A Walk to Gorse Hall

Distance: 21 miles
Ascent:
Weather: sunny
Frogs: lots
Banged heads: 1
Man complaining about getting his trainers dirty: 1

Setting off from home at about ten am, we went down the Medlock Valley Way to Lees (lunch purchased at the co op) and along the bear trail. We turned off, crossing a bridge and a grassy field to join the lane up to Kiln Farm, where a wet track took us up to Hartshead Pike. We had lunch accompanied by some flies, enjoying the view (and pork pie) then walked down past from horsey farms to a little nature reserve.

A bit of a walk through a housing estate and crossing a busy road brought us to Stamford Park, where the flower beds are nearly in bloom but not quite, and we had a sit down and second lunch (with cocktail sausages.)

We followed the canal (which contains more wall than it used to) to the gates of Gorse Hall and walked up through the grounds. None of the Gorse Halls are now standing, one of them was the home of Beatrix Potter's grandparents and there is a blue plaque commemorated this connection. There was also a mysterious murder, the perpetrator never caught.

On a more jolly note, some people where out flying kites and we helped some people out for a walk with their grandson identify some of the hills and view points at the top of Hough Hill.

A grassy path led down through Cheetham Park and, after crossing Tesco Car Park, to the Huddersfield Canal. It was quite muddy along the canal but nowhere near as muddy as we've experienced lately.

We walked through Scout Tunnel, which is 188m long, dark, with a low roof that drips. We walked along the canal and the river Tame back through Mossley and up to Grasscroft, along Lovers Lane to the bridleway to Austerlands. Then we walked along the lane by the Roebuck towards home.