Just Another Day In The West Pennines...

Tour of Turton

 After several days of rain and feeling a little 'stir crazy', I had an idea for a walk that could give me the opportunity to take some photographs. I parked on the outskirts of Edgworth Village and made my way to my first location Wayoh Reservoir Outlet. I had hoped that after the continuous rain of the past few days there would be lots of water pouring down the sinkhole creating spray and mist.

Wayoh Reservoir with it's unusual sinkhole

The resulting photo was disappointing, not much spray and an overcast day, but as my dad used to say "if every time you went out you got a great photo there wouldn't be as much fun in it". 

However it's still an impressive piece of engineering and a sight which never fails to impress and stimulate (the stimulation coming from either the ions or the fear of falling in). I carried on round the reservoir with a quick look back to Edgworth.

Wayoh Reservoir with Edgworth in the distance.

My next location for a good 'water shot' was to be the overflow from Entwistle Reservoir. On the way I also wanted to try and get a close up view of Armsgrove Viaduct. 

As told in a earlier blog it was originally built to span Bradshaw Brook in 1847-48 utilising 3 ton blocks of stone brought from Stanworth Delph at Withnell. During construction, in an effort to speed up progress, the stonemasons were offered an unprecedented rate of six shillings and six pence (about 32½ p) per day.

Armsgrove Viaduct - Blackburn, Darwen & Bolton Railway Company

In summer the surrounding trees with their leaves make it very difficult to see the viaduct clearly from up close, so in winter with no leaves on the trees I scrambled up and down the steep bank and along the waters edge to try and get a clear view.

Armsgrove Viaduct - Wayoh Reservoir

The photo I wanted was still obscured by branches but at least in winter the viaduct could be seen. The next photo gives a clearer view of the warmth of the brick and the contrasting grandeur of the stone. The work of the Victorian engineers never ceases to impress.

Armsgrove Viaduct

I arrived at my next location, the overflow from Entwistle Reservoir Dam which when constructed in 1832, at 108 feet, was the highest in Britain.

I couldn't resist the temptation of comparing the same photograph of the overflow at several different shutter speeds and two are illustrated below.

Shutter Speed 1/160 sec.  Aperture  f4.5                                                                  Shutter Speed 1/2 sec.  Aperture f29

Close up and facing the waterfall I was getting the full spray in my face and camera, so I sheltered behind a tree, set my camera up for one shot, quickly turned into the spray while steadying my camera against the tree, took a photo, swung back behind the tree, adjusted the camera and repeated the process. 

There are two schools of thought on photographing flowing water, some photographers like sharp images that are full of detail and that capture drops of water these are obtained by using fast  shutter speeds, however most photographers like the dreamy, blurry, misty effect created by using slower shutter speeds. There is no right or wrong it's just down to personal preference. Of course in better conditions using a tripod and an ND filter it would be even more of a contrast but I think my photos illustrate the point nicely.

After leaving Entwistle Reservoir it was now time to climb up on to the moor in the hope of better light.

Bolton Corporation Boundary Post with Winter Hill in the background.

 

I went straight up on to Cheetham Close passing on the way an old yellow iron post marking Bolton Corporation Boundary and the limits of it's Waterworks Department catchment area.

Waterworks Boundary

Passport at the ready, I cleared immigration and entered Bolton along Witton Weavers Way.

Looking back along Witton Weavers Way toward Turton Heights

The weather was starting to look threatening with the sun just sinking under the dark clouds.

Looking over Edgworth to Bull Hill, Holcombe Moor

I carried on in the direction of Bolton with good views towards Manchester.

Towards Manchester

Dropping back down off the moor towards Turton I spotted these trees with a distinctive windswept shape silhouetted against the threatening skies.

Symbolic of the West Pennine Moors

Windswept trees are commonly seen all over the West Pennine Moor and the image is also featured in the WPM logo.




Coming down off the moor and making my way towards Turton Tower I had a perfect view of Chapeltown with Holcombe Moor in the background and Peel Tower showing in the distance.

St. Annes Church, Chapeltown with Peel Tower in the background

Arriving at Turton Tower from behind you cross a railway bridge with two distinctive turrets.

Turret forming Turton Tower Railway Bridge

Of course you can't resist the temptation to climb the steps for a view from the top and you see the single railway track stretching north toward Blackburn. 

The view from the top.

