The Salford Heritage Timewalk takes you in a loop from Irlam Train Station through some incredible sites such as, New Moss Wood and Little Woolden Moss. Both of these incredible sites are situated on the same peat mass and were once part of Chat Moss – which was also connected to Astley Moss! Make sure to take your time and wonder round both these sites and see their incredible beauty.
Trail Information:
- This trail is 6.5KM (4 miles)
- The entire route should take approx. 2 hours to complete
- The trail is a loop and can be started at any point, we recommend starting at Irlam Train Station
- Parking is available at Irlam Train Station, M44 5AB, and at New Moss Wood, M44 5JT
- Refreshments can be obtained at the station café located at Irlam train station
- Toilets are available at the station café
- Please wear sensible clothing and footwear
- The route has roads with potholes and uneven paths through farmland, so please be advised that it is not suitable for wheelchairs
- The full trail is available on Strava (linked below)
The Route
Irlam Train Station
Starting at Irlam Train Station go under the railway subway and turn right onto Liverpool Road.
Continue along Liverpool Road for 200m and then turn right up Dean Road next to St Vincents/Reynolds Court. Walk in a northwesterly direction for 180m on Dean Road and look out for a public footpath on the left that will take you to Allotment Road and follow this path past Jellicoe Avenue and Rivington Road. 180m after Rivington Road on your right is a public footpath through the allotments. Follow this to New Moss Road junction. Turn right over the bridge and it becomes Moss Road. Walk for 300m and you will have reached New Moss Wood car park .
New Moss Wood
New Moss Wood was used in agriculture as a market garden farm up until the 90’s when it was purchased by the Woodland Trust, who created a broadleaf woodland. Feel free to explore New Moss Wood before continuing on with the trail. There is an Adventure Trail for youngsters and a Ghost Wolf Poetry Trail, a link for the trail can be found below.
Once you have finished exploring, turn left out of the car park and walk up Moss Road for 1.8km towards Little Woolden Moss. You will walk past Woolden Road, cross over the M62 and past a number of wonderful farms to reach Little Woolden Moss. There will be a gate to a private road/public right of way at the end of Moss Road, continue on ahead.
Little Woolden Moss
Little Woolden Moss was used for peat extraction until 2012, which left the site drained of water and devoid of vegetation. The Lancashire Wildlife Trust worked hard to restore the site, blocking the drains to raise the water level and planting key mossland species such as Cotton-grasses, Cross-leaved Heath and sphagnums mosses, creating a wildlife haven abundant in dragonflies, hares, and wetland birds.
There is a bridge leading into Little Woolden Moss, cross this and you will be in the nature reserve. Once on the nature reserve turn right and walk in an easterly direction for 450m. Please stick to the designated footpaths as the ground is boggy. Continue on until you reach the waymarker, from here follow the directions for Astley Road. It is possible to walk beyond this but this is the return point for Astley road. This will take you right towards Cadishhead Moss (no public access), and through the car park and out the gate.
Follow the route, you will come across a unique house on your right, which is always worth a look at as you can see something new every time!, before turning right onto Astley Road / Four Lane Ends. Take care here, the road is full of potholes. Walk for a further 1.5km, crossing over the M62 again, until you reach Astley Road at the junction with Roscoe Road. Bear right.
Walk a further 1km to reach Liverpool Road and then turn right. Continue another 100 metres and veer right onto Station Road towards Irlam Train Station.
After completing this wonderful heritage loop stop of at the station cafe for a well deserved cup of tea and cake!
Useful links and Trails
To find the route on Strava, follow the link below:
The Timewalk of Chat Moss with audio | 7.4 km Walking Route on Strava
To access a printable leaflet, follow the link below:
Salford Heritage Timewalk | Carbon Landscapes
Want to see the route being walked before setting of yourself? