Littleborough to Sowerby Bridge hike

A Sue designed special hike over the moors today. After this her foot must be 100%! We parked up at Sowerby Bridge railway station caught the 10:09 train to Littleborough this morning.

There were 2 Jays in the trees as we waited for the train.

10:35 Littleborough

The route leaves the station and  follows the canal east (3 Muscovy Duck and 5 Canada Geese on the canal) for a few mins. We left the canal at the second or third ? canal bridge and headed up the road to take Blackshaw Edge Old Road.

There were 7 Magpie in one field here. Our route follows the road until the houses at High Peak where the path runs in front of the terraced houses to exit onto the open moor via a new 5 bar wooded gate.

We now have a long climb on a marvellous (once cobbled) bridleway to the top of the fell. There were 3 Lapwing here calling and diving and a Curlew calling.

Nearer the top I spotted a M. Stonechat , my bogey bird, a really good find for me, I was well chuffed.

I’m not sure if I can have a tick for yesterday’s F. Stonechat and one for today’s M. Stonechat.

There were a few Meadow Pipits about as we climbed. The total for the day was 5. A corvid and a Kestrel were having a tussle, it was hard to work out who was fighting who. Another Kestrel was seen here also.

The cobbled path had some interesting dated cobble stones in amongst.

11:40. We reached the top of the fell and there was a Skylark singing – we counted 4 singing Skylark, in all, today.

12:00. We crossed a large drainage ditch and continued on the B/W. Eventually the path drops down (here  we sat on a rock and had some butties) to meet Rochdale Road. Here we turned right and followed the road to Baiting Res.

13:00. We were hoping to walk next to the Res. but bridge replacement works had shut the path (for health & safety reasons) so we stayed on the road , crossing the reservoir much lower down.

The reservoir was bereft of bird life, however, we did get a Cormorant fly-past as we crossed the embankment.

Over Baitings the path heads up to a farm yard and turns left between the buildings and exits towards some terrace houses seen ahead. Here there was a Pied Wagtail a Chaffinch.

The next section is very pleasant. The path becomes enclosed by two dry-stone walls (3 BHG in the fields here). Near a ruin and a 3 way signpost our path turns right, uphill, to a signpost see higher up. The path turns left and follows a broken down wall and then stays with a fence to pass by the left hand side of a barn on a very muddy section. The path crosses a farmyard before dropping down a field side to arrive at Ryburn Res. (3 goldfinch).

13:45 Ryburn Res.

The path drops down to the res. and crosses between it and a small pond to turn left and follow the side of the Res. 2 Nuthatch seen here.

At the end of the reservoir we turn left down some steps following a signpost to Bar Lane. This section is really pretty as it follows Ryburn water for quite some time.

We stopped at a little bridge for a piece of homemade paradise slice. Here a Heron took flight and there was also a Treecreeper and a couple of Mallard.

We stayed on this path for quite some time eventually exiting onto a road at Whiteley Terrace.

14:20 The trees here were alive with Blue Tit, Great Tit and Long Tailed Tit also seen here a GSW and a Dunnock.

The path exits at the end of Bar Lane onto the main road. Here we turned right for a yard or two and crossed over to take Holme House Lane and rejoin the water.

14:30 A lovely walk now ensued, under trees, with the water on our left. We had a really nice surprise here with a M. Goosander on the river below us, allowing some nice pics. Also here a Pr. Jay and a GSW calling.

14:40. We crossed a bridge to the other side and resumed following the water at the back of the The Besom Inn (of old). Here we kept to the footpath on the right and a Dipper was feeding in the water.

The path eventually reaches Ripponden Bowling club where an Ice Cream van was good enough stop when we flagged it down and we splashed out on a well earned “Magnum Temptation”.

We crossed the road towards Ripponden Parish church turned right down in front of the church and on to Old Bank. Here the path rises left for a few strides before turning left onto…

15:00 Hanging Stones Lane

This lane is followed for a long way before we join the permissive path that follows the old railway line (this is also followed a long way) to exit onto the main road at Belmore Service Station about ½ m from Sowerby Bridge town centre.

The highlight here was an amazing count of Nuthatch. There were 4 at the start of the lane another 4 a mile or so further on with 2 more seen in between and 2 more as the path neared Triangle. A GSW was heard very briefly drumming. A Mute Swan was on a mill dam.

We arrived back at the car at 16:25 with my foot throbbing a tad but it was a lovely hike on an ideal day.

The walk in pictures:-

Misty start - our path crosses the very top of the fell seen ahead

Corvid and an unhappy Lapwing

Don't think this is a Raven

Baitings in the far distance

A stick man

None of these here today

Todays sneck

This nuthatch had a different call to normal?

Yet another Nuthatch

Sue asked "what do Bongos do?" - Go BONG I guess