The first snowfall of the winter and perfect conditions for a walk - bright and cold. We wrap up and head out towards Rivington, a small village on the outskirts of Chorley In the West Pennines. As well as some wonderful wild moorland scenery, there are a range of walking routes up to the peak itself which, at 363 metres, is the highest point on Winter Hill.
Today’s destination, the Pike Tower, is a Grade II listed building on the summit, built on the site of an ancient beacon and used as a hunting lodge. It was built with a wooden roof, three windows and a door, but all of these are now blocked up. Many of the walks lead up from the reservoir and meander around a Victorian folly created by William Lever, and these are the paths that we plan to explore today.
We park on the bridge that crosses the reservoir and don our boots. It is bitterly cold: The reeds are covered in frost and a freezing icy mist hovers above the water.
We make our way through the village and then up first through the lower woodland and then across open grassland, occupied by sheep which seem unconcerned by the cold and snow. A surprising number of birds are darting about in the undergrowth and many squirrels are foraging on the ground. We reach the ruined summerhouse which marks the beginning of the route, and from here the crazy paved path takes us on a journey along winding paths and stone staircases from which we discover stone terraces, a Japanese garden and lake, and many ruined buildings (deliberately built this way) such as the pigeon tower, several summer houses, a stone bothy, as well as a ravine, man made caves and a kitchen garden still used by local students.
When we reach the top of the path the track widens into a rough road and from here the pike is clearly visible. Although the paths so far have been wet, from here the going gets considerably worse as the snow is deeper and has compacted in places making it extremely slippery. Tentatively, we make our way forward, walking on the grassy verges when we can until we reach the base of the hill. Steps lead to the tower at the top but they are dangerously icy so we decide to climb the steep grassy hill instead. The climb is slow and tricky but eventually we reach the top and stop to catch our breath.
From the summit, in good weather,it is possible to seeBlackpool Tower, the mountains of the Lake District, the Welsh mountains and as far as the Isle of Man. Alas today, in the snow, we didn’t see any of these, but were perfectly satisfied with alternative views of the snow-covered moors and Winter hill opposite. Here the wind is whistling around our heads and the wind chill is significant, so after only a few moments we make our way back down to the relative calm of the terraced gardens below, taking in the follies we missed on the way up and finally descending to pass under the seven arches of Lever Arch Bridge and back down to the reservoir.
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