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About Me

Winter Hill ,Horwich, UK
About Me Jake ,I am 11 years old and have Autism. This Blog is about what I can do not what I cannot,sometimes people think I cannot because I have autism ,this blog is about challenging that!I have lots of special interests, in particular running, exploring and this blog shows a small amount of what I get up to! Please be careful as some of activities I do may look easy are not , I know Winter Hill very well I can get off safely and know what to do when the weather closes in ,to keep myself safe I use high performance clothing and footwear,waterproof/ breathable/reflective/thermal layers. in layers so I keep warm and dry , I take my safety seriously and I always take care when out exploring. My dad is very experienced on the fells he is teaching me how to keep safe.I can use a map and compass, the hills can be windy , very cold, be wet , misty and boggy. STAY SAFE! check out under my link's for advice on safety from Bowland and Pennine Mountain rescue. Try my Winter Hill Challenge http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.com/2011/02/10-or-14-peak-courses-on-winter-hill-by.html

Saturday 6 August 2011

Wilderswood to Tigers Clough or Shaws Clough , Rivington, Chorley/Horwich

Note from Dad:
Jake has extra layers on due to risk of getting wet, he has a bum bag on, keeping extra kit  in,
Lower Rivington reservoir 
Fast decent
I turn right here towards the old colliery
can you see the pike - i stopped off here for some Blackberries
Reebok stadium in the background , left hand side is wilderswood 
between two old hedges
Pike cottage , winter hill mast and old mine workings  taken near Ormstons Farm
Old tramway down to the old brickworks
http://www.about-rivington.co.uk/acatalog/Tigers_Clough.html
Jakes blogs on Tigers or Shaws Clough 
http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.com/search/label/Tigers%20Clough
http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12060.0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Hill_(North_West_England)

crossing the river
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Douglas
http://www.bolton.org.uk/rivington.html
http://www.boltonmuseums.org.uk/collections/local-history/social-history-images/200296?term=postcard&s_tags=&sort_by=Title&item_number=199&b_start:int=0
http://www.brianherald.co.uk/home/58422_moorland-stream.html
http://www.wiganman.co.uk/Content/history/Douglas-1.html
http://www.about-rivington.co.uk/acatalog/Rivington_Pike_Tower.html
http://jakeofwinterhill.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/me-in-the-snow-two-lads-rivingtonbrown-hill-river-douglaswilderswood/


http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/rivington/robbers-graves.htm
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=a35d1e23-ce51-40a4-b558-bce138ad494b
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivington
http://rivington.byethost14.com/doku.php?id=shaws-clough-lancashire


i had to be careful , but i could run faster than my dad across this
down some slippery rocks
up the muddy steep bank
across river Douglas
the old dam

"Note: Richard Pilkington and Thomas Nightingale had created a dam and mill at what is now known
as Tigers Clough; its remains are still there. Richard Pilkington is ancestor of the Pilkingtons Glass
family". Taken from the site below

http://images.julieh9154.multiply.multiplycontent.com/attachment/0/4168959/Will%20of%20Elizabeth%20Shaw%20Re%20Richard%20Pilkington%201787.pdf?key=pilkingtongroup:journal:37&nmid=180028983
W M Fletcher and sons Horwich Bricks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28709338@N04/2688365371/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecopycat/4293765198/



we looked for the source of the bricks , they were in the stream but we could not find any more upstream ?



http://nwex.co.uk/showthread.php?t=9276
we rescued some frogs !
old water storage

Tigers clough or Shaws clough waterfall
http://www.about-rivington.co.uk/acatalog/Tigers_Clough_Waterfall.html
http://justramblingon.co.uk/tag/tigers-clough/
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=301617
not quiet 5 mins from Boltons wanderers !
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24429795@N04/3998790012/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24429795@N04/5750604170/
http://nwex.co.uk/showthread.php?t=9276
http://rivington.byethost14.com/doku.php?id=shaws-clough-lancashire


through  the woods
down a slope
Old mine track
up another slope
down another !
old bridge for the mine
crossing a fence

looking towards some old mine remains
Old mine track ?
Roly poly
towards the water tunnel - Georges lane at the top
it was full of iron coloured goo !
Rivington Pike in the background, the boundary stone between Horwich and Chorley 
running back from pike cottage to wilderswood

