The Hail Storm Horseshoe - A walk in the West Pennines
13 people attending
12 places left
Join Ant and the Outdoor Lads for a walk up to Hail Storm Hill in the West Pennines.
The walk will start at Norden Jubilee Park, from where we'll head up and out of town until we're high above Greenbooth Reservoir. We'll then join the Rochdale Way, which will take us up to Knowl Hill (419m); from here, we will head down to the wind farms and up to Higher Hill (456m). Next, well leave the paths and bog hop our way to the top of Hail Storm Hill (477m), before heading down the other side to join the Pennine Bridleway. We'll stay on the bridleway most of the way down, but will have to make small diversions to the Top of Leach (470m) and Top of Pike (398m). For the last part of the walk we'll walk along Greenbooth Reservoir's dam before heading back into Norden.
Points of interest on the route:
Greenbooth Reservoir: Built in the 1950s, the reservoir completely submerged the village of Greenbooth, with all residents needing to be rehoused.
Scout Moor Wind Farm: The second largest wind farm in England, it has 26 turbines; enough to power 40,000 homes. As we'll be walking through the middle of the farm, we'll be able to see them up close.
Hail Storm Hill: The highest point in the walk, we'll be able to get panoramic views from the top. There are no paths to the summit, so we will be bog hopping across open moorland to reach it.
The Pennine Bridleway: Completed in 2012, the bridleway is one of England's national trails and spans from Derbyshire to Cumbria. The section we'll be walking on will give high views of the Norden Reservoirs and take us to two of our hill tops.
Dogs are welcome, though will need to be on leads if we go through any fields with livestock. There are also several stiles that dogs may need lifting over.
Once finished, we can go to the nearby pub.
Message the event leader if you've any questions.
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All photos taken by the leader and can be used for other ODL events.
What to bring
Water: bring plenty of water (~2 Litres)
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Day rucksack: typically 20-30 litres, they are comfortable to wear and allow you to use your arms freely
Footware: ideally designed for hiking, sturdy trail runners are OK too.
Socks: proper walking socks will keep your feet dry and help prevent blisters
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally no jeans as they become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproofs: essential when hiking in all but the calmest of weather, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Gloves: Windproof, or better still, waterproof gloves are the best choice, bring a spare pair if expecting rain
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Lunch: bring a packed lunch
Food & drink
Please bring lunch, snacks and plenty of water. As the weather may be cold, you may want to bring a flask with a hot drink or soup too. After the hike, there is a local pub where we can go for post walk refreshments