Midge Walkers

Walk No.  151

Haighton-3rd April 2022

Now that we’ve got used to the revised timings of British Summer Time, even though we lost an hour last week end and at the same time as 24,000 participants lined up for the Manchester Marathon, nevertheless a modest 9 adults, plus young Jack and Molly the dog rolled up at the prescribed meeting place at Fernyhalgh Lane, just across from the Anderton Arms. Setting off at 2.00 o’clock, we followed the downward slope, under the motorway bridge until arriving at a fork in the road, where we took a footpath through the trees signposted Ladywell.

Emerging at the top of the slope, brought us to the gates of Ladywell House which was the site of the historic shrine and well, dating back to 1471, although the chapel was rebuilt in 1685. Taking time to view the rear of the building and the site of the well and its neighbouring crab apple tree. It was fitting that on the day that Jack had chosen to do his walk supporting “Water Aid,” we were viewing a site where water was coming freely out of the ground.

We soon returned to the road and almost immediately, crossed into a field on the right via a stile. At the opposite side a metal kissing gate exited us across a farm track, to negotiate a narrow gap through a wall and cross another track to clear two gates and follow through a series of fields linked by stiles, to reach Haighton Green Lane where we turned right, walking along the grass verge.

After a short distance, at a bend in the road, we passed Primrose Farm dating back to 1860 and continued a good distance to the second turning on the right and took a tarmac lane which brought us to what could best be described as a scrapyard with considerable quantities of farm and building type machinery strewn around amid mounds of rubble. After a further distance, the gates to Seed Hill, a combination of domestic and commercial properties, was reached, and our route took us around the perimeter of a barn and down a stony bridleway to arrive at the gates of Haighton House on the one side and Cow Hill Kennels and Cattery on the other. The unlikely named Londonderry Bridge here crosses the Savick Brook and it was at this point we decided to pause for our refreshment break.

Resuming our journey along the lane, we arrived at a road junction and took a right turn passing a house called Jymaka Gardens and next door Slaters Farm, to continue along Cow Hill to a point where the road turned left, but we branched right off the road to enter a field and follow through a series of two more fields to emerge over a stile onto Fulwood Row.  A series of properties with the combined names of Clock House were to our right and further along we passed under the M6 motorway. Following the road to its junction at the roundabout with Longsands Lane, where we turned right. Continuing along the footpath to the next roundabout junction, we again turned right and returned to our starting point.

We had been out for 2.5 hours and covered a distance of 4.5 miles and whilst there had been a cool breeze, we had generated our own heat. The last time we had covered this walk was July 2016 but other than our leader, no one else could recall it, so it was well worth doing again. Our thanks as ever are recorded to the organisers and we look forward to the next outing on the 1st May.