thousandmilesblog | Walk Post 054 - Broadbottom in the Sun

Date of Walk: 15/08/10
Walk organized by: Saddleworth Pedestrians
Start time: 10:30
Start location: Broadbottom visitor centre
Walk length: 4.86 miles
Weather conditions: Warm, sunny

Fantastic mushrooms growing on tree trunk spotted near the river

Details:
Broadbottom
From the early nineteenth century Broadbottom was the site of a mill complex, taking advantage of the River Etherow as a source of water and power for textile manufacture. There were three cotton mills, and later a weaving shed. The site closed in the cotton famine of the 1860s, when half the local population had to leave the town to find work elsewhere, but reopened in the 1870s under new ownership. A new engine house was built in the early twentieth century. The mills went into decline as the textile industry became less profitable, and were destroyed by a fire around sixty years ago. Very little of the original complex now remains, the ruined engine house can be seen, along with fragments of the weaving shed and many of the dye vats next to the river.

Today Broadbottom is a small but seemingly quite lively village, with a visitor centre offering many activities, an educational area and a small maze. A nearby garden centre has a popular cafe. The site of the old mills is now a heritage centre, and this and nearby Tom Wood are popular with walkers. The village is on the edge of Werneth Low Country park and quite close to Stalybridge Country Park.

The Walk
From Broadbottom visitor centre car park we went alongside the River Etherow towards Hodgefold, passing through woodland that is part of the heritage centre. We passed the ruin of the engine house and the old dye vats. We stopped for coffee on the other side of the wood, next to a fantastic greenhouse built from all kinds of salvaged windows. We then passed through a bit more woodland out into farm land, and began the climb towards the top of Idle Hill, which is on the east side of Werneth Low Country Park. We stopped for lunch near the top, then went down a surfaced track that became a lane, passing through some more woodland and crossing a small road. We then entered a bit of woodland we'd been through earlier, but on a different path, which was quite steep and winding. We found ourselves back at the place with the unusual greenhouse, where we stopped for another break, and then turned uphill along a lane that went towards a road. On reaching the road we joined a path that took us back towards the river and the path we came out along. We retraced our route along this back to the visitor centre.

It was a warm and sunny day, and the views from up on the hill were good. The patches of woodland provided shade, ensuring we didn't get too hot, and offered some variety in terrain. We met an enthusiastically friendly sheepdog near the bottom of the hill, which thankfully didn't follow us. I saw lots of butterflies taking advantage of the dry weather, particularly at one spot near the road on the way back. Just near the visitor centre is a beautifully kept patch of garden with smartly dressed scarecrows in it, which were there for a locally held competition. Private gardens in the village were all looking smart for the Britain in Bloom competition. The combination of lots to see and good weather made this an enjoyable walk.