The Rotary Way
The Rotary Way footpath was established in 2005 to celebrate the centenary of the foundation of the Rotary Club. The walk is just over 50 miles around the boundaries of Bolton and is broken down into eight more manageable stages, each starting and finishing on a bus route. Indeed, getting the bus would be sensible since the stages are all linear and hence do not finish at the start point!
Many walkers head for the hills in the north of the borough and ignore the lower-level but equally interesting possibilities offered by the eastern and western parts of Bolton. Now, follow the Rotary Way and see what you have missed: there is interest all the way round.
The walk aims to keep close to the Bolton boundary on paths which are defined legal rights of way and avoids roads wherever possible.
Some of the paths followed by the walk are rough and they may at times be muddy, flooded, frozen, dusty or obstructed. At two points on the same stage, the walk even goes along designated footpaths through several domestic gardens!
If you plan to do the whole route (and indeed even if you only wish to do some of it), you may find the Rotary Way booklet to be very useful, with detailed breakdowns of each stage (although be warned – some of the bus numbers and routes are a little out of date!) and sketch maps to help you on your way. If you wish to get your copy, get in touch with the Westhoughton branch of the Rotary Club using the ‘contact us’ form on their website and enquire.
Stepping Stones
The most challenging cache on the Rotary Way? A distinct possibility, but for the fact that it's not exactly on the path. Follow the path beneath the power lines heading south west until you find a bridge across Hall Lee Brook. Instead of crossing make your way north along the bank until you find yourself under a pipe. Use the stepping stones to cross the brook instead. The cache should be a simple find when you've made it this far. An alternative route is to head due west from the pylon and make your way down the bank directly to the stones. Whichever way you approach the cache, it is advised you use the bridge and path to join Lower Leigh Road rather than walking across the field on the west side of the brook, as there is no access to the road here.