If you told your friends you were going a walk up a colliery waste tip, they might suggest there were better things to do at the weekend. But flanked by mature trees and topped with tall Scots pines the little hill of Woodshaw Ruck is a delightful surprise. Close by are Higher Bors Wood and Kirklees Wood, both newly planted by the Woodland Trust with ash, oak, hazel and hawthorn. And you start with Borsdane Wood, the wooded valley by a hill, an ancient woodland full of bluebells, birdsong and the joy of Spring.
LOCATION: 3 miles east of Wigan
START: B5239, park at Gerrard Arms or follow cobbles down Mill Lane to an unofficial parking area in valley.
Grid ref: SD628073 Postcode: WN2 1QE
DISTANCE: 5.5 miles
GRADE: Moderate
TIME: 3 hours
MAP: Explorer - Bolton, Wigan & Warrington Landranger 109
REFRESHMENTS: Kirklees Hall & Gerrard Arms
EN ROUTE: Hindley Hall, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Aspull
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News