A walk in the countryside or a visit to a museum? Well at Astley Green you can choose either or both. The walk is over fields where local folk enjoy horse riding, followed by a stroll along the Bridgewater Canal, then the museum is a fascinating look into the not so distant past. Pit headgear was once a common sight in Lancashire, yet now only the one at Astley Green remains. The high steel latticework is a fine reminder of those times, but even more magnificent is the winding engine. The mine, which opened in 1908 was closed in 1970, but the No 1 Engine House still holds the 1912 winding engine. Even if big engines are not your thing, try and choose a day when the museum is open, for you must make time for this massive piece of machinery, the largest ever used in the county and it comes as a shock to realise how much power was necessary to raise coal from the depths of the shaft over half a mile beneath your feet.
LOCATION: 2 miles west of Worsley
START: Boothstown. Turn off A572 down Boothshall Way and park near The Moorings.
Grid ref: SD726004 Postcode: M28 1LP
DISTANCE: 4 miles
GRADE: Easy, but a bit muddy.
TIME: 2 hours, plus extra for visiting the colliery
MAP: Explorer - Bolton, Wigan & Warrington Landranger 109
NOTE: Astley Green Colliery Museum open Tues, Thurs and Sun pm
REFRESHMENTS: The Moorings & The Old Boathouse
EN ROUTE: Bridgewater Canal, Bridgewater Marina
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News