Blackshaw Brook Woods
23rd August 2012
Journey Length 8.6ml
Click Here For Route Map on Strava
After our adventure last week we decided we would revisit Blackshaw Brook Woods, to explore the area. The area is on the site of the old Stourmont Bleachworks and Lomax Papermill. We began by following our route from the previous week towards Browns Rd. As we travelled along Tong Rd we came across a small ginell we turned left up the ginell and followed it until it opened up into a wider path, this led us down to a gate way where we came to a set of small steps leading down to the brook, but being extreme cyclist we took a path which was just some trampled down grass, this followed the path of the brook and soon became very hard to navigate on bikes, but unperturbed we ploughed onwards. We crossed a smaller brook which flowed into the main one and climbed the hill at the other side, but when we came to the top of the ridge it became apparent we could go no further.
Travelling back along the bath we bore left and eventually came to the bridge at the base of the steps, we crossed the bridge and turned left following the path upwards, the path was hard work because it was uneven and bumpy with old bricks in parts of it. As we came to another gate way we came face to face with 3 horse riders descending the path, as we waited for them to pass through the gate we realised how big these animals actualy are. We continued up the hill until we came to a T junction , here we turned left through the mud and trees before we came to a style, passing through the style we went along passed a caravan storage area and eventually coming to the home of Bolton County FC, here we turned right and along the path which led out onto Newhouse farm football pitches, were we took a small break watching a football match,with no goals after about 10 mins we set off once again.
We travelled back until we came to the junction where we carried straight along, this brought us onto the main network of proper paths through the woods. At the next pathway we turned left heading along the outskirts of the woods, which eventually led to path we originally found the previous week. Here we turned right and then up a narrow overgrown path up some steps which came out at a pond ,
which we cycled around to the opposite side , dropping down between the other ponds , and onto Browns Rd, turned left and came up onto Radcliffe Moor Rd, doing a U turn we went back up to the ponds and followed another path down Brinks Ln before dropping down across a bridge and down a path which took us back to the bridge we had orinignaly found,and over the brook and up the steps, partway along this path we went down a small alley leading us along Wilkinson Ave and up Bradley Lane. We were heading towards the Queens pub where Graham had seen a sign last week for a cycle route. we soon found the route and it looked quite promising and with light fading we pondered on whether to proceed or postpone until the following week. We came to the decision to follow it for about 15 mins then stop and turn around and to explore further the following week. After about ¾ mile the route suddenly ended at Chatsworth Rd from where we rejoined the A665 and back down Stopes Rd and home. A bit of a disappointment to the end of our adventure this week.
