Trigs OS 103 from Hoddlesden

Tuesday 11th May 2021  

Rushton Heights  324m   715 209

Hog Low Pike     383m.  747 214

Rushy Hill            377m    735 236

The last (planned) walk before Lockdown with BC targeted three trig points starting from Hoddlesden. I had left my car keys in the house after earlier going out to start up leaving the engine running to de-frost. Arriving at Hoddlsden the car could not be re-started without those keys and I ended up returning home on the back of a Green Flag low-loader.

Today normal service was resumed.

My plan for arriving twenty minutes early and having a swift coffee from my mini-flask before BC arrived was slightly thwarted finding him already there and well into his own coffee.

In my last post I commented on my impressions of this area. Hoddlesden itself is an iconic Lancashire mill town with old buildings well cared for and renovated and a delight to wander round. The surrounding moorland is wild and attractive but farming has neglected much of the upkeep. with broken walls, unsightly rubbish tips, paths laid with  broken bricks, masonry and waste hardcore.Access can be a problem and it is not unusual to find footpaths fenced off with barbed wire or locked gates.  For the first hour after leaving the pleasant atmosphere of Hoddlesden we experienced much of what I describe above. But two or three kilometres after the first trig at Rushton's Height the scenery became more attractive. 

We climbed to the second trig where a party of three were just leaving. We descended through a strange area of woodland with twisted well spaced trees promoting a kind of magical feeling - I half expected to meet a Jabberwocky. We found a good wall to sit on at a mysteriously ruined building in the midst of those trees and we lunched in comfort and warm sunshine. Descending to Calf Hey Reservoir we picked up the Rossendale Way, then we had a prolonged period of cold heavy rain but thankful that we had taken our break before the onset. A good climb out and the crossing of the busy B632 Grain Road followed. A short climb and more challenging barbed wire took us to our third trig, then descent and final footpaths to enter Hoddlseden again by the backdoor.

That was a good day in good company and such a pleasure to be out and exploring new territory again. 

Rushton's Heights - a photographer's face off

Zoom to Darwen Tower 7km. away

Typical of much of the day's walking

Probably not rare but looks to have some age

Looking back at our route which had traversed that moorland

BC approaching Hog Low Pike

Hog Low Pike and BC

"

"The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!"

We sat on the foreground wall for our sandwich break in warm sunshine. Twenty minutes later we had rain

One of the two dogs was like a large pit-bull. -I was wary, but there was no problem - the dogs were too busy having a good time in the stream

Rushy Hill. Windmill protest now seems a thing of the past but they proliferate still. At least when we double-split the atom or whatever source of infinite energy is found we could taske them all down which is not the case for nuclear power stations.