Johnson's Hillock - Walk Guide - Section 06
If you are following the more strenuous route, good footwear is recommended. Beyond the first row of cottages there is a footpath sign indicating the way to the left, just before a second row of cottages. Continue along the path for about 400 metres, then, before reaching a large house, turn left over a stile, follow the side of the field and then turn right over a second stile. This brings you back onto the line of the old canal. The footpath is not as well maintained as the towpath, and the surface is more uneven, with some overhanging branches. When the motorway was built, excess spoil was dumped on the old canal, so the ground levels today are higher than when the canal was in operation. As you near the motorway you have bear right across the site of an old brick works, where the foundations of old buildings survive which makes the footpath quite rough. Originally there was a coal mine here, but it closed because the quality of coal declined. However, good clay was found in the mine and the site was converted into a brick works.
Beyond the remains of the brick works, the footpath descends steeply into the valley of the River Lostock. The slope can be quite slippy in wet weather. The easiest descent is close to the motorway where a fence can be used as a guide, though if the land owner agrees it is hoped that steps will be constructed.
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