Local Life - Wigan - June 2021

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DARWEN
This 3½ mile route is the shortest Jack’s Tracks we’ve ever done, but
as much of it is uphill it’s not an easy route. The starting point is by
the Royal Arms pub, from where you’ll dip into woodland surrounding
Roddlesworth’s reservoirs, before tackling a gentle incline prior to
walking around the perimeter of Earnsdale reservoir and you’ll also
pass close to Sunnyhurst Hey reservoir.
FACTS
Starting Point BB3 OPA
Miles 3.5
Difficulty Moderate to Hard
OS Maps Ref: JT Darwen
Points of Interest: Jubilee Tower,
Reservoirs, Royal Arms pub
Summary: Gentle at first, thigh-aching
breathlessness up the hill and a
deserved pint at the end.
Then comes the steep climb up to the peak of Darwen Hill, which is
1,220 feet above sea level, and you’re rewarded by amazing views of
the North West. The octagonal Jubilee Tower atop the hill was built in
1898 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and also to
celebrate the victory of the local people for the right to access the moor.
FACTS
Starting Point M29 7QP
Miles 4.5
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
OS Maps Ref: JT Astley Green
Points of Interest: Mining Museum,
Morley’s Hall, Bedford Moss,
Bridgewater Canal.
Summary: Not the prettiest
walking route around
but one that tries hard
with what it
has got.
ASTLEY
GREEN
The sight of the last surviving pit headgear (a Grade II monument) of
Lancashire’s coalfields at the start and end of the route evokes strong
memories amongst those above a certain age. A visit to the 15-acre
Colliery Museum site, now run by the Red Rose Steam Society charity,
is a great place to end the walk.
You’ll also see Morley’s Hall en-route, an early 19th century moated hall
site, which is a Grade II* listed building, and Astley Moss is a rare area of
peat bog, which is one of the last remaining fragments of Chat Moss.
Astley Moss was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1989.