GM Ringway Day 9

Stage 12 Norden to Bury

Distance 13 miles

Ascent: 450m

Warm, drizzle most of the day with sunshine at the end of the day

Alpacas, dipper, flies, cats, bunny, steam trains tooting

We took the tram to Rochdale and the bus to Norden village, buying lunch supplies at the Co-Op before heading back up the path to Greenbooth reservoir. Today's route goes up along the other side passing some smart new houses, along a footpath with lots of steps up and down over the rocky shoreline, then through wet grassy cow fields, wet grassy sheep fields and wet grassy moorland. The mizzle thickened as we got higher, the wind turbines clanking above us half obscured by cloud. At Ashworth Moor we crossed the main road by the burger van and dropped down through a gap in the wall back on to the moorland towards Lumb Bridge, with its remnants of old industry. 

A grassy path follows the stream and over little lumpy hills into Deeply Vale, and into wood where the path was very muddy and we met some flies. The flies decided to come with us through Deep Moss and up the steep narrow footpath up to Birtle which would have been quite pleasant and we might have stopped for lunch if not for the buzzing around our ears. It was quite a relief when we emerged from a farmyard on to a quiet lane and the flies decided to turn back.

We followed the lane to a place marked on the map as White Ash, which shows a chimney, some ponds and a pub, so we thought there might be somewhere nice to stop for lunch but the place has been converted into an exclusive luxury retirement complex and all the picnic tables are behind locked gates. We found a bench a little further on near the old schoolhouse and ate our sandwiches there. The quiet lane crosses over the M66, there were a lot of cats here, through some woods and a golf course and more woodland to meet the River Irwell at Burrs caravan park. We had a sit down and changed our (stinky) socks and shake the rubble out of our shoes before walking into Bury town centre and the metro station.

GM Ringway Day 9

 Stage 11 Littleborough to Norden

Distance 12.5 miles

Ascent 450m (the route guide reckons 512m but it looks like this is unfiltered raw data from the mapping software)

Weather: warm and humid

After some early wasp excitement, we were off and walking into Shaw for breakfast and to catch the tram to Rochdale and from there the train to Littleborough. We left the train station and headed along the Rochdale Canal, keeping an eye out for all the footpaths closed due to building of new flood defences. The official detour cuts this bit out and shortens the walk, but we (being us) decided to carry on further along the canal and walk back along the road instead. 

Crossing the road where we met up with the route, we headed up a steep bank with a beware of the bull sign, over a broken stile and into some woods that could have been quite pretty if not for all the rubbish. The path leads behind some rather posh houses ( but was lined with dog poo, litter, fly tipping and bits of car) and then up through a housing estate, through a rather distressing farmyard and finally out on to the moors.

The track follows the Pennine Bridleway and Weighvers Way to Watergrove reservoir and the memorial woods. We walked around the rather empty looking reservoir (it's been a very dry year) and had a sit down in the memorial garden, watching the bees buzzing on the wildflowers and listening to the birds in the trees.

From there a stony path winds over the moors, between big old trees and tumble down farms now occupied only by sheep. We met a chatty man, who told us all about the area including the old coalmines, how stone from the quarry here is being used to build Barcelona cathedral, the building of the reservoirs, land ownership and various lords of the manor including Lord Byron. While he was telling us this, we watched the police empound and remove an illegally parked van. 

There are zigzags of paths all over the map here, including the Lancashire Way, we followed one that had tiny cows on it. Crossed the busy road A671 and went into Healey Dell, arriving at the visitor centre just after closing time at 4.20pm.  We did a circuit of the dell, seeing the waterfalls, old railway workings and siamese twin bridges before walking up a steep lane to the pretty hamlet of Prickshaw and on to Rooley Moor. There is a neat brick road over Rooley Moor, called the Cotton Famine Road because it was built by impoverished workers from the Rochdale cotton mills who refused to work with cotton from plantations that used slave labour during a depression brought about by various global supply issues including the American Civil War.  The path became very rocky and quite hard on the feet, and the car park at Greenbooth reservoir was quite a relief. The path down into Norden was busy with people enjoying the afternoon sunshine. We arrived at the bus stop with a minute to spare, and caught the bee network bus into Rochdale and then the tram home. The buses have contactless payment, all the stops are announced and it was all very convenient.

GM Ringway Day 8

 Stage 10 Newhey to Littleborough

Distance 16 miles

Weather : hot hot hot

Ravens, paraglider, buzzards, hot sheep, hot cows, kingfisher, perch

Loaded up with water, we set off from home and joined the Ringway route in Brushes Clough towards Haugh Square and Ogden and Piethorn Reservoirs. We walked around the reservoirs, accompanied by many, many DofE'ers in various stages of limping and sweating under their huge brightly-coloured covered rucksacks.

There was more of a breeze as we headed up on to the moors, following the paths through the grass and reeds up to the aerial on Windy Hill. It has been very dry this year so there was only a couple of tiny boggy bits.

The bridge over the M62 and stone flags of the Pennine Way lead up to Blackstone Edge, where we stopped at the shelter for a rest and very melty chocolate, before crossing the rocks and peat to the Aiggen Stone and down the steep slope of the Roman Road. There were stonechats and a rare sighting of a wild reed bunting in the bracken (in our experience, reed buntings are usually to be found troughing at the feeders in the garden.)

Down from the hill, we turned up a dusty lane towards Whittaker Golf Course and the delightfully named Owlet Hall. Through Cleggs Wood, we followed the stream to Hollingworth Lake, where the visitor centre toilets do indeed close at 4pm. The RSPCA is open until 5pm through so you can pick up a kitten even if you can't have a wee.

