Enjoyed a walk through Carr Wood so much recently that I went back a few days later to do it again.
Where is Carr Wood? Well, it's near the bottom of Ashworth Road, just past Crompton Mill, but instead of turning left into Ashworth Valley, you cut through the bottom caravan park to the right to enter into Carr Wood.
Thankfully, since I'd last been through Carr Wood a few years ago, quite a few professional supports, such as the one below, have been added to the footpath to make the walk a lot less treacherous:
The metal stairway above was really impressive, as it had been firmly bolted into a rock formation behind it.
First really encountered Carr Wood in my late teens, as I used to walk through it on my way to working on a Community Project scheme at Black Pits, near Norden (a more scenic part of Rochdale on the way up to the Owd Betts top road).
Towards the end of Carr Wood, the land starts to get a bit higher and I saw a grey squirrel during my last walk through the place.
Finally, just before reaching Black Pits, you come across nature reclaiming some old mill ruins, a recurring motif of rural Lancashire:
But the highlight of the show is the partly hidden but gushing waterfall below which is right at the top of Carr Wood and well worth the walk:
In all, the walk through Carr Wood takes 20-30 minutes at your leisure.
Hello. I have enjoyed reading about your walk through Carr Woods. I spent three years at a school near there in the early 1970s, and know the area really well. I have always loved the ruins of the old mills in the woods there and the Naden brook. I notice you have the same hobbies and interests as myself. Thankyou and many good wishes.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the kind comments, Ray. I've been in Warsaw, Poland for almost 20 years now, and often dream about being able to walk through places like Carr Wood; Ashy Valley; Cheesden Valley; Deeply Vale etc.
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