The bridge and turrets were built in 1847-48 by James Kay of Turton Tower, who not surprisingly was a director of the Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton Railway Company. (No one else got a bridge like that outside their house).

Turton Tower

There has been a defence fortress on the site of Turton Tower since the early 1400's, the original simple structure was extended by the Orrell family into a lavish house but in doing so they overspent and were forced to sell to Humphrey Chetham in 1628. The Orrell’s however rented it back from him and continued to live at the tower. During the civil war (1642-1650) the Orrell's were Cavaliers and the Chetham's were Roundheads so this must have made for interesting times especially when Chetham garrisoned his troops at the estate! It was the arrival of the Kay family in 1835 that saw Turton Tower transformed into the Gothic, Mock-Tudor building we see today.

I left the tower and turned down the main road towards Chapeltown  in less than 200 metres I turned onto a footpath by the Second World War Pillbox.

In 1940 a network of defences was hastily built all over the British Isles to prevent an anticipated German invasion, amongst these were pillboxes, squat concrete fortifications located at strategic points.

In Lancashire the main invasion threat came from what was considered to be German plans to occupy Ireland, and if this had come about the flat sandy beaches of Lancashire would have been a potential landing site for German forces. These elaborate plans however were just a red-herring, an attempt to divert resources away from other potential invasion sites.

WWII Pillbox

The pillbox was strategically sited so the Home Guard would be able to protect the reservoirs in the area and Horrobin Mill, which was used for wartime storage.

I cross the fields towards Jumbles Reservoir and took this photo looking back over Chapeltown and thought of "Captain Mannering and Dad's Army".

Another view of St Annes Church and Chapeltown.

Dropping down to Jumbles it was time to keep moving because I wanted to walk round the reservoir before retuning to Edgworth and Wayoh. I made my way quickly round to the far end of the reservoir where the dam is and took a photograph of the water coming from the outflow.

Jumbles Reservoir Dam Outflow

I was informed by one of the local visitors to Jumbles that it was very unusual to see this amount of water coming out of the reservoir. 

Interestingly this outflow of water is still Bradshaw Brook which was the brook over which Armsgrove Viaduct was originally built.

Bradshaw Brook whose source is somewhere high on the moors of Turton and Darwen flows down into the reservoirs of Entwistle then Wayoh and then Jumbles, providing Bolton with over 50% of it's water. (Blackburn and Darwen water really!") 

Jumbles Reservoir

I pressed on round Jumbles and made my way back to Wayoh and home for dinner but not before grabbing this last shot of the late afternoon sun low over Jumbles Reservoir. 

The walk, just under 10 miles, had been full of interest and history, yet another Grand Day Out In The West Pennine Moors.

West Pennine Moors (Day 1)

West Pennine Moors

Despite an early start, by the time John Lenehan & I had collected more framed photographs for his latest exhibition at 'Botany Bay', plus the time taken to hang them and eat a Full English Breakfast, it was too late to hit the motorway and head north for one of our adventures in the Lake District. So while washing down Egg, Bacon, Sausage, Hash Browns, Black Pudding, etc. with copious amounts of coffee we sensibly decided on a much more sedate local walk. 

Through years of fell running John & I both know the West Pennine Moors well , so it didn't take us long to decide on a location and a route, sort of! Even when we go to 'The Lakes' nothing is set in stone and we never decide where we are going until we have eaten 'bacon butties' at one of the roadside caravans, which we also know very well. It has been said 'that man doesn't think or march on an empty stomach' and it is important to have the right amount of carbs & protein on-board or is it simply an excuse to over indulge? 

So we parked up at Yarrow Reservoir and started to walk up through Lead Mines Clough towards Spitlers Edge. Lead was discovered here in the 1600's and the definition of the word 'clough' can mean 'a sluice used for draining water after it has deposited its sediment' a method often used to extract lead, or it also means 'a ravine or a narrow valley', either of these definitions seem to fit here. 

Before the final ascent to Spitlers Edge we noticed a guy assembling what looked like a hanglider or paraglider just off Rivington Road so we diverted in order to take a look but before we arrived he had taken off. 

John photographing the Paramotor...                                                         and my image of the Paramotor in flight.

It turned out to be a para-motor this is were the pilot suspended from
the para-wing, sits in a harness that includes an engine and a propeller. 

You can only imagine what it must feel like

This diversion meant we missed Spitlers Edge so we crossed over the moor towards the old track known as Belmont Road giving us one last opportunity to photograph the paramotor heading towards Winter Hill TV mast, he was obviously searching for thermals to gain height.  

Please mind the mast

One of the things I enjoy about the West Pennine Moors is that it is a great outdoor recreational area and on any day you will see mountain bikers, cyclists, runners, walkers, horse riders, rock climbers, yachtsmen as well as hangliders, but at the same time solitude can also easily be found. 

The West Pennine Moors covering 90 sq. miles and surrounded by towns from 'the old industrial north' provides a 'wild space' and an adventure playground for many. However it must always be treated with respect, in winter and sometimes in summer it can be bleak, inhospitable and a lonely place that can feel far from any form of civilisation. Conditions in winter can be similar to the Cairngorms with sub-zero temperatures, snow, wind, and poor visibility. 

Back to the walk, at this time of year the sun never seems to shine on the Belmont Road track and following this years near constant rain and recent freezing temperatures, on this day it was covered in sheet ice.  We made our way precariously toward Rivington and one of Lord Leverhulme's follies 'Dovecote Tower' or 'Pigeon Tower' as it is more commonly known . Apparently the first two floors were home to ornamental doves and pigeons and at the top there was a small sitting room that was used by Lady Lever as a sewing and music room that overlooked the boating lake.

Pigeon Tower - high on the moor and silhouetted in the afternoon sunshine.

Lord Leverhulme was the founder of the soap empire Unilever, and his estate at Rivington included terraced Italian and Japanese gardens, waterfalls, bridges, towers and even a castle. 

We dropped straight down from Pigeon Tower to Rivington Hall Barn and across Rivington's Village Green cutting through to follow up the west side of Yarrow Reservoir where we were treated to some beautiful reflections in the water.

Across Yarrow Reservoir to Winter Hill TV Mast

But where ever you go there is always another photographer trying to muscle in on the action....

John Lenehan - Enjoying his photography and the great outdoors.

Unfortunately at this time of year the days are short and by
mid-afternoon the sun was low and it was time to head out of the
hills and into the direction of home. We had a grand day, a full
English Breakfast, rare winter sunshine, that actually gave us both
a tan and the expectation of some great photographs to look at later.

West Pennine Moors (Day 2)

West Pennine Moors (Day 2)

High pressure held and I was fortunate enough to get a second consecutive day out on the moors, this year there has not been been many consecutive days of sunshine! The forecast was for early morning fog to clear however I woke to clear blue skies and sunshine and after a hasty breakfast set off for Holcombe Moor. It soon became apparent crossing over the moor toward Edgworth that the fog was lying over Bolton & Manchester but as I was only going as far as Crowthorn it didn't matter to me.

Winter Hill TV mast, a feature of yesterdays walk was clear but the fog was just reaching out over Wayoh Reservoir, you can however still pick out the railway viaduct between Entwistle & Wayoh Reservoirs. (It is just to the left of the large electricity pylon direct beneath the TV mast.) 

Armsgrove Viaduct was built in 1847-48 by the 'Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton Railway Company' to bridge what was then Bradshaw Brook but after the creation of Wayoh Reservoir by Bolton in 1876 it then crossed a spur of  the reservoir. There are nine towering arches constructed from 3 ton blocks of stone supporting the viaduct. The stone was brought from Stanworth Delph at Withnell along 7 miles of mainly impassable roads. During construction, in an effort to speed up progress, the stonemasons were offered an unprecedented rate of six shillings and six pence (about 32½ p) per day.

The view over Affetside towards Bolton however showed the full extent of the mist. I followed the track that contours Holcombe Moor (Crowthorn Rd. that eventually becomes Moorbottom Rd.) and just above Red Brook came across these icy images.

The brook had been splashing the surrounding vegetation and the water had frozen on the stems.

Leaving the track I took a path that climbs diagonally up the moor in the direction of Peel Tower.

Peel Tower with the mist in the valleys

Peel Tower commemorates Sir Robert Peel, Prime Minister of Britain between 1841 and 1846, founder of the modern Police Force they were once named 'Peelers' and are still referred to as 'Bobbys'.  

I carried on to the edge to find a viewpoint and somewhere to stop and eat my sandwich.

Holcombe Brook in the mist.

