Rishton. Tues. 28 June 16


Rishton. Tuesday 28th. June 2016.

The Pictures:-

To see who was on the walk, click on the following picture:-

To view all the pictures taken on the walk click 'Here' then go onto 'slideshow'.

The Walk:-

Walk leader - Chris Seddon.

17 people and 3 dogs gathered at Rishton War Memorial on a cloudy morning, undeterred by the weather forecast which promised rain before the walk would be over. The walk was designed to use some new paths and to include some of the local nature reserves in the Rishton and Oswaldtwistle area which people may not have previously visited. It also presented those so inclined with an opportunity to visit 2 trig. points, conveniently situated just off our route. First was a walk through Cut Wood Park, adjacent to and with views across Rishton Reservoir, home of East Lancashire Sailing Club. This public open space was acquired from the Dunkenhalgh estate as a gift in memory of Captain Charles Petre by his son. Tracks and field paths took us south via Cowhill Fold and Wolfenden Farm to Stanhill, once home of James Hargreaves of Spinning Jenny fame. Brookside nature reserve was then explored, now with attractive ponds and abundant flora and fauna where once there were calico print works owned by Robert Peel. Onward to Red Shell Farm and Higher Bold Venture over rough pasture and having to negotiate some unfriendly stiles before joining Haslingden Road for some easier walking, which took us to Jackhouse nature reserve. This is another attractive wooded valley with a lake which is home to many ducks, who came over to check out our lunch boxes as we enjoyed a picnic by the shore, and we also saw 2 herons. Paths through open fields with good views of Pendle and beyond took us through Town Bent to Oswaldtwistle and our last reserve, Foxhill Bank. This shallow wooded valley with lakes in the heart of Oswaldtwistle, now an excellent urban site for wildlife, was  important  in the area's industrial past with calico print works and associated chemical, dye and bleach works. A mix of canal towpath and cycle track, including the aqueduct over the M65, returned us to Rishton and a quick walk through the backstreets as we raced the approaching deluge, which arrived at our cars almost at the same time as we did. The weather gods were kind to us!!  .............. although Tom and Ken, who opted to walk home, may tell a different story!

Thanks Chris for leading the walk and writing this report.

Stan.