Harrop Edge & Castleshaw Reservoirs Hike
10 people attending
10 places left
Join Ant and the Outdoor Lads for a hike offering great views of Greater Manchester and surrounding countryside.
The walk will start at Shaw & Crompton Tram Station, with our first ascent up to Besom Hill and Hill Top Lane. This will give us beautiful views of Delph, which is where we'll head down to next. After leaving Delph we'll tackle the second short but steep ascent to Harrop Edge, from where we'll enjoy views of the Castleshaw Reservoirs. Once we've descended to the reservoirs, we'll make our third ascent over the side of Spring Hill before descending again to Summer Hill Clough. Next we'll tackle our final, but steepest ascent up to White Hill, which will give us a great view of the Manchester skyline, before we make our way back down to Shaw.
Points of interest on the route:
Bishop Park: With a monument marking the highest point in Oldham, this park offers great views over Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire; as well as Wales should the visibility be good.
Delph: A beautiful village we'll pass through, the centre of which has barely changed since the late 1800s.
Harrop Edge: This hill to the east of Delph will give us great views back over the village as well as the surrounding countryside.
Castleshaw Reservoirs & Roman Fort Remains: These reservoirs are amongst the UK's highest and are visited by many species of wintering wildfowl such as goosanders, grebes and goldeneyes. Next to the reservoir is the remains of of a Roman fort and settlement, dating back to 79 AD. We'll stop here to look around the remains.
Dogs are welcome, though will need to be on leads if we go through any fields with livestock. There are also several stiles they may need lifting over.
Once finished, we can go to the nearby pub.
Message the event leader if you've any questions.
IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement
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Image / photo credits: All leader's own images - with permission for OutdoorLads to use and reuse.
What to bring
Water: bring plenty of water (~2 Litres)
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Day rucksack: typically 20-30 litres, they are comfortable to wear and allow you to use your arms freely
Footware: ideally designed for hiking, sturdy trail runners are OK too.
Socks: proper walking socks will keep your feet dry and help prevent blisters
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally no jeans as they become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproofs: essential when hiking in all but the calmest of weather, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Gloves: Windproof, or better still, waterproof gloves are the best choice, bring a spare pair if expecting rain
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Lunch: bring a packed lunch
Food & drink
Please bring lunch, snacks and plenty of water. As the weather may be cold, you may want to bring a flask with a hot drink or soup too.