Stage 6 Bolton Rotary Way

The ROTARY WAY STAGE 6 Scot Lone End to Horwich

In contrast, we are back to the country now with a chance of seeing much wild life, including black swans and shire horses. We pass Little Scotland with footpath signs pointing to Aberdeen! We have a long stroll along the towpath of the Leeds - Liverpool Canal with its
narrow boats, attractive Arley Hall with its moat, views of the Douglas Valley, From Adlington’s industry and along by the motorway to Harwich is perhaps an anticlimax but at least Winter Hill is now very much nearer.

At Scot Lane, turn right and, after about 200 yards, turn left onto a track immediately before the Harwich RMIAC fishing reservoir. Follow the track through Yate’s Farm. Keep all buildings on your left. Then keep to the left side of the adjacent hedge and across the next field until arriving at Borsdane Brook, There turn left and keep alongside the brook to a double stile, then straight ahead across the next field to the footbridge and stile close together hidden in the Stream cutting, and go straight ahead aiming for the left-hand hedge in the next field to the left corner of the field, Do not go through the field gate or a kissing gate to the left but turn right alongside the field boundary to at field gate ,ignore this and continue to another field gate with a pedestrian gate to its left at Gorses Farm leading up a short ramp through the farm yard. Then bear right to join a track from the farm and keep to the right-hand side of the hedge ahead leading to Freezeland Farm. Bear left through trees. Between the first derelict farm building and the red brick outhouse (before the house), turn right over a stile in the wooden fence and follow the left-hand field boundary to the two stiles and footbridge across a stream. Bear left and follow the left side of the long field, past a track leading to Stanley Lane on the left, to the field gate at the end of that field, and go straight ahead to the far-right corner of the next field. There turn right to cross 2 stiles leading to a path across the middle of the open field, aiming for a stile in line with Brown Fold farm at the end of Copperas Lane . Turn left on Copperas Lane and continue to the end at Little Scotland.

Turn right along Little Scotland and then, after about 300 yards, left down Blundell Lane along the near side of Gallaghers PH. After about half a mile, the lane turns left. Follow the lane past Hollins Head house and again follow the lane where it turns right after Hollins Head. Keep on the lane, past the bridge parapets over the disused railway line in the deep cutting, and shortly afterwards over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at a hump-backed bridge. Once over, turn left - you are now at the most westerly point of the Rotary Way walk - and go through the gap in the fence to double back under the bridge on the towpath, past the unexpected moated Arley Hall. The bridge is numbered 64 and you continue for some distance along the towpath with the canal on your right, under bridges numbered 65, 66, and 67, over the aqueduct high above the River Douglas and then under bridge 68. Immediately after this bridge, go left and cross the canal on the same bridge and follow Harrison Road to the A6.
Bear left and cross diagonally to Huyton Road. (For Adlington railway station keep straight on the A6). Follow Huyton Road through an industrial estate, curving first right then left with a reservoir on your right(hidden by trees), to the end of the road, where, to the right, a footpath takes you down a track past a second reservoir, to turn left under the railway bridge with the river on your right and, beyond the stile and gate, follow the river round to the right past a disused stile, cross a tributary, and turn left, go over several more footbridges, and follow the stream to the A673 Bolton Road.
Turn right along A673 Bolton Road and, just before the M61 motorway, go over the stile on the right and, after another stile, follow the fence at the foot of the motorway embankment as far as Grimeford Lane and there turn right. At the first farm drive, Greenland Lane, follow a broad track past Grimeford and Greenland’s Farms through several stiles, and skirting the motorway service area to the track at the southern-most point of the Service Area, Turn left onto a bridge over the motorway, bearing left over the motorway and before the cattle grid take the first track on the right into Anderton Lane, through a swing gate and a stile at the farmyard gate and the ornate gates of Anderton Old Hall Farm, swing gate to the right, and along the metalled track. Continue along the track, now Squirrel Lane to join A673 Scholes Bank. There turn right and cross the road to Dryfield Lane about 180 yards away for Stage 7.

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