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I caught the 09:31 Bolton 125 bus as far as Adlington and the
Elephant & Castle. With heavy continuous rain forecast from
tonight for several days I am walking today. I walked up Babylon
Lane and then right up the narrow Greenhalgh Lane. The official
path turned right through the grounds of a large house. |
Elephant & Castle, Adlington. |
Babylon Lane. |
J. W. Wallace. |
Now I re-examin Philosophies and Religions W.W. J.W. Wallace
founder of the 'Eagle Street College' dedicated to the works of
Walt Whitman lived here 1889-1926. Eagle Street College. J.
W. Wallace-"Wallace" to his friends-was the central figure in
the Bolton group. He was dogged by poor health and bad
eye-sight, and he moved into the more rural surroundings of
Adlington in the early 1890s, living at 40 Babylon Lane. He was
looked after by two housekeepers, Mrs. Jones and Minnie
Whiteside.
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I turned left along a drive where a man was building a nice
entrance wall. I stopped briefly for a chat and continued
straight on. I could see Newlands House ahead but it didn’t seem
occupied. Apparently it was owned by the Middleton Family who
were mill owners. I continued ahead along a muddy track passing
a grip looking lake on the left then came to a locked gate where
I had to climb over to reach the track over the M61 motorway. |
Greenhalgh Lane. |
Track to Dean Wood House. |
I then had a pleasant walk along Horrobin Lane to cross the
Upper Rivington Reservoir embankment. I turned left at a track
by the boling green. It's many years since I’ve been along here
and at the next junction rook the right branch which I’ve never
been on. It took me through a nice avenue of trees up to some
properties called Dean Wood House. I saw them through the gate
then turned left to emerge into open fields to the top of Hodge
Brow then at the road turned left and down to Alance Bridge. I
turned right to follow the river up to Lead Mines Valley over
the bridge and up the steep track to turn right above Lead
Mine’s Clough. |
Green track above Lead Mines Valley. |
Over stile I saw a woman walking her dog but she headed along
the path hrough the trees towards the crashed bBomber Memorial.
I continued up to the area were the old William Yates Well used
to be. It is only shown on the 1848 ordnance Survey map and I
hopped over the river to go to the lat/long coordinates I’d
extracted from the map. Up a shallow valled I found some stones
that could have been a side wall but the whole area was too
overgrown to deduce anything. Some water was running in the
bottom but I couldn’t tell if it was spring or drainage water. |
Possible stone edging William Yates Well |
Site of Willam Yates Well. |
Back across the river I had my sandwiches then headed across the
very wet ground to Round Loaf, a Bronze Age tumulus burial mound
around 4,000 years old. It has been many years since I was last
here and now I have the whole place to myself. One thing I
wanted to check is a newish path that has appeared on the aerial
views that heads directly to the cairn on Hurst Hill. |
Approaching Round Loaf. |
Round Loaf summit cairn towards Winter Hill. |
View of Round Loaf from Hurst Hill. |
It was horribly wet and I was glad to aproach Hurst Hill and
slightly dryer ground. I had a quick look for the benchmark
carved on a flat stone and was pleased to find it. I followed
the path down to the old lead mines then across a reasonable dry
sheeptrack to pick up the path along Stronstrey Bank. |
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Hurst Hill cairn. |
Hurst Hill pivot bench mark. |
When I reched the part cut millstones I met a couple
coming up the steep climb by the quarry. I descended carefully
to the track and through White Coppice and up to St Barnabas
Church. |
Millstone blank above White Coppice. |
I took the track opposite to turn down to the wet path towards
South Miry Fold Farm across the valley. The steep descent was
horrible and slippery and without the adjacent wire fence I’d
have been in difficulties. The bottom of the valley was
extremely wet then up the field to the Miry Fold buildings. I
turned left down Briers Brow to Wheelton and continued home
along the canl towpath and Town Lane. |
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Footbridge and ford, White Coppice. |
Lamps outside the Dresser's Arms. |
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