11 members of the walking group completed a 6.5 mile circular walk today. Starting at The Griffin Pub at Bold Heath, an 18th century inn on the old Warrington to Prescot turnpike road, we walked along country lanes to reach the site of Bold Old Hall, where the stone piers and now dried up moat are still in evidence. The land all around here formed part of the old Bold family estate, but is now intersected by the M62 motorway which created something of an obstacle on our walk.In order to reach the other side of the motorway we climbed up and down a series of 80 steps, then took the lane which led to the side of the walled garden, again reminding us of the wealth of the Bold family in bygone times. Following the country lane we turned into Clock Face Colliery country park. At one time coal in this area was found just 80 yards below the surface, but when the water table was found to be at 500 feet, the pit was abandoned and eventually turned into a country park. From the observation table at the top of the park it was possible to see the tower of Winwick Church, the tower blocks of Manchester and just the outline of Kinder Scout in the far distance. Continuing through the park we came upon the site of the second colliery in the area, that of Sutton Manor. The mine here was closed in 1991 with much coal still remaining underground, and created a great deal of bitterness between management and the unions who argued over the viability of the site. Today the area has been returned to nature with woodland copses, freshwater pools and an abundance of wild life. It is here that we mounted the final ascent to reach ” the Dream”. This is a 20 metre high sculpture which takes the form of a girls head with her eyes closed, in a seemingly dreamlike state. The statue rests on a plinth inspired by the small tally which identified each miner, a reminder of the previous use for the land.. After a brief lunch stop we walked along the side of the M62 motorway, before traversing under the motorway on the route of the former railway cutting, part of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway.. From here we crossed the fields to return to our start point along the old turnpike road before finishing the walk in the social atmosphere of the Griffin Pub which now bears no resemblance to an 18th century inn!
The next walk will be on Thursday 1st November when we will visit Pennington Flash. Details to follow. Prior to this there will be a walkers meeting on 30th October at 11:15 in the coffee room after the usual U3A coffee morning, when we will plan next years walk programme. This will be a new programme of rambles for those who prefer a more challenging walk, and easy walks for those who prefer a more steady pace. All walkers are encouraged to attend the meeting and bring details of walks they are prepared to lead.
Enjoyable walk thanks Margaret