Rishworth Weekend - Day One

Distance: 16 miles
Ascent:
Weather: overcast, chill wind,  dry

Bird count: Great tit, blue tit, magpie, black bird, jackdaw, Crow, pied wagtail, robin, pheasant,  honky goose,  lapwing, golden plover,  curlew, pippets, skylark, chaffinch, unidentified chirping bird.

Also: one squirrel.

Set off just after 11am. We braved the track,  and managed to get through the worst of the mud without too much squelching, and Rob's windproof survived its meeting with the barbed wire fence.

Through Pingot Quarry and along the Oldham Way to join the Rochdale Way near Newhey, towards Piethorne Reservoir. We crossed the reservoir and followed the track down towards Hollingworth Lake. Here we avoided the hordes and turned up the Pennine Bridleway and paths over the moors on Sheep Lane. A slog up the Roman Road up passed the Aigen Stone and straight on, through the wet, to the path around Rishworth Drain and up to Dog Hill.

We crossed over the wall and down the field, hearing lots of birds, including some not heard before and down the lane to the Turnpike Inn.