Ramsbottom: From the Duck Pond to Holcombe Hill

After a few days in Bury, I got bored stiff and went for a couple of days on on a campsite in Stubbins:

One day, I walked to nearby Ramsbottom, and from the duck pond:

And an almost hidden hotel (that I'd never seen before):

I went up the Rake:

Passing the beautiful black church:

And an old horse trough (I guess):

Near the Shoulder & Mutton:

Not long after, I was at the foot of Holcombe Hill:

Steadily climbing up:

The place is now deeply shrouded in trees which makes for a good walk.

And of course, it was good to reach the top, with its great views all around:

Birtle: Secret Garden

 Up Birtle, lies a path to a Secret Garden:

Back in Bury, I made my way to this place:

With the pond taking centre stage:

Rough-looking trees abound in this place:

Luxurious colours green, too, brought on by excessive rain:

Here, you feel in another world:

The back exit leads onto a rugged, horse-riding track:

Had to go back to the Secret Garden path:

To taste its late summer greenery:

Some more:

First saw this place with my late brother many years ago, as teenagers.

Cossall: Through the Fields to St. Catherine's Church

The day before, I'd been shown round the inside of St. Catherine's church by a very kind man and woman, chatting about how it had helped to inspire pivotal scenes from D.H. Lawrence's The Rainbow.

During the chat, my kind hosts advised me to visit St. Catherine's again but this time by walking through the fields:

As it would again give me a sense of why Lawrence loved this area so much (during his courtship with Louie Burrows - often viewed as the inspiration for Ursula Brangwen, the heroine of The Rainbow and Women in Love).

When I reached St. Catherine's the second time round, outside, I found myself noticing other things such as a small wooden cross:

And the Yew trees:

Which seemed to form a boundary separating the church from Church Cottage where Louie Burrows had lived, all those years ago.

Yeah, it was satisfying to visit this church a second time:

To help visualise key scenes from The Rainbow (e.g. Anna laughing at Will's singing during a church service, and Tom Brangwen giving Anna away to Will on their wedding day).

Upon leaving St. Catherine's this time round:

I spent more time observing the Willoughby Almhouses:

Marvelling at how much rich English culture and history Cossall contains, as a small village.

Walking back up the lane away from the heart of Cossall, I took my last shot of St. Catherine's church from a distance:

It was a pleasure to have visited the place twice. 

Lawrence Country: Nottingham and Erewash Canals

In and around Cossall village (famous for sites that inspired D.H. Lawrence's The Rainbow) recently, I enjoyed walking at the side of the canal, imagining that Lawrence must've done the same during his courtship with Louie Burrows.

Have just discovered that it is Nottingham Canal that passes through the Cossall area:

While the Erewash Canal runs through Ilkeston nearby:

Much prefer a canal making its way through the countryside, it must be said.

Cossall Marsh: D.H. Lawrence's Prose Poem Visualised

From a distance, on a busy road, I glimpsed an old railway track towering above what seemed to be Cossall Marsh, with the canal weaving its way through the marshland.

Taking in this incredible scene, I was inevitably taken back to the incredible prose poem that starts The Rainbow, D.H. Lawrence's masterpiece, which describes how the railway and mines (as signs of industrial/social progress) start to encroach on and threaten the traditional agricultural land/lifestyle at Cossethay (Cossall).  

It was for this kind of sight/experience that I'd travelled from my hometown, Bury (Lancashire), and current city, Warsaw (Poland), to visit Cossall and Ilkeston (major parts of Lawrence Country on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border).