the station, we turned left and made our way down to Darwin Road, which we crossed and then joined a footpath on the right side of the new school. We soon joined the Eagley Brook, which we followed to Hall I’ th’ Wood. The hall is a Tudor wooden-framed house that was built in the 16^th century. During the 18th century, the house was divided into apartments, one of which was rented by the Crompton family. It was here that Samuel invented the Spinning Mule that was to revolutionise the textile industry.

After admiring the hall for a short while, we headed through a housing estate and on to the Crompton Way, which we crossed and followed a path around the fire station.  From here, we crossed two main roads and soon arrived at the hamlet of Firwood Fold. It is here where Samuel Crompton was born in one of the farm cottages on December 1753. His family only lived in the cottage until 1758, when they moved to Hall I’ th’ Wood. We took advantage of the seating in the hamlet for our morning coffee break.

Once refreshed, we joined a footpath that took us into Longsight Park, where we crossed over Bradshaw Brook, for the second time today, and walked through the fields up to Harwood Road, which we crossed and joined the footpath that took us across more farmland, eventually climbing up to the summit of Bowstone Hill. From here, we had very clear views looking back towards Winter Hill.

At the top of the hill we turned left, onto Bowstone Hill Road and walked down the junction with Watling Street, where we turned left, again, and made our way into Affetside Millennium Green for an early lunch in the glorious sunshine.

Our return journey took us down to Comptons, where we turned left and headed down to Top o’th Knotts, followed by Lower Knots and on down to Bradshaw Road. Once across the road, we joined the Kingfisher Trail and made our way back to the car park at Jumbles, having covered ten sunny miles.