With
the arrival of spring and a few days of wonderfully sunny weather, I’d been
longing for an extended walk across Saddleworth’s moors. However, in the midst
of a busy writing schedule I was limited on the amount of time I could steal
away from my desk. Glancing at an old map of Saddleworth, on my wall, I closed
my eyes and randomly placed the tip of my finger on its faded surface. Nestled
on Saddleworth's north-western flanks, Crompton Moor is a small area of
moorland, popular with walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders and offers the
ideal spot for a short walk over terrain which is not dissimilar to higher
moorland plateaus.
Setting
out from the car park at the former Brushes Clough Quarry, my son and I, along
with our Labrador retriever, followed the path down into Pingot Quarry.
Cascading over the edge of the man-made cliffs the 30ft waterfall glistened in
the afternoon sunlight.
Following
a footpath that climbs the northern rim of the quarry, we attained the open
moor and headed north east to the forestry plantation at Whitesides. The cover
provided by the trees and fallen logs is a boy’s paradise for playing hide and
seek, and my son practiced his camouflage and concealment skills whilst I had
to hunt him down.
Breaking
cover from the shaded pine plantation, we reached the source of the stream
known as Old Brook. Here our dog frolicked in the headwaters of the stream that
is the source of the River Beal. From here several paths radiate across the
moor, and heading south-east we skirted around the foot of Crow Knowl, atop of
which sits two transmissions mast and a trig point. Whilst the summit trig
point is often visited by walkers, today we opted for a lower line and headed
for a disused mine shaft.
Mining
and quarrying has taken place on Crompton Moor since around the mid 1500s, and
there are several sites around offering clear evidence of this subterranean
industry. In 1811, a total of eleven working pits were recorded on the moor.
One such pit is the Crowl Knowl Colliery, which lies to the south-west of Crowl
Knowl summit. Here an information board has been erected, which is one of a
series of boards positioned along the newly formed Crompton Moor Heritage Trail
and which provide a wealth of historical information about the area.
Leaving
the disused mineshaft in a south-westerly direction, we passed the remains of
Crow Knowl Farm before turning east and heading to the ruins of Bowling Green
Farm at the head of Brushes Clough. Three main farmsteads are known to have
existed on the moor since around the mid 1600’s, and here another information
board tells the history of farming in the area.
Heading
east, we followed the course of the Crompton Circuit, pausing for a short while
as the dog took a refreshing dip in the cooling waters of Brushes Clough
Reservoir. Following one of the many well-defined tracks that once linked the
former farms, we headed north along the tree line before once again turning
east to follow the firebreak which separates two woods. Returning to our start point, we had enjoyed
a pleasant walk over this small isolated pocket of moorland, which lies on
Saddleworth’s boundary.
Starting
in April, Saddleworth Discovery Walks will be leading monthly historic guided
walks throughout Saddleworth. Forth coming dates will posted at https://www.facebook.com/saddleworth.discoverywalks
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