Rivington Pike

Distance: 4km; Ascent: 170m; with Isabel

See route in new window

Lynsey was away for the weekend backpacking in the Shropshire Hills, so I decided to take Isabel out for a morning stroll.  The overnight rain was forecast to clear from the north, so I opted for a trip to the West Pennine Moors.  We had previously been for a wander around the Rivington area with the pushchair back in August, and I had planned to revisit a couple of weeks ago with Martin but I unfortunately was unable to make it, so this seemed like a good opportunity to return.

Fancy bridge in the Chinese Garden

So after the 40 minute drive north from home, I set off walking from the upper car park with Isabel in the rucksack carrier and headed uphill under the fancy bridge to reach a pleasant small lake in the remains of the Chinese Garden.

Small Lake in the Chinese Garden at Rivington

Soon afterwards we joined a broad cobbled track, which gradually climbed in a zig-zag, past some inquisitive horses, to reach a further track junction.  Here we turned right and headed SE for around 100m along a green lane before turning sharp left and ascending up the heavily eroded path up to the top of Rivington Pike.

Isabel was fascinated by these horses near Rivington Pike

On the way up to Rivington Pike

The top of Rivington Pike is crowned by a stone tower, which was apparently built in the 18th century as a hunting lodge.  There were many people out walking today, with several groups on the top of the pike when we arrived, which is hardly surprising given the excellent weather today.

Rivington Pike Tower

The views from the top of Rivington Pike were excellent in all directions, from the moorlands and TV transmitter of Winter Hill around to the chain of reservoirs in the valley below.  I had forgotten my camera today, so the views provided an excellent opportunity to try out the camera on my new phone, which seems to have produced surprisingly good photos.

Winter Hill from Rivington Pike

View NW from Rivington Pike

After admiring the views whilst Isabel toddled about on the summit, we descended down the steps to the NW to return to the green lane, which we followed past the pigeon tower to reach the car park at around 11:45am after a good morning's stroll.

Rivington Pigeon Tower