Bank Holiday Training Walk - day 3

Todmorden to home
Distance 20.5m
Ascent 780m
Weather rain, cloudy

After a massive breakfast, we set off from the Staff of Life and retraced our steps up the winding path on to Todmorden Moor. We continued straight over (clouds gathering ominously) and followed the track around Inchfield Moor over Hades Hill and along the Rochdale Way. Above Watergrove Reservoir we rejoined our path from Saturday afternoon and headed back towards Wardle. The convenience store was inconveniently closed and by now it was about 2pm and we were getting hungry. So we walked to the cafe at Hollingworth Lake and stuffed our faces with hotdogs and cakes.

from here we walked under the motorway and up to Tunshill Hill, then across Ogden Reservoir, taking the lower path home from Haigh along the Oldham Way, through Brushes Clough and along the track home.

Bank Holiday training walk - day 2

Whitworth to Todmorden
Distance 17.5 miles
Ascent 885m
Weather: rain, drizzle, sunshine, drizzle
Things we were accompanied by: cows, horses, starlings

We had a cosy breakfast in front of the fire at he Red Lion before heading out into the rain. We walked down the hill to the shop for supplies then through some housing estates and up on to the moors. A group of cows was sheltering from the weather behind a tumble down wall, but we were far more interesting so they came with us for a bit.

It was wet and claggy up on the moors, we followed the Pennine Bridleway for a while, big puddles between the rows of raised slabs. We went over Rooley Moor and Brandwood Moor,  through Rawtenstall to Lumb and on to the Dunnock Shaw nature reserve at Red Moss. Here we left the bridgeway to walk through the nature reserve and the sun came out.

We crossed Deerplay Moor and Todmorden Moor, both covered in sheep and little lambs, before coming down the pleasant path at Eagle's Crag to the Staff of Life Inn.

Bank Holiday Training Walk - day 1

to Whitworth
Distance 11 miles
Weather cloudy

We set off about midday after an early lunch. We walked to Ogden Reservoir and then over to Tunshill where we crossed the M62. The path goes around some fields and passed an equine centre, where they had lost their dog. A series of lanes and footpaths skirted around the edge of Rochdale, I was completely distracted by the possibility that we might have got tickets to the Cricket World Cup semi final, a fact which wasn't confirmed until the next morning.

We crossed the Pennine Bridleway and dropped down to Whitworth. We stayed at the Red Lion which was ok but doesn't do food so we went to a local place that was odd to say the least.

To Tandle Hills via Newhey

Distance 16 miles
Ascent 525m
Weather cloudy but dry

We walked to the Premier Inn at Newhey for breakfast, where we stuffed our faces. Rob changed his shoes part way, I made it til later in the day before changing mine.

From the hotel we walked up behind Ellenroad along the Rochdale Way to Tandle Hill, slowly, and then around the park (after a sit down by the memorials) and then back along the Oldham Way / Crompton Circuit home.

Lunch at the White House

Distance 21 miles 

Ascent 850m

Weather overcast but dry, some blue sky but the other way

Slugs, oyster catcher

We set off from home to walk to the White House at Littleborough for lunch. We went over the fields behind the cattery to Ogden Reservoir and then up around Binns Pasture to Windy Hill. We crossed the motorway and over Blackstone Edge, which was very popular, passed the Aiggen Stone along the Pennine Way. 

After lunch we headed down the roman road to the Rochdale Way, over the motorway at the farm bridge and the back round to the bench (which was most bird pooy) overlooking the reservoir, where we had tea and biscuits and met a sheep. 

A rash decision was made to walk back to the lane back to the cattery. It was long. Long and steep. Another sit down on a bench on Brushes Clough, then we walked home along the track. 

Rob went up to the co-op for supplies. It was Eurovision, but we didn't make it through the interval. 

