Entwistle, Cops, Guns and Pumas
(or other similar large feline) |
|
Date : 28th February 2010
|
|
Leader : Robert Eccles |
|
|
Report by : Robert Eccles |
|
Photos © : N/A |
|
Today's walk was an acknowledgement that the Ramblers are neither the only nor the oldest
group out there keeping footpaths open and accessible. It was to be a tour of some of the
Peak and Northern Footpath Association's work in the West Pennine Moors where they maintain
their distinctive and informative metal footpath signs.
The walk's starting point had to be changed with the car park of choice being closed off with
police tape. Having just managed to squeeze in amongst all the police vehicles on a second car
park the leader got to work on Plan B before Plan A had ever got off the ground! A hasty work
around got the six ramblers started on their walk but details of how exactly they got back to
the cars was never fully explained.
Over the past two days a lot of snow had melted so the paths were going to be at best squishy
but more likely just plain boggy. In the snow and frost of January the area had looked beautiful
but now it was looking brown and tired: a place fed up of winter and ready for spring.
The group started off south west from the Turton and Entwistle Reservoir car park and climbed
steadily up to the trig point (and alleged stone circle) at Cheetham Close. The views were
quite respectable: Peel Tower to the East, Winter Hill (still covered in snow and thus living
up to it's name) to the West, the South (Bolton) was best glossed over. Continuing on from the
trig point the group turned north west along the foot of the Close before dropping down to
Blackburn Road. After crossing the road it was west and parallel to Delph Reservoir and onto
Stones Bank Plantation passing some gun toting men in army uniform on the way.
The group had already been on and off the Witton Weavers Way but now it was Weavers Way, well,
all the way. A track lead under Longworth Moor, on to Catherine Edge before finally turning
East to Turn Low and the start of the return leg of the journey. There was still quite a bit
of snow at Turn Low together with a cluster of Peak and Northern signs. The snow made the going
a little harder but nothing really significant however a short-cut over Turton Moor still wasn't
visible so the leader decided to continue on the obvious path rather than risk a slapping.
The group left the Weavers Way just after Green Lowe and headed south east towards another parallel
track. The connecting path was indistinct and it felt like walking on water at some points but
eventually the group hit a proper path and finally the track that would take them back to the
Blackburn Road. Along the track were amazingly large animal footprints. Whilst they could easily
have been a dog's that had thawed (and thus grown) the more fun explanation was : puma. Then
everything fell into place: large man eating puma snacks on rambler at the car park, police turn
up, tape off the scene and call in men with guns to track it down. All the strangeness of the day
sorted in one go.
After crossing the road the group went through the wood or plantation towards the reservoir. At
one point there were a number of uprooted and snapped trees. It looked like the wind had induced
some sort of domino affect where one tree had taken out a few and that few had taken down many.
Arriving at the reservoir was back to civilisation. Turton and Entwistle is a lovely reservoir
but very popular so for the first time today they were saying "hello" to people every few minutes.
A lap of the reservoir showed that the police cordon had been removed and they would actually be
able to get back to the cars. (Lucky since Plan C had involved a "couple" more miles.)
All in all, a good day. It stayed dry and reasonably warm. Maybe a walk better suited to the depths
of winter or heights of summer but an easily accessible eleven mile walk that is well worth doing.
