GM Ringway Trail - Stage 11. Littleborough to Norden.

 Tuesday 2nd September 2025.

After our last outing we decided that we would take the chance with our injuries and join Martin and company to walk Stage 11. (Our first stage btw).

Getting to Littleborough for the start meant that we took a bus to Castleton, then a train to Rochdale and then another train to Littleborourgh. We met up with Martin, Sue, Rick and Paul at 10.24am and went for a coffee.

The Coffee on the Corner shop does great coffee and superb breakfasts and other delights. I can recommend this place to anyone in the area.

The route should start following the Rochdale canal but because of path closures there is an alternate route on the official website. We didn't think the alternative was the best route as it is all road. We instead chose the nicer route of going past Hare Hill Park with the magnificent House taking centre stage. This was the home of the Newall family.

I won't bore you to death with a full history of the place but click on the link "HERE" if you want to know more.

The Newall family lived in the house for four generations from 1775 until the 1900's. The family were heavily involved in the making of Littleborough from 1453 -1901! The grounds are now a well kept public park.

Hare Hill House.

We got back on the GM R track adjacent to Town House where Gordon Harvey lived. He was MP for Rochdale 1906-1918. He was a political idealist, enlightened mill owner, local benefactor and pioneer environmentalist. So the blue plaque says on the house wall.

Gordon Harvey MP, photo courtesy of wikipedia.

Town House.

Lower Town House. (Farm).

Town House Mill (cotton), is no more and houses stand on the site. The mill had 200 employees and was owned by James Schoffield in 1871. 

The route leads passed these houses and onto Calderbrook Rd and then onto Clough Rd. A footpath is reached next to the end house on the left. (No.25). A pleasant path with a few nettles at the beginning gains height quickly and gives great views across the valley to Blackstone Edge. At the top of the hill we walked through Heights Farm which was all quiet. The cows with bull which we walked past in the previous post were nowhere to be seen today.

At last we were now on the moors and today the weather was very kind, we had to remove a layer of clothing as it was so warm. The scenery beyond the farm is wonderful and winds its way between the tops on a good track. Long Clough Brook running below us in the trees with a small reservoir, its water source.

Across the valley on Stansfield Hill we could hear the sound of trials bikes. They didn't come our way so that was good. We had a peaceful walk in that respect but we had lots to reminisce as we hadn't been out with this group for quite a while.

On the map our track was marked as the "W" Way, I'm yet to work out what the "W" stands for. (Maybe part of the Weighvers Way).We soon joined the Pennine Bridleway for a little while passing a small reservoir with a herd of cows and calves. This is where a farm used to be situated called Moor Gate. 

Un-named reservoir

The route undulates on its approach to Dobbin Hill and down to Watergrove reservoir. There used to be two more farms up here, Higher and Lower Dobbin but there is no sign of them today. 

Watergrove reservoir, like so many others at present is almost empty of water and the ground looks more like a meadow than a reservoir. We went to the visitor centre which was closed but noted what a fine building it was and what a lovely house it would make. (Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of it).

Dropping down from Dobbin Hill to Watergrove reservoir.

View of the reservoir meadow taken from the closed visitor centre.

Watergrove reservoir was built in the 1930's, flooding the village of Watergrove and three Mills. The mills provided work for many of the 300 people who lived there. The mills were named Watergrove, Roads and Alder Bank. Also a number of small farms were demolished to ensure no pollution got into the water.

The footings of Little Town, a farm, are still preserved and a few picnic tables provided us with a spot for coffee.

The footings of Little Town, Farm.

We crossed Higher Slack Brook which looked pretty awful considering it leads into the reservoir. The ferrous oxide didn't look attractive. None of us were brave enough to try crossing the old bridge. But we all made it across.

Higher Slack Brook.

Our route passed a Hawthorn in full berry and piles of masonry showed us where the old farmsteads used to be. It must have been quite a busy area prior to the reservoir being built. It makes me wonder what happened to all these people. 

We joined the Rossendale Way along Man Stone Edge and Lobden Golf Course. Another reservoir down on our left I found out is a fishery. 

One of the many abandoned or demolished farmsteads.

Heading down towards Lobden Golfcourse. 

The fishery.

It was time for some lunch so as soon as we found a good spot to sit down that's exactly what we did.

Plenty of seats were to be had in the wall of another small reservoir called Brownhouse Wham. What an unusual name. This reservoir and a lower one are now disused. They used to supply Rochdale with water. Some very nice cake and flapjacks were provided by Sue and Rick and some cookies by Paul. A bit of a competition ensued as to who had the poshest lunch bag. I'm saying nothing.

