Hartshead Pike

Yesterday I went for a wee wander up to Hartshead Pike and ended up walking pretty much all the way back to Droylsden - not entirely sure how I managed it without too much pain. Maybe the wonderful sun was stopping any pain?

It proved to be a rather interesting walk. I began on Mossley Rd in Mossley and began the upward trek up Broadcarr Rd, round by Lily Lanes and from the tidgy car park up the gravel path past the millstones which is where the original Pike stood to the beauty itself. After drinking in the stunning views on all side and taking hundreds of photos, I set off back down again.

I thought I'd go a slightly more rural route back down along some of the footpaths that are dotted through the farms that lie on the hillside. What fun that turned out to be! It became a 13 and at times 14 degree scramble (and quite often slide) down the hill on what at times was nothing more than a rut a wheelbarrow made. The pathway started off relatively easily, but steeply down Lily Lanes and alongside the border wall of a farm. Then it became fun. Across a skinny stile (do footpath makers think all walkers are super skinny?) and onto the narrowest of pathways, bordered either side with the obligatory bramble bushes that try to not let you past as your clothes snag on them - in my case my little figure snagged on them too and half of it was a trifle torn and very very scratched.

As the rutted centre was quite deep I ended up walking along straddling it (and most likely looking pants!) until, joy of joys, a tree was leaning right across the path and Ilike I'd had an accident in my had to scramble under it.

Then came the best bit. I had to cross a field. That's not too bad you might think. but it was bad.....as the pathway became a muddy, boot-sucking, squelchy 5 inch deep muddy bog-type thing. After a fair amount of heaving myself through the gloop I reached yet another skinny stile -the kind you have to go through sideways and still get your butt stuck if you're not careful! Splodge!!! T'other side of the stile was the glorious gloop I'd struggled through before; and as I was still descending a steep hillside, it was a big drop to the floor, so yet again it was a case of heaving myself across this bit. Now I was confused as the path seemed to just completely disappear into the air. was in a field with no trace of a path and fence posts that were difficult to make out if anything was between them. As the previous paths were along the edges of the fields you naturally assume this one will be too. But no! This one was right through the middle of the boggiest field I've every seen. Luckily a tractor had been through it at some point and I opted to walk in its tracks which thankfully led to a gate and back to where the path continued. This brought me out onto Twirl Hill Lane and where I wanted to be. Phew!

Once across Lees Rd I set off up/down Alt Lane before veering off to the River Medlock and it's steep sided vally before joining a Sustrans cycleway along a lovely tree-lined avenue that led me through Limehurst farm and out to Riversvale and Daisy Nook. After a welcome rest on a bench on Riversvale Drive, I though I'd clean my boots off in the river before hunting out a bacon butty at the Jown Haworth Centre in Daisy Nook to replenish my energy reserves.