Walks near Rochdale by train

Moorland circular up the high ground above Baxenden along the closed Accrington-Manchester railway, past bridge piers, old stone waggonway, the castellated New High Riley farm and broad town viewpoints.

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Community Rail Lancashire (PDF).

Circular round the village of Huncoat, near Accrington, level then climbing to viewpoints over the Calder valley, past the pit-top nature reserve and remnants of the old brickworks and Perseverance Mill.

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Community Rail Lancashire (PDF).

West Pennine Moors circular on the Witton Weavers Way, past a string of reservoirs, into the steep-sided Turton Bottoms valley and Grade I-listed Turton Tower. Rich in industrial heritage and birdlife.

Turton Tower: A Grade I-listed manor house built around a medieval peel tower.

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: A few short steep ascents.

Walk details: Community Rail Lancashire (PDF).

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Rail Rambles.

Recommended: A very enjoyable, direct and straightforward canal walk, almost entirely along the Rochdale Canal towpath following national cycle route 66. The terrain is nearly all level with a mostly gravel surface, though bridges and slopes past locks have cobbles and canal overflows run over cobbles across the towpath in several places. Tree cover gives a green-tunnel feel. Follows national cycle route 66 along the Rochdale Canal. Canalside interest: locks, houseboats, mileposts and stone bridges.

Waterway: almost all along the Rochdale Canal.

Time: 3h30 (2h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Refreshment opportunities along the canalside towards Hebden Bridge.

Warnings: Canal overflows run over cobbles across the towpath in several places, with a raised plank alongside to keep feet dry.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: A largely urban route that is mostly along the canal towpath, avoiding a nasty motorway roundabout. The towpath is gravel or degraded tarmac with a couple of uneven patches; there are some interesting old mills and but a lot of pylons and nearby roads. Some interesting old mills along the towpath. Dragonflies and a weasel were seen.

Time: 3h30 (2h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: A cafe at Home Bargains in the retail park near the midpoint (accessed via steps).

Warnings: There are cycle barriers and a couple of uneven patches on the towpath. Leaving the towpath in Blackburn involves an unavoidable kerb and a cobblestone roadway.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Slow Ways.

The scenery was very pretty. Almost entirely along the Rochdale Canal towpath, crossing the Pennine summit, on pretty Millstone Grit bridges and lock walls. The towpath has puddles and a few cobbled, cambered or planked sections, plus a wooded and muddy final stretch to Todmorden station. Follows the Rochdale Canal (including its summit) and is part of the National Cycle Network. Waterfalls tumble down the hills either side of the canal; an air vent for the railway Summit Tunnel can be spotted.

Waterway: almost all along the Rochdale Canal.

Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 lunch spot: the Summit Inn

Warnings: One tricky stretch of towpath under the A58 Halifax Road and up the side of Durn Lock is cambered, sloping and cobbled. The wooded final section to Todmorden station can be muddy with planks across it.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

This is a gorgeous experience. A largely flat, easy-to-follow route predominantly along an off-road shared-use cycle path (national cycle route 66), with sections of canal towpath and woodland alongside the railway and quiet roads. Mostly step-free with only slight inclines; one short stretch on narrower busy-road pavements in Mytholmroyd. Some bridleway diversions are overgrown. Follows national cycle route 66 along the Rochdale Canal.

Waterway: nine tenths along the River Calder.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: A short section of narrow pavement on a busier road in Mytholmroyd. A couple of tricksy points joining the canal and railside paths.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A superb, mostly off-road walk along the historic St Helens/Sankey Canal towpath (tarmac or metalled earth) through peaceful countryside and with the canal a string of pools and reedbeds. Largely accessible to wheels and cycles with some width restrictions and sometimes stony or muddy surfaces; one steep tarmac climb and a stepped footbridge at Earlestown. Follows the St Helens/Sankey Canal, passing the Sankey Viaduct (George Stephenson's monument, the first major railway bridge in the world), old locks, and the 'Mucky Mountains' spoil heaps of the former vitriol works, now reclaimed by nature. Stations at both ends with working lifts.

Waterway: three fifths along the Sankey Canal.

Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Shops, pubs and eateries at both ends.

Warnings: Crossing the railway at Earlestown uses a stepped footbridge, making the route foot-only.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A wheel-friendly route on good surfaces through the centre and suburbs of Blackburn, where cars often park partly on the pavement and opening into more interesting countryside with improving views after Ramsgreave & Wilpshire. Passes Ramsgreave & Wilpshire and Langho stations, useful for doing only part of the walk; also served by several buses.

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a third of the walk. Take care crossing Ribchester Road near the Wilpshire Hotel, where a sweeping filter lane carries traffic at speed.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: A third urban.

Walk details: Slow Ways.