GM Ringway Day 12

 Stage 14 Bromley Cross to Blackrod

Distance: 14 miles

Warm and sunny, humid

Sock regret, kestrels, orange moth, contented cows

From Bromley Cross, we were soon out of town and into woodland along Eagley Brook through Eagley Valley nature reserve and into parkland of Smithill Country Park. Passing the open farm where families were enjoying their day out with ice-creams and donkey rides, we walked up through the woodland to the Hall and had a sit on a bench in the gardens. 

After a wander through the beautiful gardens, we headed up the lane and up the steep Miner's Steps, which was the start of a lot of up. We crossed the road at a pretty cottage which had a stone inscription on the front - "Afoot and light hearted I take to the open road"  - unfortunately on a very dangerous corner on the busy road. The quote is from a Walt Whitman poem, which is very, very long.

The track leads up and around a grassy hill which is being replanted with deciduous trees and decided to do what is described as an optional detour down through the wood, although the path markers do point this way. Before we headed down, we decided to make us of the picnic tables for a rest and some food. We enjoyed the scenery and the gentle humming of the grasshoppers and chainsaws. 

The steep path led down into Walkers Fold woods and then crossed a bridge over a stream, then wound its way back up through the trees and new plantation, criss-crossing over the stream along the valley and up the other side before meeting a quiet single track road. We followed the road a while, before turning off on to a footpath over Smithills Moor up to the aerials and antennas on Winter Hill. They are doing maintenence work here at the moment replacing the cables (which looks terrifying) so we didn't walk up to the very top, but turned off down the narrow access road and then over to Two Lads Hill with its cairns. There were two lads there on bikes, but they left. Then there was a crow and a raven. And us.

A wide stony path led down off the hill towards a cafe that was shut, then we headed down through the trees into Wilders Wood. There is a waterfall mentioned here but we didn't go and look for it, as there wasn't much water in the stream (and my feet hurt) so we carried on. Quiet lanes led through Horwich and then over the motorway using a bridge that's the access to the services. We crossed some newly mowed fields to the railway bridge and up in to Blackrod where grassy paths lead to the station. The route brings you out directly on to the platform, unfortunately the trains to Manchester go from platform 2 which is onn the other side and means walking up to the road bridge outside of the station. Our train was an hour late, but there are plenty of seats and a shelter on the platform.