Brownhouse Wham reservoir (left) with some water in it. The reservoir to the right which is completely empty is called Hamer Pasture reservoir. Neither reservoirs are in use today, Hamer stopped in 1960 and Brownhouse in the 1990's as they proved too costly to maintain and they leaked.

During lunch I spotted a tractor beyond a smart farm house across the way. Clay Clough is its name. Some of us couldn't even spot the tractor so were a little surprised that I knew it was a David Brown, probably a 1490.

Zoomed in shot of the David Brown 1490.

About 20 minutes for lunch and then we were off again, still on the Rossendale Way to Nar End and then Broadley. This is a delightful stretch of the trail in a pretty location. Snig Hall and Hopwood Hall to mention just a couple of lovely houses. Just by some grazing sheep a stone had carved into it the Moto

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there". Very true.

The Moto stone.

Wooley watchers.

I spotted a brick on the lane down to Broadley which says "Sparth". That was a brickworks in Rochdale which closed about 1902.

The lane which leads down to the main road is called Ending Rake and the image below with it's water pump is a splendid example of the local stonework.

Ending Rake

Across the road and into the area called Healey Dell which believe it or not we have never been to before. It's such a wonderful area that it deserves a blog post all of it's own. So I won't go into too much detail in this post. I will just say it's a deep tree lined gorge with the River Spodden flowing through it. Years ago there were a number of water powered mills, an ammunition factory, a viaduct and many other points of interest.

Here are a few photographs.

Through the dell we walked and we could have spent the afternoon exploring it. The tea rooms were closed although I hear it's quite expensive so we would have given it a miss anyway. Then we looped back on ourselves and took the high route across the viaduct seen in the last image above. This is part of the old Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway  which is now a lengthy footpath/cycle route. I was looking out for any railway memorabilia along the route and there isn't much. I did spot the marker post with 14 on each side, and we stopped for our last brew on what looked like an old platform. Quite possibly Broadley Station.

14 marker post. 

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

The railway closed to passenger trains in 1947 but carried on with freight until August 21st 1967. By the end of 1967 all the tracks had been removed.

Railway buffers.

During our brew we had the pleasure of talking to a bit of an eccentric electric biker. There was quite a bit of banter between us. All very pleasant of course. Then it was out of the Dell onto a path beside an old mill lodge. It used to supply water to power Broadley Wood Cotton Mill which was built in 1818. It was one of the first mills in the area to change over from water power to steam power and that was why the lodge was made. The mill was demolished in 1960 and as you pass today you wouldn't think there was ever any industry here. Now it's just a home for fish and birds.

Broadley Wood Lodge.

Lodge water lily.

We joined a cobbled lane leading to the lovely hamlets of Broadley Fold and Prickshaw, I recall a date of 1761 on the later buildings. There used to be an Inn here in this out of the way spot but we didn't spot any signs of it other than a small plaque saying the Star Inn. The place closed in the 1950's, it used to brew it's own beer. It was converted to a house in the 1990's. The lane is called Knacks Lane.

The cobbled lane through Broadley Fold and Prickshaw.

Our path or lane brought us out on Rooley Moor Rd also known as the famine road. This was built during the American Civil War when there was no cotton being imported and the folk were diverted into making the road paid for by Abraham Lincoln. We could hear a tractor struggling up the hill pulling far too much weight for it's size. It was another David Brown.

Approaching Rooley Moor Rd.

David Brown 1212

Petting the Pet.

My knee was giving me jip now but to be honest I was pleased to have got this far and I wasn't going to pack in now, so close to the end. Even though I knew that 200yds away I could get a bus back to Rochdale. So onward to Greenbooth set of reservoirs.

Looking back towards Rochdale and Turnshaw Hill reservoir from the last high point of todays walk.

Heading down to Greenbooth. Greenbooth Mill now underwater.

The reservoir not looking too bad.

Dropping down off the moorland to Greenbooth Rd we had a sign or two that somebody doesn't want company. Greenbooth Rd was a bit of a disappointment. The only disappointment of the whole walk. Its a bit of a dumping ground and an untidy place.

But we had one last reservoir Doctor Dam and a shot of a Heron. 

We were now on Edenfield Rd where we should have got the bus back to Rochdale town centre. The bus was due in 45 minutes I think Sue said and so she called for two taxis to get us back.

It had been a delightful walk. I had done some of it before but much of it was new to us and Healey Dell was a revelation that we will be heading back to soon.

Thanks Martin for organising it and thanks to everyone for the company.

I think the route was 19km.