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MANCHESTER AND
SALFORD Newsletter
No 45 May 2020
Manchester and Salford Local Group
(M & S Ramblers)
Whilst we can’t meet up to walk in the way we would like to during the covid-19 lockdown, we wanted to keep in touch so are doing extra online newsletters. We hope you are staying well and safe. Whatever activity you do to keep up your walking fitness, we are sure you are sticking to the Government guidelines to protect us all. We can still roam for leisure, health and happiness at home, in our outdoor spaces and within our daily exercise. Staying active is more important than ever, for our mental and physical health, and getting moving feels great!
In case you haven’t already done so it is worth checking out the information on the national website not just for the guidelines but to see what other Ramblers around the country have been doing during lockdown. https://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/roam-sweet-home.aspx. This webpage also has links to Ramblers national Facebook, twitter and Instagram accounts and a request for members to send in your photos and stories to [email protected]. Some of us joined in the national walking quiz on 24th April which was good fun, done through Facebook. They may do more. You can also get a weekly inspiration and updates from Ramblers nationally click here to register
Our group has been keeping in touch through our own Facebook posting photos of our local walks and news, so please join the group if you are not already a member click here. If you have any other ideas of ways to keep in touch please let Mags or me know. Margaret Your Ramblers Group needs you! We would like to invite you to join us in running the group so that we can share what we do and make sure there are volunteers for the future to keep it going. If you would like to help in any way but are not sure what to do, give Salle a ring 07523871475 or email her [email protected] Our website has been much improved and updated. Thanks to Rachel Fernley, Alan Manning and Cath Fernley. Check it out if you haven’t recently. https://www.manchesterandsalfordramblers.org.uk/ The Lost Ways Campaign See two of our MAD Walkers on BBC TV speaking about it a few months ago. Well done Oli and Charlotte. The clip is on our Facebook page, sorry but you have to scroll back to 14th February to see it. click here. The staff at National Office are now reviewing the first stage of the campaign and will be sending information out on the next stage in the members newsletter.
Our Campaigns go on:
Our walks maybe on hold at this troubled time, but the campaign work goes on; looking to the future we
have made a submission to the current consultation on the issues that a new Manchester Local Plan should
seek to address.
Local Authorities produce “Local Plans” to set out how they will meet the needs of their area in terms of
housing, commercial, public and private development, including transport infrastructure, along with
protection for the local environment.
This plan for the area is the starting point for determining local planning
applications, and is therefore a key opportunity for the Ramblers to seek to
ensure that all new developments are required to protect the existing public
footpath network and to actively promote walking and active travel.
Manchester City Council has begun the process and invited views on the issues
that the plan should address and we have responded.
We strongly endorsed the need for action on climate change as a key issue and
we have called for a new Manchester Greenspace standard, with the objective
that everyone in our towns and cities should live no more than a 5-minute walk
or 300m from a quality green space, the current crisis has emphasised the
importance of this need and the inequalities that exist across our city. For the
full submission see this link..
The next stage will be later in the year with the production of the draft Plan and at the moment it is
envisaged that the public consultation will be held over next winter. At that point we will need to make
sure that we lobby effectively for the things that are important to Ramblers – let us know if you can help in
this work.
We have also been active in consultations about some of the
latest Bee Network proposals. In February we had the
proposals for a new walking and cycling route through the
Northern Quarter from Piccadilly to Victoria Stations. We
welcomed many of the measures and argued for clear linkages and
connections with the wider network of routes and rights of
way, in particular: the Green Trail, the Irk Valley and Chapel Street East and the Salford Trail. For the full
submission follow this link.
In April we considered the plans for a new walking and cycling route from Redbank and the Green Quarter
to Ancoats and New Islington. We have made a short submission
focused on what we believe would enable more people to use the
route by ensuring that it is connected with the existing and
developing network of traffic free and quiet routes and public rights
of way.
For full details follow this link.
Redisher Wood Steps
I thought our members would be interested in this work that Bury Ramblers have been involved in. It is in an area we often walk, on the route going down south from Peel Tower, Holcombe Moor, Ramsbottom. As you can see from the before, during and after photos there is a real improvement. It was a collaboration between East Lancs Long Distance Walkers Association Bury Council and the Ramblers with funding from all three organisations.
In Redisher Wood Nature Reserve there is a 1 km-long footpath, referred to as 19RAM, which connects the Moorbottom Road with the path through Redisher Wood and is a popular route for walkers. The southern end, at Redisher Wood, is steep and often muddy and slippery, making it difficult to descend, with the potential for falls. The path is also towards the end of the annual Two Crosses event, organised by East Lancs LWDA. The work was commissioned by Bury Council, and was completed just in time for this year's Two Crosses event.
Once the current Coronavirus crisis is over, Bury Ramblers intend to organise a walk to showcase the path improvement. Other groups, including East Lancs LDWA, will be invited to participate, and we hope to obtain some media publicity to highlight that collaborative efforts of this kind, improving our invaluable of Rights of Way, can succeed.’ Written by Ed Husband Bury Ramblers
Manchester Green Trail. As everyone knows now, the launch of the MGT has fallen victim to the lockdown. We were due to launch this on 9 May as part of the G M Walking Festival – but that is now history. The launch was rescheduled for sometime this autumn, but we will have to wait and see how the lockdown is progressing.
After much difficulty getting the maps redrawn to incorporate our revisions, we now have a complete set of revised maps thanks to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) who came to our rescue when our original cartographer let us down. We will be uploading the maps to our website and the Manchester Active website, so that everyone can have access to them. In this difficult period when getting out for a walk can be difficult, the maps provide ready made routes for people close to where they live and identify green spaces which are so important for physical and mental wellbeing when we are under stress. 2 of the routes have been way marked, see below, and the rest will have to wait till people can get out and put up the signs.
This project would not have been possible without all the volunteers who have modified routes, checked routes, led walks along the route and put up way markers. Thank you to all of those volunteers – too many to name. This project has been an excellent example of collaboration between the Ramblers, TfGM and Manchester City Council, and such work is important
Walking Elsewhere. Our Tour de Mont Blanc – Part 1 France and Italy. The Tour is a 170 km high-level walking route that circles the Mont Blanc Massif. Mont Blanc is of course Europe’s highest peak and the Tour passes through France, Italy and Switzerland. We didn’t set out to do the TMB, we had a holiday in 2008 walking from hut to hut in the alps above Chamonix, and at the end of the trip I realised that we had in fact covered most of the French section of the Tour and thought that it would be an idea to try to complete the rest of the route – and we did, but it took us two more very enjoyable trips!
Tramway du Mont-Blanc, Near to the Croix du Bonhomme Mont Blanc from the Col de Fours St Gervais les Bains We began in the summer of 2008, arriving in the small mountain town of St Gervais Les Bain in the Northern French Alps. We had travelled on a very comfortable overnight train from Paris and just crossed the street for the Tramway Du Mont Blanc, a small rack-rail train that took us up to the Col de Vosa at over 5,000 ft. Our route contoured beneath the Glacier de Bionnassay, over the near 7,000ft Col de Tricot and down to the Refuge Miage for the night. We then crossed high alpine meadows ablaze with flowers and grazed by cattle with musical cow bells down to the sunny village of Contamines.
We resumed our tour in 2016, climbing up the Val Montejoie to the high Croix du Bonhomme at over 8,000 ft for the night in a fine Refuge, with stunning views and ibex for neighbours. The next day we crossed the Col de Fours and had magnificent views up to Mont Blanc itself and on our descent were treated to another fine display of flowers including orchids and gentians. This was the La Vallee des Glaciers, in the Savoie Mont Blanc Region of France. Next day was the climb to the Italian border, more stupendous views of the Mt Blanc Massif from the Col de la Seigne. Night’s stop at the Refugio Elisabetta.