There were plenty of bikers and families enjoying the lakeside sunshine. We walked around the lake a short way (having been round many a time) and then joined the Rochdale Canal towpath. There were lots of fish in the canal, including a stripy perch and it was very hot as we walked into Littleborough and the train station to catch the train back to Rochdale then the tram home.

GM Ringway Day 7

Stage 9 Dobcross to Shaw

Distance 18 miles

Warm and humid

Insect bites: many

Kestrels, lapwings, swifts, swallows, chiff chaff, willow warbler, skylarks and more kestrels

We set off from home to join up with the GM Ringway in Dobcross, calling in at Albion Farm Shop and Cafe on the way for a gupping fry up. It drizzled slightly as we were eating but not heavily enough to make us want to leave the terrace and go inside.

Dobcross is very pretty but hilly and it was a steady up through the village and out on to Lark Hill. The track leads along the hilltop and then up on to Standedge and along the ridge above Castleshaw on the Pennine Way and Oldham Way. 

The route follows the Pennine Bridleway and pavements through Denshaw and up to Brushes Clough where it wiggles around and comes out on the path to Newhey above Julbilee Nature Reserve. We dropped down here and walked through Dunwood Park back into Shaw and then home.

It was a great walk, however most of these paths we know very well indeed so it was too easy to just switch off and not properly appreciate the scenery and landscape.

GM Ringway Day 6

 Stage 8 and a bit of 9: Broadbottom to Uppermill

Distance: 12 miles on route, 20 miles total walked

Ascent: 557m

Warm and sunny, breezy

There is a detour needed in Stage 8 because Chew Road down from Chew Reservoir to Dovestones is closed for the rest of the year for maintenance works. So we planned our own route around this, which shortened the walk a bit, but we also decided that rather than spend the an hour and a half it would take to travel by public transport at the end of the day we would walk home, which added about five miles, making it quite a long day.

We bought supplies in Manchester before getting the train out to Broadbottom, where the route leads along the Goyt Valley Way and Tameside Trail to The Hague, where there are some big fancy houses and a lot of signs. Some of the paths were quite overgrown with brambles, there will be plenty of blackberries here in a few weeks.

We crossed a stile and some open fields before joining a farm track that led on to the A57 in Hollingworth. We walked down to the roundabout and back up because of the heavy traffic, bit surprised there aren't any proper crossings for pedestrians here, but we made it. The path then led away from the road along a pretty tree lined path with lots of bees and butterflies enjoying the sunshine towards Mottram Old Hall grounds, where there are some picturesque stone cottages and a beautiful garden, along the wonderfully named Rabbit Lane and passed Hard Times Farm.

Going through a gate into sheepfields and out onto the moors, we had first lunch besides a drystone wall enjoying the views over Hatfield and Glossop, and the Snake Pass winding its way up to the horizon.

A rocky path edged with drystone walls winds its way up on to the moors, we saw stonechats, meadow pipets, phesants, grouse and a lot of sheep. 

The suggested route diversion is to take the low level alternative route along the Pennine Bridleway but we decided to continue on along Ogden Clough to Bowerclough Head (appropriately marked on the map as Wilderness) and then take the path over to Alphin Pike and descend from there. We have walked up that way a few times and knew it to be steep but manageable. We followed the escarpment edge, stopping for second lunch above the Wimberry Rocks, listening to the tooting of the golden plovers. The path down is now quite wide and rocky, having become far more popular in recent years. Near the bottom we joined the Oldham Way, and then the Pennine Bridleway into Greenfield. 

Stage 9 begins here along the Hudderfield Canal, which was looking alarming lacking in water. The ducks were standing up in it.  There were a million squirrels and a cat having a nap. We left the canal just before Dobcross and made our way along the Delph Donkey Track, stopping for a rest and a chocolate bar before tackling the last hill of the day. In total, including the walk to the tram stop and across Manchester, we've walked about 20 miles today.

GM Ringway Day 5

 Stage 7: Marple to Broadbottom

Distance: 9 miles

Snoozy geese, snoozy cows, squeaky kestrel, swifts, house martens, nuthatch, blackcap

Unidentified fish: 1

After a large second breakfast we caught the tram into Manchester and train out to Marple, gettingthe joint tram and train tickets. The shortest route between St Peters Square and Picadilly station isn't walkable at the moment because of work on the tram lines so we are going via Princess Street and Canal Street.

From Marple station the path was rather overgrown to start with but we decided to brave the plantlife, and the path soon widened out into a pleasant path through woodland and up some worn stone steps up to the canal tow path at Lock 7.

It was a very picturesque walk, over (then under) the Marple canal aqueduct, which is the highest in England apparently, and then through farmland and woods, besides the bubbling River Etherow. We passed some pretty shops in Compstall and then walked around Etherow Country Park which is very pretty and very popular, especially with the ducks and geese.  After walking around the park we took the lane out of the village, passing some lovely houses, missing the turn off along an overgrown footpath and carrying on along the bridleway and through a farmyard. We didn't see the promised chickens but we did see a giant Pingu.

The route winds its way up the hillside along wide farm tracks with fine views over the drystone walls towards the peak district, then crosses Werneth Low golf course and into the Country Park. We visited the toposcope near the war memorial, and then a second toposcope in what seems to be a disused carpark on the other side of the hill. 

Grassy fields lead down into Back Wood and steep muddy paths down to emerge onto what looks like someone's drive but is part of the E2 long distance footpath. Passing some fancy houses, one with a very pretty rose garden, and then some rather dangerous looking dye vats, we took the sharp (unmarked) turn off up to the railway platform at Broadbottom. A train to Manchester was just pulling in so we hopped on.