A pair of Great Crested Grebe were diving for their lunch as we ate ours beside Carr Mill Dam. Not surprising perhaps as this is home to one of the biggest populations of these beautiful birds in Merseyside. Smew, Glaucous Gull and Dunlin have all been seen here and it's a refuge for Guillemot, Shag, Kittiwake and Great Northern Diver, blown off-course from the Irish Sea. But the nicest surprise was the lakeside path. It's not any map, perhaps the locals are keeping it a secret!
LOCATION: 5 miles south west of Wigan
START: Garswood Station, roadside parking on Victoria Rd
Grid ref: SJ555994 Postcode: WN4 0TA
DISTANCE: 5.5 miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 2.5 hours
MAP: Explorer - Liverpool Landranger 108
REFRESHMENTS: Stag & Masons Arms
EN ROUTE: Chadwick Green, The Goyt
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News