Evening sky above the Vallee des Beginning the climb from Mont Blanc Massif from Glaciers in the Savoie Mont Blanc La Vallee des Glaciers the Col de la Seigne We had some ‘atmospheric’ weather on our descent to the alpine resort of Courmayeur. This is the Italian equivalent of Chamonix – and the two towns are now connected by a road tunnel right under Mont Blanc. We stayed overnight and spent the next morning replenishing our supply of trail snacks and finding a launderette with magnificent views up to alpine peaks. The next leg of our trip took us up to the Refugio Bertone at over 6,500 ft and in the early evening sunlight a fine vantage for views across to Mont Blanc and down to Courmayeur, looking like a model village. The next day was damp as we contoured round the heights with very occasional glimpses of the mountains. But the hot chocolate at the Refugio Bonatti made the effort worthwhile!
The following day we walked down into the Val Ferret in bright sunshine and finished this trip with a climb up to the Swiss border. Alan Manning.
Pendle Hill and Fox’s Well. From 1st to 3rd of May we should have had our Earby weekend and would have been
walking on Pendle Hill. As we couldn’t Kate, who would have led the walk wrote this piece on Fox's Well, a curious
feature high on Pendle. She promises to take us there one day...
‘Pendle, Ingleborough and Penigent are the three highest hills between Scotland and Trent’ (Old Proverb)
The proverb above may not be true but Pendle, which is 1827’ high, holds a special place in my heart as I could see
its long back from my childhood bedroom and, when I was a teenager, it loomed over my school. Occasionally, we
ventured onto its broad top, using rather dubious navigation skills, floundering through bogs and snowdrifts and
avoiding the unexploded WWII bombs that were said to lie there. Pendle is mainly famous for its association with
the Lancashire Witches but, a few years ago, I discovered another strange historical connection – one that few local
people seemed to know about.
My parents loved local history and, for years, went to WEA classes led by Jessica Lofthouse, a knowledgeable (and
rather formidable) writer and walker from Blackburn. Seven years ago, I inherited their Lofthouse books, including a
little softback called Happy Wanderer Round About Clitheroe and, in the description of a route up Pendle, I found the
following passage: ‘Look for George Fox’s Well. Some call it Robin Hood’s Well but I doubt if he ever came so far
west. George Fox did climb Pendle, in Spring of 1652, and he did refresh himself at the spring. (p 37)’
George Fox was the founder of the Quakers; during 1652 he was travelling and preaching around the North of
England. Like Lofthouse, I favour the name Fox’s Well – places celebrating the mythical Robin Hood are common,
whereas there are few named after this important historical figure.
Lofthouse’s description of the well’s location is vague but it’s clear that it lies close to the summit of Pendle. Strange
that I had never heard of it then, and neither had any of my friends in Clitheroe. I decided to find it and started my
searches online. Information was hard to come by, but I did find a few brief items and some images which showed
not just a spring but a proper well with a hinged metal cover and even a shiny steel tankard on a chain. What a weird
thing to find at 1700’ on rough moorland!
I studied the few online descriptions and the 1:25,000 map and, along with a friend from Clitheroe, went up Pendle
twice, trying to find the well but with no luck. The first time, we wandered about in dense mist before admitting
defeat. During our second attempt, a fell runner asked us what we were looking for and, when we told him, he
sneered “Well, good luck with that” and ran off.
His disdain spurred me on – whatever he said, I knew it was there! I went home and studied the evidence again but
this time added in satellite maps. And there it was – a patch of greener ground, high on the northern flank and not
far from the top of the path known as Pendle Steps. Our third attempt involved a compilation of descriptions, the
map, the satellite map, a compass bearing from a major wall and counting both paces and amount of descent as we
went. We found ourselves on a tiny, descending ‘sheep path’ which became more promising as we went, until I
could actually hear running water and see bright green vegetation. We were ridiculously pleased with ourselves and
raised the lid to reveal the tankard on its chain and a deep pool of peaty, scummy water. We weren’t tempted to
follow George Fox’s example and take a drink.
We returned a year or so later and were still struck by the incongruity of finding a well in this place. Its position and,
indeed, its existence are down to the local geology as it lies where the summit layer of Pendle Gritstone gives way to
softer Bowland Shales. Pendle’s sponge-like capacity for soaking up and abruptly releasing water may also be
relevant. In 1580 and 1669 water ‘brasts’ (bursts) on Pendle inundated the village of Worston and surrounding
farmland. Sudden brasts from Pendle’s flanks have also flooded the nearby villages of Newchurch and Barley, and
are still known to knock down the odd tree. One watercourse on the western side is known as Burst Clough.
