thousandmilesblog | Walk Post 057 - The Sun Comes Out in Glossop (Reply)

Date of Walk: 29/08/10
Walk organized by: Saddleworth Pedestrians
Start time: 10:30
Start location: Manor Park, Glossop
Walk length: 6.23 miles
Weather conditions: Rain at first, sunny later.

Church of All Saints, Old Glossop

Details:
20 people completed this walk. From Manor Park we walked through the park and north into Old Glossop, which is full of lovely old cottages and pretty gardens, through the churchyard, and then turned right up a lane. At the end of the lane a footpath continued in the same direction, with a steep and very overgrown section, up to a small wooded area where we stopped for coffee. We continued to Swineshaw Reservoir, walking east along the southern bank and joining a footpath back west on the other side. We passed Blackshaw Farm, which had some new piglets in a barn that looked like an interesting cross between at least two traditional breeds, they had more than a hint of ginger fur they must have got from the boar. There were also hens, ducks, geese and turkeys wandering around in the enclosures outside. One lone turkey paced up and down outside of the fences, next to the lane, frantically trying to get back in. Obviously it has no sense that Christmas cards and decorations are already in the shops, and what that means for turkeys, or it would probably have taken advantage of its unexpected freedom.

We continued along to join the smaller Woodhead Road, which we walked along until reaching the lane that goes west between two small reservoirs. We turned north just after the reservoirs along a twisting lane downhill to an area with a triangular grassy bank forming an island in the road, where we stopped for lunch. We continued up to join the Longdendale Trail past parts of Valehouse and Bottoms Reservoirs. We took a path that went off to the south from the trail, and carried on along this, crossing a road and passing through some farm land towards Glossop Cemetery, avoiding numerous electric fences and climbing lots of stiles. We stopped beside the cemetery for a short break, then continued down the lane and turned west along the road at the bottom. We then crossed this road and joined a very overgrown footpath down some steep steps. We turned back east, crossed another road and continued back to the church, where we retraced our earlier route back to the park.

Standing at the bus stop that morning in the very heavy rain, I had doubts about this, but remembered all the times when days have started out this way and ended up with blazing sunshine. This day did just that. By the time we reached the first reservoir, the rain had stopped and the sun came out. There was a good variety of scenery and terrain on the walk. Also, one of those seasonal changes that I love had happened, and I saw it for the first time this year. There are various things I look forward to over the course of the year, like the first bluebells or the various berries appearing, but one of my favourites is when the heather flowers and the hills turn purple. Most of the year the hills are painted in greens, browns and greys. The contrast between the purple and the pale green of grazed land, the darker green of meadow and the very dark green of the trees, with occasional dark grey gritstone rocks fracturing and rising out of the hillside, is strangely uplifting. That and the sun coming out after such a grey and wet morning, made this a very cheering walk despite all the narrow paths overgrown with stinging nettles. A nice, easy and relaxing way to spend a Sunday.