Contents:
- Editor's welcome
- Paul Waugh: From Rochdale to Westminster
- Rachel Winnard: One in Two Million
- Rochdale Sixth Form College wins at prestigious Further Education awards
- Rev Mark Coleman
- Baillie Street Quarter
- Touchstones reopens with new exhibitions
- Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum
- Highlights of a Mayoral Year
- Fancy dress posties raise £1,700 for MIND
- John Swinden’s Captain Tom 100 challenge
- Littleborough’s Tackling Minds to become first organisation to work with NHS in prescribing angling
- Keith Hicks retires after 33 years of service at RAFC
- Bid for local digital radio signal
- Carpet Creations celebrates 25 years in business
- Help fill Springhill’s gardens with sunflowers in memory of your loved ones
- Local author reminisces about Rochdale high streets in the 80s and 90s in new book
- After the storm, the healthy hazy days of summer
- Rochdale Heartbeat honoured with Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
- Ian Jenkins: Forty Years of Making Music
- Hairdressing Trend - Babylights
- Lasting Power of Attorney
- Cupcakes recipe
- Brown’s Cakes celebrates 10 years
- Beauty Feature: Coming back strong after lockdown
- Take a walk at Ealees »
Summer 2021Take a walk at Ealees
If you like to walk near water, listening to birdsong, this easy walk is for you. Pauline Journeaux takes us on a 2.5 mile circular route from Hollingworth Lake Visitors Centre, past Cleggs Wood to Ealees and Durn, then along Rochdale Canal to Brown Brow Hill and Hollingworth Lake, a relatively flat walk along easy footpaths.
Some of the paths can be muddy and go through farmland, so boots are advised and please keep dogs on a lead.
Hollingworth Lake is a man-made lake originally built in 1800 as the main water source for the Rochdale Canal, but developed into a tourist resort from the 1860s, and became known as the Weighver’s Seaport. Tourism was helped by the arrival of the railway in 1839, which brought day-trippers and weekend visitors. Rochdale Council developed the area into Hollingworth Lake Country Park in 1974.
Directions
Starting at Hollingworth Lake Visitors Centre, head for the far left corner of the car park (away from the lake) and take the lane on the left known as Weighvers Way, down to Ealees Pond and picnic area.
Take the left-hand path, keeping the pond and picnic benches on your right. The brook is quite shallow here and if you have children with you they can paddle with wellingtons on.
Cross the bridge over Ealees Brook, continue along the path keeping the brook on your left the whole time until you get to New Pastures at Foot Lane Farm. New Pastures is dedicated to the rehabilitation, retraining and re-homing of retired and injured racehorses.
Take the left path around the the farm, still keeping the brook on your left, then go down the tree-lined lane which is called Ealees.
At the end of Ealees lane there is a row of old cottages with a converted old barn; keep this on your right and turn right onto West View (a residential street).
Follow the street to the first turning on your left, Egerton Street, walk down and cross over Halifax Road to Durn Locks on Rochdale Canal.
At the locks get onto the towpath and head under the Halifax Road bridge you just crossed, keeping the canal on your left. Walk along the canal and under the new road bridge by the Waterside Bar & Restaurant until you reach bridge 52.
At bridge 52, leave the canal towpath and head left, crossing over the canal via the bridge onto the footpath signposted ‘Hollingworth Lake’.
As you cross the bridge and start to climb the only hill on this walk, turn round and take in the view over Littleborough and Wardle.
This path can be muddy and when you reach the top, the path takes you through a gate into a farmyard. Keep going straight on along Heald Lane and this will bring you out at the lake.
Turn left and follow Lake Bank road round the lake, past the Wine Press, onto Rakewood Road and back to Hollingworth Lake Visitors Centre where you started.
If you wanted to extend the walk, you could turn right on Lake Bank Road and go round the lake before finishing at the Visitors Centre.
The walk took us around an hour and a half at a brisk pace, but you can take it at a more leisurely pace and enjoy the babbling brook, listen to and watch the birds, and appreciate the peace and quiet of this relaxing walk.