Things have changed in the 6 years since I found Fox’s Well. There’s more information online now and the tiny path
looks much wider on the satellite map. Conversely, the patch of green is not as obvious. If you want to find it, you
could do worse than study the map above and head for the number 42 (which marks part of the well’s grid
reference, SD805420). Fox’s Well is approximately 600 yards from and 120 feet below the summit of Pendle.
Last M&S Walks and social before Covid 19 Shutdown
Salford Quays/Castlefield walk. Chilly but dry! Really enjoyed the walk Mags, it blew the cobwebs away
Interesting walk led by John M through Boggart Hole Clough and the hidden byways of Blackley
Lovely walk led by Maggie W, through almost rural areas in Withington and Chorlton! We followed the brook through Hough End, walked the Fallowfield loop and enjoyed Chorlton Park. We learnt that Hough End Hall was built in Elizabethan times, in the shape of an E then a saunter through Southern Cemetery.
Very enjoyable tour of the Refuge Asssurance building. It is now the Principal Hotel. We were expertly guided round by Jonathan Schofield, a Blue Badge guide.
GM Ringway Bramhall to Middlewood led by Andrew Read. Only 5 of us - the rest of you missed a treat. Lovely sunny weather and blue skies all the way and not a drop of rain!
Hyde Circular via Haughton Dale & Peak Forest Canal Thanks Steve - great walk and lovely weather
Good walk round Chorlton and Sale Water Parks, plenty of water around as you can see. They had opened the sluice gate into the flood basin. Thanks, Liz for leading.
Slattocks, Chadderton Fold and Rochdale canal. Fine day, a pleasant stop at the park's cafe, also at nearly 5 miles the longest short walk on record. Hopefully the authorities (Maggie Smith) will forgive.
Members own walks during Covid 19 Shutdown To keep in touch while we can’t walk together many of our members have posted photos of their local walks -thanks to all who are doing this, more are always welcome. If you are not on Facebook but have photos for inclusion in future newsletters please email them to Margaret. These are a selection from March and April, including some of the lovely flowers and blossom at this time.
Mags’ from the Salford Trail, Peel Park, Salford Uni and the Irwell Valley Meadows.
Rob’s from Roe Green and the Salford Trail and Blackstone Edge before the ban on going out of your local area.
Kate’s from the Mersey Valley and Sale Water Park
Steve lots of flowers, other plants and wildlife around Chorlton, Houghend Clough and Southern Cemetery.
Dianne’s mainly from Monton and Worsley
Heather’s from The Salford Trail and Clifton.
Sam is a new member. Her photos are from Manchester City centre, Salford Wetlands and Weaste cemetery.
Angela’s from The Ship Canal, Barton, AJ Bell stadium and Peel Green.
Jackie’s of Chorlton Water Park, collage of flowers and Pat’s of Blossom in the Mersey Valley .
Margaret & Alan’s - Mersey Valley from Fletcher Moss to Sale Water park, Turn Moss, Longford Park, Chorlton.
A few around Chorlton reflecting Covid 19 Coronacrows and a fence display. You’re receiving this communication because we believe that it would be of interest to you as a member/supporter. If you’d rather not receive similar information in future, please let us know. You can email [email protected], change preferences online at ramblers.org.uk/myaccount or call (0)20 3961 3300
Committee Committee Position, Name, e-mail Phone Position, Name, e-mail Phone
Chair: Salle Dare [email protected]
07523871475 Footpath Officers Manchester Richard Cleverley [email protected] Maggie Walker [email protected]
07593077422 07947 195875
Secretary: Mags Metcalf [email protected]
839 3865 Footpath Officer Salford David Yates [email protected]
789 5209
Treasurer: Sean Dunne [email protected]
Website Administrator: Alan Manning [email protected]
0161 861 8390 07757902158
Walks Co-ordinator: Maggie Smith [email protected]
794 3565
Social Secretary : Chris Quinn [email protected]
633 9167
Membership Secretary & Publicity Officer : Bob Lenihan [email protected]
Newsletter Editor: Margaret Manning [email protected]
861 8390
