This slideshow requires JavaScript.

8 members of the Rambling group took to the moors above Rochdale yesterday for a 9 mile circular route over Rooley Moor and the Cotton Famine road. As is the norm with the group the ramble is led by a different person each time, and this was the first time Peter had led us and he came up with a blinder! Setting off from the reputedly haunted Owd Betts pub, a traditional country pub which  was built in 1796, we followed the shingle road to the Scout Moor, when we encountered the first of a series of wind farms which have been built in the area since 2014. Even though the wind  was relatively light the turbines turned and it was a fascinating sight to walk among the many giant structures which now spread from Scout Moor, across the neighbouring Rooley Moor. Leaving the shingle path, which is obviously used for maintenance of these giants, we stopped for a quick drink at what seemed to be a disused house high up on the moorland.

From here we took a rugged rutted route and came to the junction with The Cotton Famine road. This section of road could be of National and International importance, as it is a reminder of the harsh times cotton workers had to endure during the Cotton Famine and is unique in linking the American Civil War to social changes in our own country at a time when the Rochdale Pioneer Movement influenced social thinking throughout the UK. Sections of the Cotton Famine Road consist of stone setts, which were hewn by hammer and chisel from local quarries. Given the poor of Rochdale laid about a third of a million stone setts into the fabric of Rooley Moor by hand, the Cotton Famine Road has to be worthy of preservation! At an altitude of over 1500 feet this historic feature may also lay claim to being one of the highest roads in England.

Leaving the road to wend its way into the distance we took the tracks back across the moors and reached the second trig point of the day at the top of Rooley Moor. As the day was clear we had terrific views into the distance and could make out Manchester, Rochdale , and Bury clearly, with Winter Hill and Pendle Hill in the far distance. A chain of 4 reservoirs could also be seen, the biggest of which is Greenbooth reservoir, which looked very inviting as the day was now very warm  Continuing on we walked part of the Rochdale way, We were now about 2/3 of the way through the route but were somewhat daunted when we realised that the looming peak in the distance, Knoll Hill, lay between us and a late lunch back at Owd Betts!

The sugar-loaf (conical-shaped) hill has a flat summit that was topped by the 3rd trig point of the day, and being 1374 feet above sea-level was a tough climb at the end of a 4 hour walk!. Thankfully from here it was a one mile walk scramble down rough moorland paths to our start point, where boots were discarded and we retired to the hospitality of the pub for very welcome drinks and a very late lunch! Thanks to Peter E for leading a great ramble….and you can’t ever say you don’t like hills again! 🙂