Local Life - Wigan - September 2021

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Continue on the path downhill until you reach a
distinctive wall; turn left here and take the steps down
the steep hill. When you arrive at the foot of the
hill where all the ferns are, there’s two options;
turn right at this point.
Follow the path through the woods, close to
its perimeter with farmland for just under ¾
mile until you reach an exit marked Tarvin
Road. Take this exit and walk down to the
road; turn left and then first right into the
single-track Chestnut Lane.
At its conclusion Chestnut Lane
narrows to a footpath: take the
bridge across the stream and head
in the same direction up the
concrete steps. Follow this evernarrowing
footpath until you
arrive out in the open by a
house called Tong Dean. Go
through the gate opposite
and follow the clearly
defined footpath until
you arrive in Helsby on
Bates Lane.
Turn right and then
turn left at the
crossroads on the
Old Chester Road.
Look out for a
footpath sign
for ‘Helsby Hill’ on your left about 50 yards up that road.
Turn up the narrow footpath for a short steep climb
to an opening with three paths and a fingerpost.
Take the second path marked ‘Hill Top’ and
take a gentle enough climb, passing a cliff
top viewpoint on the way, until you reach
the summit of Helsby Hill, which is marked
by a trig point.
The views from the top of this hillfort are
pretty impressive, 360-degree views of the
Mersey Estuary and Liverpool, the mountains
of North Wales and also the Shropshire Hills
to the south.
Exit the summit via the path directly opposite
the path you took to arrive at the summit and
follow that path downhill for approximately
150 yards. Take a left turn at a fingerpost (partly
hidden on the left) towards ‘Harmers Lake’. 350
yards later, you’ll have passed the lake on the left
and arrived at the single-track lane. Turn right
downhill and once you’ve passed a secondary and
the primary entrance to Harmers Wood on the left,
there’s a signpost on the left to Tarvin Road.
Follow this path for 400 yards to Tarvin Road and
then turn left for 200 yards. Look for a signpost on
your right (Alvaney/Burrows Lane), which is partly
hidden behind a tree and take that path. Once you’ve
crossed a bridge, turn left along the field’s perimeter
in the direction of Woodhouse Hill.
Once you reach Burrows Lane turn left and, at the
T-junction, turn right and 350 yards later, take the left
fork down a footpath/bridle path. Follow this long
gentle incline for just under ¾ mile, ignoring
the turn offs to Snidey Moor on the
right and to Woodhouse Hill on the
left. Once you reach the T-junction