Manchester Weekend Walkers lead public transport walks into fantastic countryside all year round.
Train-and-bus-based walk
Leader: Matthew B
Ascent: 350 metres
Transport to Walk Start: 09:58 train from Manchester Piccadilly station (final destination Huddersfield). Then disembark at Stalybridge, cross the road to the bus stop and catch the 237 towards Glossop at 10:32, disembarking at Hollingworth War Memorial (likely arrival time 10:50). The 237 also serves Ashton-under-Lyne, meaning you could travel to Ashton by tram and pick up the bus there.
Meet Point: Near the ticket barriers at Piccadilly Station. Alternatively, meet the group on the train, at the bus stop opposite Stalybridge railway station, or else at the War Memorial. There is also on-street parking available at the Walk Start.
Suggested Ticket: The Greater Manchester DaySaver TB (Train & Bus) pass is £8.90 and will cover all trains and buses within Greater Manchester including Hollingworth and Stalybridge (it also covers Metrolink for the City Centre Zone).
Walk Start: Hollingworth War Memorial at 11:00am
Waypoints: Wedneshough Green, Green Lane, Meadowbank Farm, Swallow's Wood Nature Reserve, Arnfield Reservoir, Pennine Bridleway, Pack Saddle, Wild Bank Hill, Shaw Moor, Roe Cross, Lumb Farm, Mottram Old Hall, Coach Road.
Return Services: Bus 237 runs to Stalybridge from stop opposite the War Memorial at x:14 & x:44 until 19:14. From Stalybridge there are three train services per hour to Manchester, with trains at X;23 & x:56 to Piccadilly and at x:00 to Victoria, until 21:00.
Extra: No toilets at walk start. Possible pub stop en route after 6.5 miles at the Waggon and Horses (a Robinsons) and these will be the only toilets en route. The pub at the walk finish is the Gun Inn, housed in a building dating from the 17th century, and there may also be a possibility to call in at the Stalybridge Buffet Bar (housed inside the railway station) on the way back for a quick pork pie.
With one major exception near the start, most of paths on this route are relatively good. However, given recent wet weather, we should be prepared for conditions to be muddy anyway. The exception is Meadowbank Farm, which is muddy all the time anyway and so can be expected to be more so at this time of year. Therefore, I would recommend walking boots and wet weather gear. We also have to navigate some tricky paths in Swallow's Wood.
There is some steep climbing between 2 miles and 3.5 miles in to the walk - after that is a much more gentle ascent to the summit and trig point at Wild Bank Hill, 399m above sea level and 5.5 miles in to the walk. Descent after this is relatively easy as it is on good tracks.
The scenery is varied - we start off in the pretty village of Hollingworth near the War Memorial on the A57 between Mottram and Glossop - and then head through a housing estate, farmland, a nature reserve, and then past Arnfield Reservoir, and then gradually into moorland - all in the first two miles. Then we round Lees Hill to overlook the Swineshaw Reservoirs, which have a more remote and rugged appearance than what we have had so far. Then there is the long and gradual climb up to Wild Bank Hill, after which we get views of Stalybridge to the west. The descent brings us back into picturesque territory again before we finish back at the War Memorial.
Meet at the War Memorial
