Wednesday 22nd February 2023

Wednesday 22^nd February 2023

The second of two walks to complete the Village Link Route

Twenty-three walkers set out from Greenmount, on a dull and misty morning and headed for the MOD Holcombe Rifle Range, where we finished the first section of the Village Link route (VL), last month. At the end of the MOD assault course, once the site of the television series, Krypton Factor, we turned left at the figure post and followed the footpath through a kissing gate and down the steep slope to the footbridge over Holcombe Brook, which is named Red Brook at its source on the moors. Following the footpath, we climbed out of the valley and up to the ruins of High Ridge Farm where we turned left and made our way down to the edge of Saplin Wood. Taking the footpath on the right we climbed the wood and continued to follow the path passed Bank Top Farm and onto the new kissing gate, at the top of Redisher Wood.

After going through the gate, we headed up to Moorbottom Road, and followed the track into Holcombe Village. Passing the village school, we were reminded that the village was bombed in 1916, with the school and the post office being badly damaged. Opposite the school we followed the VL down through the woods to Carr Street where we turned left passed the Rose and Crown pub, which is said to be the oldest pub in Ramsbottom dating back to 1797. Continuing down Bridge Street we headed to Nuttall Park and our morning coffee stop.

After our coffee stop, we made the steep climb up Jacob’s Ladder and through the fields to Manchester Road, which we crossed and headed passed Park Farm and to our next point of interest, Grant’s Tower. The tower was built in 1828 by William and Daniel Grant in memory of their father, William Grant. Unfortunately, the tower collapsed in 1944 during a winter storm.

The VL then joins Bury Old Road at Bent House Farm, which leads down to the village  Nangreaves, but before we arrived in the village we where lucky enough to see a small herd of red deer in the field at the side of the road.

We continued down the road to the bridge over the M66, where we turned right and followed the route to Walmesley Road, which we crossed, and enjoyed our prearranged lunch at Farlshaw’s Farm Café. After lunch several our younger walkers spent some time playing on the tractors before we made our way along Rowland’s Road, down to the crossing over the East Lancashire Railway and onto Wood Road Lane.

The final section of the VL took us through some very muddy fields before completing the final section of the route in Greenmount, having covered 11.5 playful miles.