Click the links to see brief videos of the commemoration event in Chatterton. Turn the speaker on! Chatterton Band 1 Chatterton Band 2
View or print the walk leaflets for the West Pennine Way by clicking Walk Leaflets.
A set of these A3-size leaflets can be obtained by sending a self-addressed envelope with 2 first-class stamps on it to the address shown below. The envelope needs to be 22cm by 11cm.
Christine Taylor
c/o Greenmount Old School,
Brandlesholme Road,
Greenmount,
Bury BL8 4DS.
VILLAGE LINK
To view the Village Link website and its walks, click the Village Link logo.
PILGRIMS' WAY
Follow the route of the Pilgrims 
from Whalley to Manchester.
For detailed information on this walk click
Pilgrims' Way
or click the picture.
Walk Reports
Monday 11th May 2026
First of the Village Link Circular Walks.
As is usual the walk began from Greenmount Old School where thirty walkers crossed Bardlesholme Road and joined the start of Kirklees Trail. The walk is part of the Village Link route, that states of their website:
Kirklees Trail
|
|
If you wish to visit the website, either use the link from our website or go to, village-link.com..
We continued down the trail to Shepherd Street, where we turned left and walked to Tower Farm, now called Tower Court. The distinctive building, that is undergoing repair work. It was built in 1840 by Joshua Knowls as a stables and barn.
Tower Court
After turning right at the tower, we crossed the footbridge, over Kirklees Brook, and continued passed several old mill lodges until we reached the bottom of Kirklees Street. Here we stopped to view the Wishing Stone, a remnant of the mill, before turning left and heading down to the footbridge, where we turned right just before the bridge.
The Wishing Stone
On reaching the top of a steep slope we turned right thought the woods and headed back to Kirklees Trail. After walking for a short distance, we right turn into Greenhalgh Lane, which we followed to Tottington Road. Once across the road to walked along Wash Lane to the Bolholt. At the end of the lane, we turned right and made our way through the fields the Owlerbarrow and once across the road we followed the route into Walshaw and the end of this section of the Village Link.
Heading to Kirklees Trail
Walshaw
After enjoying our morning coffee stop, in the Memorial Gardens, we turned right down Bank Street and joined a narrow footpath at the bottom of the road and made our way through the picturesque fields, that are destined to become a housing estate of some twelve hundred houses.
Coffee stop
Potential housing estate
At the end of the path, we turned right on Scobell Street and crossed Tottington Road and made our way back onto the Kirklees Trail, where we turned left and headed back to Greenmount, having covered 6.5 healthy miles.
Back to Greenmount
Friday 8th May 2026
Come Walking Series of Walks, Greenmount, Two Brooks & Hawkshaw.
The first of this series of walks started on an overcast evening in Greenmount, with fifty walkers, eight of them new to the group, heading towards Greenmount Golf Club. On reaching Whipney Lane we turned left and walked into Hollymount and once passed the school we went over our first stile of the evening and continued down the path to Bottoms Hall.
Bottoms Hall
Once passed the old cottages we turned right over the culvert, that had recently been repaired and headed into the fields. As expected, we were greeted by a large herd of young bulkers eager to make our acquaintance. After carefully negotiating our way passed the herd we climbed over the ladder stile and headed to the confluence of the two brooks, which we carefully crossed and headed up Two Brooks Lane.
Joining of the brooks
At the tennis club we turned right and walked up the Bolton Road, into Hawkshaw, and once across the road we turned right and walked as far as the footpath sign on our left. After joining the footpath, we followed it through the fields and continued to Spenleach Lane.
Heading for Spenleach Lane
After crossing the lane, we continued to follow a path through fields and just before reaching Hollingrove Farm we climbed over another stile and headed towards Loe Farm, and onto Bolton Road.
Heading to Loe Farm
The farm
Back to Greenmount
Once safely across the road we turned right through a small gate and walked through the fields back to Greenmount, having covered five eventful miles.
Wednesday 29th April 2026
Walk to include the route of the 1826 Weavers Uprising from Hoddlesden to Helmshore
This was the second of two walks following the route that the handloom weavers may have taken during the uprising. The aim of today’s walk was to follow the route of the weavers on 25 April 1826, the second day of the uprising, and to visit two of the sites they attacked that day. Our walk was again informed by the research of Tony, our resident historian, who had prepared detailed handouts and enlightened us at the main sites.
Describing the background, we were informed that a crowd of protesters had set off for Low Moor in Clitheroe, to where the troop was dispatched. The loom breakers saw their opportunity, met at Earcroft, marched through Darwen unopposed, destroyed 22 looms at Bowling Green Mill and 16 in storage at Bobbin Hall belonging to James Garden, before about 300 marched up the hill to Hoddlesden. Our walk was to ‘virtually’ meet the 300 rioters at James Garden's house in Hoddlesden before returning on a similar route to them to Middle Mill in Haslingden.
We set off from Helmshore Museum car park on a perfect walking day of blue sky and sunshine and a light breeze. We followed the river path to Holden Wood where it was believed that one of the captains of the rioters lived. We crossed the main road by the cemetery and walked along the side of Mary’s Wood, up to Heap Clough and followed the path through the fields parallel to Grane Road and up by the woodland with Jamestone Quarry on our right to join the Rossendale Way where we turned left. We were now walking above Clough Head and around Nab Hill along part of the West Pennine Way.
Climbing up Clough Head
Heading for Hoddlesden
We stopped for coffee at the ruins before continuing along the path, descending to cross Grane Road and heading along the path opposite with Pickup Bank Height to our left. We made our way to Shorrock Fold before turning right to follow the farm track down to observe the ruin of James Garsden’s home where 20 rioters entered the house and destroyed power looms in the house and barn. The rioters set off from here to Helmshore crossing the moor to avoid the main toll road and collecting other protesters along the way. We therefore retraced our steps back to Sharrock Fold and crossed the moor into Hoddlesden where we had our lunch in Queen Square near two weaving cottages.
Lunch in village square
After lunch we followed the path to join the narrow road leading up to Pickup Bank Height then over the moor, crossing Broadhead Road and along the pack horse route. We headed above Calf Hey Reservoir along the Rossendale Way. We passed Close Bottom where cotton weavers had lived and ascended the path to the chimney on Musbury Heights where the scrubbing mill for Park Quarries was located.
Heading back
Ruins of a weavers cottage
Stone quarry
We headed into Helmshore, to Middle Mill where 400 people had assembled and after shattering the mill door, had smashed 106 looms. The rioters had ignored the reading of the Riot Act but dispersed when 30 troops arrived. Unlike at Chatterton, the magistrate, Reverend Gray, refused the soldiers permission to open fire on the crowd to disperse them, but 23 people were arrested.
Middle Mill, Helmshore
We also dispersed, back to the Museum car park having enjoyed an excellent walk covering 11 historic miles encompassing varied terrain and thanks to Tony’s interest and enthusiasm.