Blackshaw Brook stroll

The roads had cleared sufficiently by lunchtime for us to head over Bull Hill to Bolton to visit Carole's parents, and from there Carole wanted to call at the Garden Centre for a wreath for the front door. The Garden Centre is within walking distance, so we left the cars behind and set off through the snow.

One possible route to the Garden Centre goes through a pleasant wooded area known as Blackshaw Brook, which looked especially Christmassy after snowfall.

The area was previously a bleachworks and papermill, but after being derelict for many years has been converted into 10 hectares of country park, with paths through the trees leading to several small mill ponds, or lodges.










All the stretches of water were frozen solid, so much so that the birds were clearly getting cold feet as they tried to puzzle out where the water had gone!

By the time we were heading back, the sun was beginning to set, and by sticking this time to the main roads, we were able to catch a colourful sunset looking over the trees.