Bank Holiday Weekend Out - Day 3

Distance: 16.5 miles
Ascent: 680m
Weather: dry, sunny
Squirrels,  sheep and lambs,  cows, horses. Fly-by grouse.

After a fantastic dinner and a good night at the Staff of Life at Eagle's Crag north of Todmorden (untroubled by ghosts of little boys or, more likely but slightly less mysteriously, cats) we left at about 10 am, stuffed full of breakfast. We crossed the road and headed up a pretty grassy path around the valleyside around Todmorden Edge, past Dobroyd Castle - with great views up and down the valley and over to Stoodley Pike. Due to the nature of valleys, we had to descend at Gauxholme and climb up the hillside again. We joined a track that crossed farmland where we met some cows and then some super cute lambs.

A wide road has been put in for the construction traffic for the new wind turbine being erected and as we approached this we were buzzed by a low flying grouse.

We continued over open moorland, with sheep, cows and lapwings, a grassy path brought us down into Littleborough and, after a bit by the canal and a rather muddy farm, Hollingworth Lake.  It was heaving around the lakeshore today and a blessed relief to leave the shore path and headed away to the motorway.

We had a sit down under Castle Hill,  with tea and chocolate bars, while watching a couple with a dog negotiate the slopes on the other side of the valley.

Through a horse field,  we crossed the motorway and along the lanes up to Tunshill Farm and down to Ogden Reservoir. We walked through Newhey and along to Brushes Clough, where the cows were unusually disinterested in us.