August Ramble – Turton And Entwistle
This month we were in the reliable hands of the Bolton group and their choice of walk was another expedition into the Lancashire Lake District. The day turned out to be warm but dull and we had an excellent turnout of eleven hardy souls.
The well thought out walk consisted of a figure of eight, embracing the Turton and Entwistle Reservoir in the morning and Wayoh Reservoir after lunch. We started from the United Utilities car park and as we returned here half way for lunch, we were spared the effort of carrying our food around with us.
The first part of the walk was along the southern bank of the Turton & Entwistle Reservoir; enjoying pleasant walking conditions and passing many dog walkers, with three dogs being the norm. We now left the water behind us and started a long, fairly steep climb northwards from where we enjoyed splendid views in all directions. Now it was steadily down hill to the railway station and the quite remote and charismatic pub, The Strawberry Duck and on to the car park for lunch.
After lunch, we started part two of the walk, leaving the car park, heading back to the pub and turning south towards Wayoh Reservoir, following one of the many excellent paths to be found in this area. At the southern end of the water, we turned to cross a large dam and then joined the Witton Weavers Way that led us up the eastern shore and it was along this stretch, with the village of Edgworth above us that we encountered a “Batch of 78”, a large walking group that had come by coach from Formby. We informed them that we had been in their territory during the winter when we had walked down the coast to see the Gormely Men.
After walking along much of the reservoir, we crossed by means of another dam and worked our way back to the pub where we said goodbye to the Bolton group and made our way back to the start.
Again, many thanks to Bill for designing this interesting walk. After the physical challenge of Parlick last month, the undemanding but enjoyable stroll through this wonderful landscape, but surprisingly close to Bolton, was very much appreciated by all of us.
Linda & Eddie Grange