October 6th Moderate

Sunday, 6th October 2013

Walk:	Belmont Reservoir, Hordern Pasture, Lead Mine Clough, Anglezarke Moor, Round Loaf, Drinkwater's (ruined farm), Great Hill, Piccadilly and Hollinshead Hall (ruin).
Start Point:	Car Park off Belmont Road	Grid Reference:	SD 665 191
Distance:	10 miles	Ascent:	1,140 feet
Time:	5.75 hours
Weather:	Sunny and warm all day (temperature in the high teens)
Comments:	On the first leg of the walk the group saw mist rise and watched the TV masts on Winter Hill play tricks has they kept vanishing and then reappearing. At Belmont Reservoir the group looked on as trainee yachtsmen learned to manoeuvre their boats and gasped when the boats nearly capsized. Passing through Belmont village the group then headed for Horden Pasture and Sam Pasture before taking lunch at Lead Mine Clough. After lunch it was over Anglezarke Moor and Round Loaf before crossing Dean Black Brook to reach Drinkwater's (a ruined farm, possibly caused by 'land clearance' when nearby reservoirs were created). From Drinkwater's the group climbed to the summit of Great Hill, where they did a spot of sunbathing, before descending to Piccadilly. After a visit to the ruins of Hollinshead Hall the group returned to the start point having enjoyed the unusually warm weather. The paths varied from firm tracks to field paths, no obvious path and sometimes over squelchy peat. A good day out.