THIS walk links the Victorian reservoirs of Wayoh and Entwistle and also visits the summit of Cheetham Close, a distinct hill summit that gives extensive views over Bolton, Manchester and across the moorlands of the West Pennines.

On the summit of Cheetham Close are the scattered stone remains of a megalithic stone circle and associated ring cairns. There were at least seven stones in this ritual site indicating the presence of prehistoric man on these hills above the lower land of boggy wooded swamps.

1. From the Batridge Barn car park, with your back to the reservoir below, join the path that begins near the left corner of the car park. This avoids the access drive to the car park but runs parallel to it back towards Greens Arms Road.

The path crosses the driveway at kissing gates and soon reaches the B road. Cross the road and join the path directly opposite leading to a bridleway track running left to right. Turn right along this then left before the road is reached, joining a path that crosses a stile in a fence.

2. Follow this path straight ahead through rough pasture to cross another stile. The path then skirts right around some little knolls and aims for pylons across a boggy pasture. You cross under the pylons near a stile at a wall corner. Cross this stile and the path turns left uphill. This section can also be boggy. Walk diagonally uphill to the corner of a ruined wall.

The distinct path then turns sharp right following the line of the ruined wall across the plateau of Turton Heights. At the old metal Bolton Waterworks boundary marker on top of the plateau turn sharp left and head for the gate leading towards the top of Cheetham Close. Cross this boundary to reach the trig point on the eroded summit of the hill.

3. Enjoy the good views all round from here. The littered stones are the remnants of the prehistoric stone circle that once stood here. The walk continues by going straight ahead with the trig point behind you aiming in the direction of Bolton.

The indistinct path reaches a kissing gate in a wall corner on your left. Go through this and follow the path with a wall to your right. The path soon goes through a woodland and then drops down through pasture alongside a pond, crossing under the pylons again to reach a bridleway track at a path junction.

4. Do not join this track but go through the waymarked kissing gate opposite. The path runs downhill between a steep-sided stream on the left and a wall on the right.

At the bottom of the hill go through the gate and cross the level crossing with care passing the houses now on the former site of Turton station. Continue straight ahead along the cobbled lane and when it bends right continue straight ahead along the track that emerges in Turton village by the side of the Chetham Arms pub.

5. Turn left along the village street, crossing over to the right hand side. After the houses end turn right down Embankment Road and go through ornate gates to reach the corner of the dam of Wayoh Reservoir.

Turn left through the gate at the dam corner to follow the shoreline path with the water on your right. When it forks into two take the right fork crossing the causeway over the reservoir and then continuing along the shoreline path to reach a kissing gate on a lane.

6. Leave the reservoir here by turning left uphill along the lane that crosses the railway line at the top of the hill at Entwistle Station. If continuing back to the car park turn left facing the Strawbury Duck Inn and follow the rutted track that swings behind it. This passes a row of terraced houses and drops to the dam of Entwistle Reservoir. Cross the dam and at the far end continue along Batridge Road, turning up the steps on the right to reach the higher car park.

n Nick Burton’s next Lancashire guided walk will be ‘Along the Anglo-Saxon Frontier’, following an ancient boundary between the Kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia. A five-mile walk meeting at Downham village car park at 10.15am on Saturday, March 2. £5 fee. More details and online booking at www.allroutesnorth.co.uk