Walk Leader – Neil Harwood

Number on walk – 17

Distance – 14 miles

Weather – Generally cloudy and overcast with some blustery showers!

The walk began at the first reservoir, the Turton and Entwistle to give its full name. There is then a short climb to our first trig point at Cheetham Close on the summit of Turton Heights. Although only 327m in height it gives great views including our second Tower in the distance on Holcombe Moor, the skyline of Manchester and Belmont with Winter Hill behind. It is only just over 30 minutes walk from the very popular reservoirs but seldom walked to. If you are in this area please do make sure you take a trip up here but be warned it can be a bit wet so make sure you have the right footwear.

Then it’s a short decent down to Tower number one, Turton Towers. The oldest part is a central fortified tower and dates from 1420. A careful examination of the building reveals various additions during its history added by its various occupants including the Cheetham family who founded the famous music school in Manchester and John Kay, the great inventor from the 18^th Century, who incidentally was responsible for the ornate railway bridge just before the Tower. No boring bridge on my property!

Then to the second reservoir, the Jumbles. A strange name derived the old English word “Dumbles” – a steep sided ravine, which is what it occupies, being the lowest reservoir in the Bradshaw Brook valley. We only touch the very northern part of the reservoir and then head up the brook to the site of an old mill complex.

The next part of the walk crosses the A676 and skirts around the village of Hawkshaw on its way to the second tower. It is not a great section but improves again as we take a short detour into the pretty Redisher Woods which sit in a deep valley below Holcombe Moor. Some old ruins provide a good lunch spot with views across to Manchester. Immediately after lunch is a steep climb up on to the moor following the West Pennine Way. It is a hard but a relatively short climb and then we are on the top and the second Tower comes into view, Holcombe Tower/Peel Tower or the Peel Monument. Built in 1852 it is an imposing sight but perhaps a bit too industrial up close. It was built by public subscription to commemorate the life of Lord Peel who was from nearby Bury. He was both Prime Minister and Home Secretary twice and perhaps best known for creating the first Police Force in Britain.

The top of Holcombe Moor is boggy so please be prepared but as great views in all directions. We head north over Harcles Hill to the Pilgrims Cross, or more precisely the site of a cross now replaced by a large square stone. This recognizes the route of the Pilgrim’s Way from Whalley to Manchester. Unfortunately, at this point we have to make a detour. We are on the edge of the Military Firing Range and red flags are flying so no access to the summit of Bull Hill and we circumvent the hill and the range via “Naughty Corner” of Two Crosses fame. Then it is the dreaded Black Moss, possibly one of the wettest and boggiest parts of Lancashire. But it takes less than 15 minutes to cross and great news there were numerous pallets of large flag stones along the route so it appears that we will soon be able cross without wet feet.

The last couple of miles of the day descend from the moor through Crowthorn with its many buildings reflecting its history as a National Children's Home and onto the Wayoh Reservoir. Then we have one final climb under the railway viaduct and back through woods to the top of the dam at the first reservoir to find our cars.