Walking Maps

Calder Vale: Mills along the Brock

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Walk Description

This route is waymarked with a blue disc labelled ‘Calder Vale Walk Blue 2’.

1. Head south from Cobble Hey along the track to the road.
2. Turn left and take the first footpath to the right.
3. Cross the field diagonally to Foggs Farm. Before the farm go through the gate at the corner of the field and then through a kissing gate.
4. Straight across 2 fields and out through a gate onto Gonder Lane.
5. Turn right along the lane and take first footpath to the left along a track, past High House Farm.
6. When the track bends left go through the gate on the right and follow the path across several fields to Clarkson’s Farm and out along the drive onto the road.
7. At the road turn right and take the next road on the left down to Walmsley Bridge.
8. Before the bridge take the stile on the left and follow the River Brock up-stream until you reach a track.
9. Turn right along this track, which becomes a well-walked path, passing the ruins of Brock Bottoms Mill and Cottages, and on to Brock picnic site.
10. Climb the steps turn right and cross bridge. Turn left gateway (Brock bear left in front follow the path up to the weir.
11. Follow the track old farmstead, take right of the buildings wooded bank and footbridge.
12. Go up the tree-lined track to a road T-junction.
13. Cross the road and follow Delph Lane uphill until you reach a stone wall stile on your left.
14. Go over this stile and cross over the fields into the wood, and out into fields, passing to the right of Huds Brook Farm. Continue through several fields until you reach Butt Hill Farm to your right and out onto Hobbs Lane.
15. Turn right along this lane and take the first track on your right back to Cobble Hey.

About this walk

The River Brock flows through a steep sided valley of semi natural ancient woodland, which during the spring is a botanists delight, with a wide array of wildflower species and a magnificent carpet of bluebells.

The woodland supports a variety of birds such as greater spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches, treecreepers, long-tailed tits; typical summer migrants such as blackcap, willow warbler, chiffchaff, and garden warbler, as well as the more common woodland species. Dipper and grey wagtail can also be regularly seen along the river itself.

Brock Bottoms was once the site of a cotton spinning mill, with about 20 cottages built to accommodate the workforce. The mill was probably built in the 1790’s by a Preston firm Lorimer & Company. After a chequered history and two reincarnations as a roller making factory, and then a file making factory the mill finally closed in the 1930s. For some time the ground floor of the mill operated as a café, whilst the top floor was used for dancing on Saturday nights. Today the remains of the mill can still be seen, but the cottages are easily overlooked.

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