#49 Whitworth to Todmorden

14.04 Miles
744 Metres Ascent
03/02/14

For once I had time on my side and had no real deadline.  I had this route in mind for a while but due to one thing and another I hadn’t got round to it.  The weather was OK, overcast and windy but it wasn’t raining!

The first part of the route was very familiar, up the rake and around the top of Watergrove.   Things are still very wet but the Pennine bridleway is probably the best track in the region.  I decided to climb Clay Pots hill as an added extra.  It seemed a good idea at the time, adding about 2 miles and 200 metres to the day.

#45 Watergrove to Calderbrook

10.87 Miles
363 Metres Ascent

I had planned a few routes for the next 3 days and it’s only typical that I had to change these plans at the last minute!   Family ‘bookings’ meant I could initially stay out until 1, but this changed to 12.30 by the night before.  In the end I was out of the house by 8am, on a cold dank morning.  The stream running down the middle of the road from the rake was an early indicator of the moisture content of the hills above!

 

The changed plan meant I was going to walk for approx. an hour and a half, then turn around, retrace my steps before a little loop to add a few more miles in.  Not a pretty solution by any means but it was easy to plan and also meant I had a good idea of my times.

#33 Rooley Moor and Cowpe

14.29 Miles
761 Metres Ascent.

I have previously walked most of this route before, but todays plan was to see if I could make a nice extension (of about 2 miles) so I could use this route in winter when the conditions are a lot rougher.  Basically I need a route I can use in all weathers, to take that excuse away from me!

The Pennine bridleway is such a route, it might get a bit slutchy in places, but in the main it's useable all year round in all weathers.  The Rossendale Way round Cowpe Lowe could meet those needs.  Today was a good excuse to have a look.

#32 Watergrove Wander

8.14 Miles

467 Metres ascent 

Back up north for a short visit so it would be rude not to go for a wander.    I had planned to get here in time to do a decent walk (3rs ish), so with sunset at 1630, I needed to get to Whitworth for about 1300.  In the end I set off on the walk at 1530, with only 1hr of daylight to use.  Fear not, I took a torch!

 

Watergrove

Heading up the Rake it was satisfying to do it with any breaks or stops to catch my breath!  I am getting fitter and am still losing weight, even though I don’t think I look much different.  (The scales, the change in clothes size and general fitness say otherwise).  I decided to head towards Watergrove reservoir and then up the hills, to come back round to the Rake.

#24 Copy Clough

5.84 Miles

368 Metres

After a flight back from New York Yesterday and spending most of the day in the car driving up, I needed to get out and about before tomorrow’s big walk up Snowdon.  So I headed up Waingap Hill and onto the Pennine Bridleway.  Normally I head down towards Ramsden Road and Watergrove, but headed up towards Rough Hill instead.

 

I had a bit of a time limit on this walk plus I wanted to be down of the hills before it went dark so after getting to Copy Clough I decided to turn around.  This short leg stretch gave me a few ideas for another walk which could include Rough Hill, Middle Hill and Brown Wardle.  Depending how I feel I might get to do later in the week. 

#30 Watergrove

#30 Watergrove

Distance - 7.21 miles
Ascent - 455 metres

A late start to today, the weather was pretty ropey in the morning, so when a gap in the cloud was spotted I was off out.  I had a big walk the next day, so I wanted to do something fairly easy, but at the same time I wanted to try a few different places.

Pennine Bridleway



Going up the Rake I followed the same track as the other days.  The views over Manchester showed how close to a drenching I was.  Black skies blocked the views towards Saddleworth and made a sharp contrast to the blue skies above my head!  Again the wind was strong, battering the ears. 

#29 Ramsden Road

#29 Ramsden Road

Distance - 5.43 miles
Ascent - 387 metres

Today was a short (ish) walk on the other side of the Whitworth Valley from yesterdays.  Walking up the Rake gets the blood going and also gets you on the tops pretty quickly.  In the sun it was quite warm, but as soon as you got on the open ground the strong cold wind kicked in.  On the way up the wind was behind me, battering my ears.  So hood up and onwards!

Whitworth Valley



Joining the Pennine Bridleway the path flattens out round the bottom of Brown Wardle, so a quite an easy coast along.   The path drops into Higher Slack Brook, along an old track way which looks so completely out of place.  The trackway would of crossed the brook to join up with Ramsden Road.  This old road joined a number of farmsteads before they were cleared when Watergrove Reservoir was built and the lower valley flooded.

 I only had 2 hours to get the walk in so I ended up turning round soon after.  It was a nice day and this walk opens up a number of future routes.

#28 Cowpe Moss and Rooley Moor

#28 Cowpe Moss and Rooley Moor

Distance - 9.07 miles
Ascent - 534 metres

Whilst up north for a few days I decided to take the dog for a wander on the moors above Rochdale.  Heading up the old pack horse trail of Rooley moor Road you soon leave the suburbs behind.  While at the same time you never quite leave behind the modern world with the Scout Moor wind farm in prominence and occasional views all the way across Manchester (I say occasional, as it depends on the rain clouds!).

 

Scout Moor



Rooley Moor road is a cobbled/packhorse track that was rebuilt in the 1800’s.  Not sure why these trails go straight up and over the moors whilst all other roads take to the valleys.   However they do give quick firm access to the moors (some people abuse this by fly tipping…) and now form part of the Mary Townley loop and Pennine bridleway.  The cobbles will give a quick descent on a bike but I’m guessing the bone shaking cobbles will remain in the memory of many!

#14 Cowm Resevoir and Healey Dell

#14 Cowm Reservoir and Healey Dell

Distance - 7.83 Miles
Ascent - 282 Metres

Second walk in a week, I must be ill!  Yet again I was trying to tire out the dog and myself, but failed again on one count!  Those collies have too much energy.  I started the walk by again going round Cowm.  The weather was a little better, the cloud base was higher and the hilltops revealed themselves. 
 

Cowm Reservoir

I actually did 2 laps of the res, mainly because the dog likes chasing a ball!   From the res it's a short but flat walk along the valley to the Healey Dell nature reserve.  This part of the valley was heavily used during the industrial revolution and it's impact is noticeable.

#13 Cowm Reservoir and Rushy Hill

#13 Cowm Reservoir and Rushy Hill

Distance - 8.97 Miles
Ascent - 484 Metres

My first walk of the year and for me was my Christmas Walk, I worked all Christmas so only got my pressies the day before!  The weather was grim (foggy) but surprisingly dry for Whitworth, the land was sodden but for once none was falling from the skies.  The track round the Cowm reservoir is well maintained and flat (once you have walked to the top of the dam!).  It's a popular dog walk area but was fairly quiet and remarkably free from Dog poo bags dumped in trees!

Foggy Cowm Reservoir

After a lap round the reservoir we took a track out of the back of the res which follows an old quarry road.  This area was very wet underfoot, with water flowing out of what seemed every part of the hillside.