The Rochdale Way 3

Part 3 of the Rochdale Way began at our local park Queens Park in Heywood. We set off at quite a pace this week so I didn't take any photos for the first couple of miles! The park is a regular haunt of ours and today we headed down to the lake and then round past the BMX track before taking a route out to the left of the park and towards Crimble Mill and then across the Rochdale - Heywood Rd, near Chamber house farm.

The next section took us on through the Castlemere Golf course where we were greeted by 2 very noisy dogs! In fact we saw a lot of animals on this walk including a young foal and some very unusual birds in an aviary.

Over the golf course we went, trying to observe the correct etiquette of walking over a golf course with players everywhere. We crossed a railway line and then had a section along the road from Heywood to cross the M62 at J19. just past here we took a drink stop.

Lots of bluebells lined the path and some forget me nots. However as we carried on we came to a problem. Someone had decided that this path was not a right of way and had blocked it off and used anti-vandal to deter people from obtaining access. There was no other way to where we were going so we climbed a fence to the right and soldiered on! It's a shame that a publicised route like this has been spoiled.

This was definitely a walk of climbing stiles, gates and fences!

Still the sun had come out for us again, despite a windy day and awful rain the previous day.

 We came out onto Langley Lane and completed this leg of the walk at The White Hart pub in Middleton, certainly feeling that we had had a good workout.