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On Foot Over the Pennines

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On Foot Over the Pennines 22 GETTING THINGS DONE PENNINE MAGAZINE GETTING THINGS DONE 23 RICHARD MACKRORY walk, but from Rivington Pike the DAY TWO details the route from view offers a contrast in scenery: From Entwistle start off by walking urban Greater Manchester, the Adlington to Haworth. around Wayoh Reservoir and then Lancashire Plain and coast, the proceed into Edgworth. Next, follow The idea of a trans-Pennine distant North Wales and Lake a series of tracks in an easterly footpath was first conceived when I District mountains and, ahead of direction across the new county was a student living in Manchester. you, the Pennine Moorlands. boundary. Near Rainings Farm is a Having enjoyed day-trips to Riving- Cross the open moorland to wayside shrine to Roger Worthing- ton Pike, Darwen Moor, Hebden Winter Hill, passing the 1,015 feet ton, a baptist preacher who died in Bridge and Haworth, it seemed a high television mast: one of the 1709. A detour is necessary to avoid good idea to see if these points could highest in Britain. Nearby Scots- the hazards of the Holcombe Training be linked up by footpaths. man's Stump is a monument to Camp firing ranges, so turn south Although the Pennine Way links George Henderson, who was "barb- and east towards Holcombe Brook. the Southern and Northern Pennines, arously murdered" in 1838. The Return to the moorlands and there seemed to be no well estab- murderer was never found and for ascend Holcombe Moor in the lished route from West to East. several years a highland piper direction of the Peel Tower. The Looking at the relevant maps, played a lament on the anniversary tower is 112 feet high and was built however, one can see a great variety of his death. to commemorate Sir Robert Peel, of footpaths and bridleways and that Another tragedy occurred in 1958 who founded the Metropolitan Police a trans-Pennine walk from Lanca- when a plane crashed in deep snow Force. shire to Yorkshire is perfectly and fog. The weather was so bad that There is an extensive view of feasible. helicopters could not be used for the Rossendale as you turn north and A route was devised from rescue, but there were some walk across Holcombe Moor, passing Adlington to Haworth with the survivors. close to Robin Hood's Well. Descend following objectives in mind: to cross to the outskirts of Helmshore and the Pennines from West to East Descend into Belmont and follow take the lane to Irwell Vale, a avoiding large towns, heavy industry the A675 road through the village. splendid example of an unspoilt and main roads wherever possible; to The water memorial by the weavers' early 19th century industrial village, follow high ground and rural lowland; cottages in the square records how built by the Aitken family. Walk to use existing rights of way; and to the village won a battle against along Bowker Street, built in the visit some of the towers which form a Bolton Corporation for the right to finest northern tradition and cross characteristic feature of the area. secure water from Belmont Reser- the River Irwell. Walk up the slope voir: a reminder of the days when it to Edenfield, where there are The route is about 56 miles long was an independent village. and can be walked in five days, frequent bus services. allowing sufficient time to see places Walk around the reservoir, a of interest. popular venue for sailing enthusiasts, DAY THREE and past Higher and Lower Pasture DAY ONE Farms to Lyons Den where, 200 years The central section of the walk ago, John Lyons built his home and from Edenfield is mainly across Adlington, the starting point of the grew vegetables to become self isolated moorland which contains walk, is well served by buses and sufficient. many old industrial remnants. Cross trains. Start from the junction of the Dearden Moor, where there are Next walk across Darwen Moor to A6 road and Babylon Lane and walk remains of old quarries, railway Darwen Tower, built in 1897, to down Babylon Lane and Greenhalgh embankments, cuttings and a stone commemorate the Diamond Jubilee Lane to Rivington. wagonway. Rivington Village contains Lanca- of Queen Victoria. From a distance shire's first non-conformist chapel, the tower and its buttresses resemble Rossendale stone was used to build Trafalgar Square and it still provides and the 18th century school has a the shape of a rocket! From its viewing platform there is a striking a good path across the moors with tethering post from the days when grooves cut into the stone where carts pupils arrived on horseback! Nearby view of Darwen and rows of terraced houses creeping up the valley edges. and wagons