Wilderswood Homepage


Dist:0.4km<br/>
©Margaret Clough
Dist:0.4km<br/>
©Ian Greig
Dist:0.5km<br/>Wilderswood (Wilder’s Wood) is a heavily wooded area on the southern flank of Winter Hill, south of George's Lane, near Rivington Pike. Up until the second half of the twentieth century, Wilder's Wood was much smaller than it is today, being mainly confined to the area of Wilder's Clough (http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=53.59846231682764&lon=-2.531308309629222&gz=14&oz=8&gt=6. – present day and historical map). The bulk of the area was once bare moorland with few trees (except for the nearby wooded cloughs) and would have been fairly busy with local coal mining activities.There was also a large house known as “Rockhaven Castle” which was demolished in 1942, possibly because it provided an ideal marker for German bombers trying to target the Loco works in Horwich (http://www.about-horwich.co.uk/horwich/about-horwich-Rockhaven_Castle.html About Horwich - includes a photograph of the castle in its heyday). The larger area now covered by Wilderswood was planted with Beech, Alder, Corsican and Lodgepole pines in 1959 in an agreement between Lancashire County Council and Blackrod Urban District Council. Hybrid Larch was planted later to replace dead pines. http://www.daveweb.co.uk/whcombined.pdf Winter Hill Scrapbook compiled by Dave Lane http://justramblingon.co.uk/country-walks/rivington/to-the-wilderswood/ “To The Wilderswood” - Mal Firth “Just Rambling On”
©David Dixon
Dist:0.5km<br/>Wilderswood (Wilder’s Wood) is a heavily wooded area on the southern flank of Winter Hill, south of George's Lane, near Rivington Pike. Up until the second half of the twentieth century, Wilder's Wood was much smaller than it is today, being mainly confined to the area of Wilder's Clough (http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=53.59846231682764&lon=-2.531308309629222&gz=14&oz=8&gt=6. – present day and historical map). The bulk of the area was once bare moorland with few trees (except for the nearby wooded cloughs) and would have been fairly busy with local coal mining activities.There was also a large house known as “Rockhaven Castle” which was demolished in 1942, possibly because it provided an ideal marker for German bombers trying to target the Loco works in Horwich (http://www.about-horwich.co.uk/horwich/about-horwich-Rockhaven_Castle.html About Horwich - includes a photograph of the castle in its heyday). The larger area now covered by Wilderswood was planted with Beech, Alder, Corsican and Lodgepole pines in 1959 in an agreement between Lancashire County Council and Blackrod Urban District Council. Hybrid Larch was planted later to replace dead pines. http://www.daveweb.co.uk/whcombined.pdf Winter Hill Scrapbook compiled by Dave Lane http://justramblingon.co.uk/country-walks/rivington/to-the-wilderswood/ “To The Wilderswood” - Mal Firth “Just Rambling On”
©David Dixon
Dist:0.5km<br/>Wilderswood (Wilder’s Wood) is a heavily wooded area on the southern flank of Winter Hill, south of George's Lane, near Rivington Pike. Up until the second half of the twentieth century, Wilder's Wood was much smaller than it is today, being mainly confined to the area of Wilder's Clough (http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=53.59846231682764&lon=-2.531308309629222&gz=14&oz=8&gt=6. – present day and historical map). The bulk of the area was once bare moorland with few trees (except for the nearby wooded cloughs) and would have been fairly busy with local coal mining activities.There was also a large house known as “Rockhaven Castle” which was demolished in 1942, possibly because it provided an ideal marker for German bombers trying to target the Loco works in Horwich (http://www.about-horwich.co.uk/horwich/about-horwich-Rockhaven_Castle.html About Horwich - includes a photograph of the castle in its heyday). The larger area now covered by Wilderswood was planted with Beech, Alder, Corsican and Lodgepole pines in 1959 in an agreement between Lancashire County Council and Blackrod Urban District Council. Hybrid Larch was planted later to replace dead pines. http://www.daveweb.co.uk/whcombined.pdf Winter Hill Scrapbook compiled by Dave Lane http://justramblingon.co.uk/country-walks/rivington/to-the-wilderswood/ “To The Wilderswood” - Mal Firth “Just Rambling On”
©David Dixon
Dist:0.5km<br/>This attractive gorse-lined lane leads up towards Rivington Pike.
©Trevor Harris
Dist:0.5km<br/>Looking North towards Rivington Pike.
©Margaret Clough
Dist:0.6km<br/>The track/path towards Rivington Pike from Wilderswood.
©David Dixon
Dist:0.6km<br/>
©Ian Greig
Dist:0.6km<br/>The track/path towards Rivington Pike from Wilderswood.
©David Dixon
Dist:0.6km<br/>The Reebok Stadium can be seen in the distance
©Ian Greig
Dist:0.6km<br/>This where the farm road to Higher Knoll Farm veers left and the grassy bridleway continues in a northeasterly direction to meet Belmont Road at SD644134. The tower on top of Rivington Pike can be seen on the skyline.
©michael ely
Dist:0.6km<br/>Looking along George's Lane, one of the masts on Winter Hill is on the skyline in front.
©David Dixon
Dist:0.6km<br/>The information board, for the West Pennine Moors Open Access Land, at the car park at the top of The Rake.
©David Dixon
Dist:0.7km<br/>
©David Dixon

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