Cockey they call it, not because folk here are cheeky, but the name comes from the Roman encampment of "Coccium" above the town. In Saxon times it became "Einulf's Enclosure" or Ainsworth. Presumably Einulf was too busy for a garden, yet on our first visit instead of the typical muddy fields of winter we found ourselves walking on a lawn. How big is your lawn? At Old Holts we found ourselves among acres of the stuff, fields full in fact, which made walking here a pleasure. Sadly the similarities to a garden are gone and the fields are now knee deep in grass - it's a reminder of what will inevitably happen if you don't mow your lawn.
LOCATION: Between Bury & Bolton
START: B6196 Ainsworth. Park down track opposite church
Grid ref: SD764103 Postcode: BL2 5RH
DISTANCE: 4.5 (or 3) miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 2.5 hours
MAP: Explorer - Manchester & Salford or Explorer - West Pennine Moors
REFRESHMENTS: Ainsworth
EN ROUTE: Four Lane Ends Congregational Church, Whiteheads Lodges
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News