With views like these and a good sandwich I could have stayed all afternoon.

View in the direction of Tottington and Affetside

It was time to decide which way to go back, originally I had intended to return along the track (Moorbottom Rd.) but it was a beautiful day so the options were to either go over Harcles Hill, Pilgrims Cross & Bull Hill or drop down into Holcombe and return up the east side of the moor to Buckden Wood and then cross over Bull Hill to Crowthorn, in the sunshine I decided to go via Holcombe.

Emmanual Church - Holcombe

I took the main track down from Top o' th' Moor into Holcombe village and immediately followed the track known as Moor Rd. back onto the moor.

Moor Rd. - Holcombe

Time was getting on and with the short days I needed to press on, 
it was approx 1.1/4 miles along the track to Buckden Wood where I could cross back over the moor but not before stopping to take this photo overlooking Harcles Hill Farm. 

Harcles Farm with very distinctive aircraft contrails.

The sun was getting low and although I had torches etc. I knew that the moor over Bull Hill was desolate with no distinct tracks. From Buckden Wood I cut straight across the moor toward the trig. point skirting the Military Firing Range and hoping not to come across any discarded live ammunition.
  

The setting sun from Bull Hill Triangulation Point

From the trig. point I decided, as it was going dark, I would follow the firing range boundary posts across the moor and down onto the track (Crowthorn Rd.) I had started on. This would bring me nearly a mile further south than I wanted to be but following posts seemed a safer option than trying to follow the indistinct path across the moor to the maggot farm  at Crowthorn. I remember the maggot farm (is it still there?) from 'The Three Towers Fell Race' and one year having to run on a compass bearing from the farm because of the mist and I also remember that if it is still farming maggots you could probably find it by following the stench!

Evening light over Turton, Entwistle and Winter Hill.

I crossed the icy boggy moor quickly following the posts and arrived on the 'right' side in time to get another shot over Winter Hill, (similar to my first photo) In the mist this time you can see St Anne's Church at Chapeltown with it's distinctive tall spire. But the final shot was inspired purely by the colour of the setting sun.

Red Sheep in the Sunset

Apart from some people in the distance at Peel Tower I had not seen anybody to talk to all day, I wished the sheep Good Night and finished my second walk on the West Pennine Moors in two days.

Darwen Tower Top - Part 1

Darwen Tower on Darwen Hill or Jubilee Tower on Beacon Hill to give it it's correct title was built to commemorate  Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and to celebrate the victory of local people for the right to access the moor.

Darwen Tower

It was built by two stonemasons Peter Brindle & Harry Flew, they walked from Brindle every day to work on the tower refusing to stay over in Darwen because they had to tend to their gardens back at home. You can not begin to imagine walking from Brindle to the summit of Darwen Moor to begin work often in cold, wet and windy conditions before walking back home again to do the gardening! 

It was opened on 24th Sept 1898 and had cost £773. 3s. 5d. it had taken two years and three months to complete.

A Brief History of Tops!

In the severe winter of 1947 the original wooden top blew off. By 1971 the tower was starting to show signs of wear & tear, topless, battered by the weather, abused by vandals  there was talk of bricking it up or even demolishing it. Thanks largely to the efforts of the Mayor Dr. Bill Lees and local funding in 1971 the tower was repaired and a new top was put in place.

However in a 70-80mph gale on the 21-Mar-2007 the weather vane blew off. A local engineering company W.E.C. who had originally made the weathervane offered to replace it. 

Scaffolding had to be erected in order to do this, as seen on this photograph taken by John Lenehan on 25-Jan-2008. 

Finally on the 11-Nov-2010 the entire top blew off in 80mph gale force winds and the council had to remove it.

Of course the local pro-photographer, in red, was there to record the occasion. 

Once the top was loaded on a trailer and secured the debris had to be collected which had become strewn around the tower.

The Morning After The Night Before!

Not all of the debris made it to the ground and needed assistance from the first floor...

and some from the very top.

Fortunately 'The Darwen Strongman' was on hand, who needs a crane?

and given an audience he couldn't resist the opportunity to demonstrate his physical prowess!

Once all the debris was cleared and loaded along with the broken top, the tractor commenced its descent from the tower.

and the initial descent is very steep.

Then down the moor past Darwen's other famous landmark the 'India Mill Chimney' with the paparazzi in hot pursuit!

To Be Continued.............