used to travel. The Rivington Hall Barn is constructed nearby railway only carried goods from ancient oak timbers and serves Darwen Moor was the scene of a traffic because the owner refused to as a snack bar, dance hall and bitter dispute over public access in build a passenger train for his banqueting suite. the last century. John Oldham workers who had to walk 5 miles to From the barn walk through Lever organised a mass trespass after a and from work every day! Park to Rivington Pike. Lever Park landowner had closed the moor to the A short detour past the ruins of an was created in 1911 by Lord Lever- public. He was charged and the isolated farmhouse at Fo' Edge hulme, the soap magnate. He hearing was to be heard the next day leads to Waugh's Well, which constructed avenues of rhododen- in London. Oldham borrowed the commemorates Edwin Waugh, the drons, honeysuckle, and azaleas; money to travel there and won his Lancashire dialect poet. Waugh was waterfalls, streams, ponds, shelters case for public access with an far more fond of walking, drinking and a pigeon tower. A replica of impassioned speech for the rights of and poetry than he was of home and the local people. Liverpool Castle stands nearby but one day he left his wife and mother- his home, The Bungalow, was burned Turn south and walk to Cadshaw, in-law to do some spring cleaning. In down by a suffragette who thought where there is a bus service on the the process they burnt his manu- that the money might have been A666 road, or walk along the water- better spent! scripts. It is said that Waugh never works road to Entwistle where there returned home again! There is an The attractively wooded climb is a rail service between Blackburn annual procession from Waterfoot in makes an uncharacteristic start to the and Manchester. memory of him. PENNINE MAGAZINE 24 GETTING THINGS DONE the stone" in search of cures. narrow valley. John Taylor is reputed to have Walk across Walsden Moor to successfully treated a princess who Warland Reservoir, where you join complained of a headache. He the Pennine Way. Stoodley Pike is prescribed some snuff which would soon reached. This was built to "purge the head", and although she commemorate the victory over later complained of continual snee- Napoleon. Part of the 120 feet high zing the remedy eventually worked! tower may be climbed in order to Returning to the main track, walk through Cragg Quarry and over Cowne Moss and Rooley Moor, which form the highest points of the walk. Descend to Prickshaw, where there is a view of Healey Dell, an attractively 3 wooded nature reserve. Turn east and walk to Wardle enjoy a fine view of the Calder Square, where there is a bus service Valley. Cross the A671 road at Tonacliffe to Rochdale. and proceed to Whitworth church. Leave the Pennine Way at Kiln- Nearby Whitworth Square used to be shaw Lane and walk through Crows DAY FOUR the home of the Taylor family, the Nest Wood before descending into Hebden Bridge, the only town Whitworth Doctors, who once The next stretch of the walk visited on the walk. enjoyed a world-wide reputation. involves turning north and walking They apparently "bled their patients around Watergrove Reservoir. The DAY FIVE by the gallon and drugged them by reservoir walls contain stones from The final section of the walk starts houses in the drowned village of Watergrove dating back to 1694. Darwen Tower De2 Irwell Vale 5 In 1911 the `Simple Life Holiday Lyons Den Home' was opened near here. Visitors were promised peace, fresh Cadshaw air and a vegetarian diet. Open air nude bathing in the ponds and Entwistle Peel Edgworth Belmont Rivington Winter Hill Holcombe Brook Adlington Rivington Pike • 3 Adlington to Haworth streams was encouraged (for health from Market Street, Hebden Bridge reasons), but the locals soon gossiped and proceeds to Hell Hole Rocks, about the 'strange goings on'. A where there is another glimpse of policeman called to tell the nude the Calder Valley. Heptonstall, bathers to "stop it or else!" situated on top of the hill, is well worth exploring for its historic Climb up onto the moor on an old track called the Long Causeway and buildings. cross the county boundary into West Briefly join the Calderdale Way at Yorkshire. Descend into the Calder Northgate, where the octagonal Valley at Bottoms, where the A6033 Methodist Chapel is the oldest road, the railway and Rochdale Methodist building still in use. The • Canal all compete for space in the foundation stone was laid by John PENNINE MAGAZINE GETTING THINGS DONE 25 Wesley in 1764 on one of his many visits to the area. Descend into Midgehole to walk through the wooded beauty spot of Hardcastle Crags to Gibson Mill.
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