Bank Holiday Weekender Day 2

Scapegoat Hill to Eagles Crag 
Distance 20 miles 
Ascent 800m
Weather dry but overcast
Donkeys, deer, fox, woodpecker, fighty sheep, posh curly sheep, cute little lambs

We left the Pennine Manor Hotel and walked down the hill on a pretty track, where we (and by we I mean Rob) decided to avoid a bit of road walking by following a footpath that ended in a bog. We made it out by a slightly less wet path nearby. A couple of times today we had to try and navigate around houses where footpaths are confusing or obscured - we talked about being more belligerent and asserting our right to pass on rights of way - as it was we just tutted and walked around. 
We got lunch at the co-op in Ripponden and ate it sitting on a bench on Coal Gate Road. The bench wasn't very sheltered but had a good view of the wind turbine.

A path over the moors led up to Manshead End, which has a trig point and impressive views over Rishworth Moor and Soyland Moor, before heading back along the wide ridge to Great Manshead Hill.

We crossed the valley at Crag Vale then went up Cove Hill and along the footpath around the edge of Turley Holes and Higher House Moor, which proved to be very holey indeed. The gate at the other end by the dam wall at Withins Clough reservoir was padlocked shut so the path is still officially closed. We were able to squeeze through the narrow gap between the wall and the gate post. 
We walked round the drystone walls up to Withins Gate, the cows here distinctly unimpressed with us. We crossed the Pennine Way and dropped down into Mankinholes where there were lots of people enjoying the garden at the YHA. We still had miles to go. 

A nice grassy link path took us through sheepy fields down into Todmorden, then we were on pavements until reaching the Staff of Life. It's amazing how much longer 10 minutes seems when you're on the last uphill walk of the day compared with 10 minutes to get ready for dinner.

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Bank Holiday Weekender Day 1

Newhey to Scapegoat Hill
Distance 15.5 miles
Ascent 800m
Weather dry but chill wind 

Seen: skylarks, wheatear and pipets. Common sandpipers. Reed buntings, linnets, swifts, swallows and a kestrel. A large remote controlled plane being flown very closed to the M62. Big black cloud.

We walked to the Spar in Milnrow and then through a housing estate to the tunnel under the motorway as we've not been this way before - it's not as nice as going through the park to the little shop in Newhey so probably won't go that way again. 
Up on the tops it was as cold and windy as it usually is, we crossed the motorway by the footbridge and turned right down to the  Green Withins reservoir and around on to Blackwood Edge Road path. We dropped down through the farmland and down into Booth Dean Clough to cross below the reservoir. A short steep section up took us out of the woods and then under the M62 by Stott Hall Farm and on to the moors. We zigzagged down to Deanhead reservoir, stopping for lunch overlooking the water. 
We followed the Kirklees Way (big K)  around Scammonden and up on to the tops, along the Causeway and Crimea Lane almost direcly to the door of the Pennine Manor Hotel. 

Bank Holiday Weekender Day 3

Eagles Crag to Oldham
Distance 18 miles
Ascent 800m
Weather mostly dry, cloudy


After a well-timed breakfast we left the Staff of Life stuffed and walked up and around the hillside edge above Robinwood. We were passed by some runners, soon out of side. We followed the Calderdale Way around Todmorden Edge, down to cross the road by the canal and up the moorland. The path along to the Long Causeway and the wind turbines. We passed some people who couldn't open a gate and then saw a wall cow.


We had a sit down on the moors and wondered if we were going to get rained on, there was a lot of weather about, then skirted around Clay Pots Hill to join the main path down to High Lee Slack and Higher Shore.


We made our way through Littleborough to Hollingworth Lake, which was rammed as usual and then we walked under the motorway bridge around Tunshill Hill and around Ogden Reservoir. With achy feet we took the (slightly) less hilly route home through cow field, Brushes Clough and along the track.

Bank Holiday weekender day 0

To Newhey, 4 miles

We set off from home in light drizzle, stopping to put rucksack covers on and watch the rain over Manchester. 

It was much cooler than of late, not sure what temperature you can see your breath but we could.