Friday 5 August 2011

Red Moss Tramways, Middlebrook, Horwich

OS extract from circa 1900, Gibbs farm on the left side and the old loco works at the top.
Note From Dad : the old tramways exist now it would make sense to explore more of this area on these old tramways,
The Harriers’ first cross country course interestingly enough crossed the infamous Red Moss heath long before any talk of a super tip or even the M61 motorway.  Taken from 
http://www.horwichrmiharriers.co.uk/history.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Moss,_Greater_Manchester?oldid=0
http://nwex.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2677
"In 1886 a problem arose with Park Hall or Arley Main Colliery, Blackrod. This had been worked for upwards of 20 years by Ridgeway & Co under Roger Leigh’s estate. By November 1885 the seams were becoming exhausted and Ridgeways gave notice determining the lease. Wigan Coal & Iron Co then decided to take over the colliery in order to continue working the pumps until an aqueduct had been constructed to convey Ridgeway’s water through Scot Lane workings to Aspull Pumping Pit. The make of water at Ridgeways was 210,000 gallons per day. They had worked to a fault under Red Moss at Horwich. This moss has been described as ‘notorious’. The waterway from Ridgeways to Scot Lane No5 to connect with that from Scot Lane to Aspull pumps was made under an agreement between Wigan Coal & Iron Co and Elias Dorning, part owner of Park Hall Estate. " taken from 
http://nwex.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2677
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horwich
http://toolserver.org/~rhaworth/os/coor_g.php?pagename=Red_Moss,_Greater_Manchester&params=SD635104_region%3AGB_scale%3A25000

some other links for red moss
Red Moss Links
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/109497
http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1006538.pdf
http://www.horwich.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=32
http://www.blackrod.org.uk/page9.html
http://www.motorwayarchive.ihtservices.co.uk/m61horpre.htm



http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/archive/1996/01/26/Lancashire+Archive/6212977.Archaeologists/
http://www.horwichheritage.co.uk/heritagecentre.htm
http://www.bolton.org.uk/middlebrook.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Site_of_Special_Scientific_Interest  red moss is a SSSI please be careful !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_Trust_for_Lancashire,_Manchester_and_North_Merseyside Red Moss is managed by this organisation 
Jakes Blogs  for red moss 
http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20moss

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly
http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/
http://www.bournestreampartnership.org.uk/dragonflies.htm
http://www.uksafari.com/dragonflies.htm

short video -carefully moving along the path we disturbed around 30/40 dragonfly's

Bull Rush
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typha
info taken from site re eating 

Typha has a wide variety of parts that are edible to humans. The rhizomes, underground lateral stems, are a pleasant nutritious and energy-rich food source that when processed into flour contains 266 kcal per 100 g.[2] They are generally harvested from late autumn to early spring. These are starchy, but also fibrous, so the starch must be scraped or sucked from the tough fibers. The bases of the leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, in late spring when they are young and tender.[4] In early summer the sheath can be removed from the developing green flower spike which can than be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob.[5] In mid-summer, once the male flowers are mature,[6] the pollen can be collected and used as a flour supplement or thickener.[7] Typha has also recently been suggested as a source of oil.[clarification needed] However, the plant's airborne seeds have also been known to create skin irritation and can trigger asthma.
Starch grains have been found on grinding stones widely across Europe from 30,000 BP suggesting that Typha plants were a widely usedUpper Paleolithic food.[2]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bull+rush&hl=en&rlz=1C1AVSW_enGB374GB377&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=7K49ToTcFJK2hAfRvuSHAg&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=666
http://www.truewayssurvival.com/forums/showthread.php?7424-Tips-with-Bull-Rush-and-coastal-cooking
Note from Dad the roots don't taste too bad though it does depend on the state of the bog some just smell so vile that everything smells -clothes require several washes , eating things becomes a mind over matter thing at this stage. the above Bull rush sits next to a old tip , we wouldn't consider eating anything from a SSSI site and or a tip !
Rivington pike
Two lads
one of the dragonflys
Picture from one of the  old tramways looking towards Wilderswood/Montcliffe Quarries  -we found small bits of coal around this area !
there are three tramways this is the 3rd one
top tramway

can you see me ?
Note from Dad:
Jake has a emergency whistle,phone and torch to maintain contact , Jake is fully aware of his surroundings and the dangers of straying off these central bits, I am never far away and Jake has GPS and  RFID tracking on him. this is a lowland area, but has risks even in warm light conditions, Jake has high performance clothing on with  Walsh PB trainers for grip with waterproof socks, we use this routes like this for low level training , this route is tough for a 7 year old. having tussock grass needing precise running - deviate or loose your grip and into a deep bog you will go, brambles etc  some of the undergrowth is a fight to get through, you have to minimize your impact on this environment , the paths are well used in some areas  and other areas are more sensitive so we avoid these .
middle tramway -small pieces of coal found
old tramway Reebok stadium tower left to old tip
along one of the tramways

one of the paths you can use to cross the moss

towards the old loco works on the  top tramway
see first photo the first old tramway

looking across Red moss - we listened to the birds