Greater Manchester Tour – An Occasional Series No. 3 – Oldham

The Greater Manchester Tour

The “social bubble” of Caroline, Adam and I ventured forth once again, and continued our tour of the boroughs of Greater Manchester, following the visit to Ramsbottom in the borough of Bury on 1st November and the City of Manchester on 1st December.

Adam was our leader for this trip, and for the walking section of our day we were joined by our younger son / brother, Jordan, and Rolo, the puppy!

Oldham – The Parish of Saddleworth, the Village of Uppermill, Brun Clough Reservoir, and Castleshaw Reservoirs and Roman Fort

So we woke to a snowstorm! Adam picked us up from home, and we made our way very gingerly, to the M60. After stopping off for my anticoagulant clinic appointment in Reddish (INR 2.5, excellent!), we headed on to the north, then around the edge of Oldham town centre, and up towards the Pennines.

When you enter the parish of Saddleworth, the communities heritage as part of the West Riding of Yorkshire is proudly displayed on signs and with white rose emblems. Yet, since 1974, it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester.

The parish comprises several villages, and perhaps the prettiest is Uppermill, nestled in the valley of the River Tame. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal runs alongside the river, and the Manchester – Leeds railway towers above both.

Our previous visit to Uppermill a few years ago had been on a lovely summer day, with streets packed with tourists. Today, it was a winter wonderland!

Uppermill Treasure Hunt

As those who know him will know, Adam loves a game. He had prepared a treasure hunt for Caroline and I. We had 30 minutes to locate the clues and answer 13 points of interest, ranging from a former Bishop of Leeds to the bus number to get to Tameside General Hospital! I managed to find just 4 correct answers and had one time penalty, Caroline managed 8 with three time penalties. She won the hot chocolate and flake, and I was consoled with a hot cup of tea!

And so we took a stroll along the canal to the renowned Limekiln Cafe where the roast pork roll with apple sauce and chips went down a treat.

The Road Tour

To reach our walking venue, Adam took us on a a whistlestop tour to Saddleworth Parish Church, the Standedge Tunnels which take both the canal and and the railway beneath the Pennines for 3 miles as they travel to Huddersfield, and up to the top of the A62 where Brun Clough Reservoir sits about 100 metres from the border with West Yorkshire.

Castleshaw Reservoirs

Heading back down the A62 towards Delph, we enter the site of the reservoirs, all under the management of United Utilities. Barely a soul around, and just a couple of cars parked up, so imagine my surprise to see a former colleague, Jim Caulfield who worked with me for 10 years at Weaver Vale Housing Trust in Northwich, some 40 miles from here, standing next to one of them!

Great to catch up, Jim. Keep in touch.

At the same time, Jordan and Rolo appeared and we decided to walk around both the Lower and Upper Reservoirs. The wintry views were truly spectacular.

The walk was just 2.4 miles, quite muddy in places, and certainly exhilarating on a day like this.

There was little opportunity for Rolo to run off the lead, as plenty of sheep were grazing.

The route is simple enough, we walked clockwise, and there are plenty of signs. There are a lot of bird feeders at the car park with reed buntings prominent amongst the commoner species. As we walked towards the Lower Reservoir a stunning male stonechat came within a few metres of us. Added to the 2 male and 1 female goosander back on the canal at Uppermill, this made for a fine day of birdwatching!

Castleshaw Forts

After crossing Dirty Lane, and before descending to the car park, we walk through the magnificent Roman archaeological site of the Castleshaw Forts in a prominent spot at the head of the valley, en route from Manchester to York. After a major excavation in the 1980s, there are now many interesting information boards to read – well worth a visit.

And so, Oldham provided a successful, and full, day’s entertainment!

Where next……?

And Finally…..

I’ve been returning to some of 2020’s new music this week. I didn’t give this album the time it deserves earlier in the year. It seems that Wendy James was the lead singer with Transvision Vamp, a band that rather passed me by in the late 80s / early 90s. However, she has definitely turned my head with her album Queen High Straight. This track is “Testimonial”