Real ale, black pudding and a slice of history

A WEEK or so ago I followed the Irwell Valley between Rawtenstall and Ramsbottom. The route is shared by the East Lancashire Railway and so you can stroll one way and travel by steam railway on the return.

While exploring the railway I learned that the East Lancashire Railway has now extended its service from Bury to Heywood. Future plans include extending still further, eventually reaching Rochdale.

Right at the start of my walk I found a gem. The old Station Buffet at Bury seems to have come straight out of the 1940s but there is a very special difference. It is now a pub called The Trackside, which specialises in a huge selection of hand-pulled real ales. You can also get tea and coffee and the wide menu includes Lancashire specialities including Bury black puddings, mustard and piccalilli and Isle of Man kippers.

Burrs Country Park is without doubt a Lancashire success story. Until around 1990 the River Irwell was so polluted that the smell was sickening in places. It is now one of the most improved rivers in Europe and Burrs Country Park is now a lovely place to stroll and an industrial weir is very popular with canoeists intent on improving their skills.

Summerseat is a delightful village with pleasant houses, footpaths along the river and through fields, while the Waterside pub and restaurant is an up-market treat. Opposite is a restored cotton mill which has been cleaned and developed into flats. The best view of the old mill by a stream called the Irwell is from the windows of the steam train as it crosses the viaduct over the river.

The name Summerseat is interesting because it is Old English and means an area of summer grazing. More than 1,000 years ago Summerseat, way down in the Irwell Valley, was an area of rich summer grass but in winter it was subject to flooding and the cattle would drown. From 1500 onwards engineers learned the skills of drainage, thus producing large areas of valuable land which landowners could either farm all the year round or sell for building.

The final stretches of this walk passes around railway viaduct, tunnels and cuttings which are triumphs of Victorian engineering. By the time I reached Ramsbottom my notebook was full of notes about railway engineering. A friend of mine was driving me home from Bury so I could look forward to a return journey by steam train, a helping of Bury black pudding and a few samples of real ale. This is much better than the old idea of a station buffet with cold tea and old sandwiches. There are some things that are better than in the old days.

To reach Bolton Street Station, Bury, from East Lancashire follow the M66 to Junction 2 and then follow the brown signs to the station. An alternative is to follow the A56 into Bury and once again follow the brown signs. There is a pay and display car park. From the station cross Bolton Street and then under the road at Castlecroft Road.

Cross over the Irwell and follow the Peel Walk footpath into Burrs Country Park. Follow a footpath past Springside Farm and through Fields to Summerseat. From Summerseat go under the railway viaduct and turn right up and close to the mouth of a railway tunnel. Follow an obvious path to Ramsbottom station. The best way to return to Bury is by steam train.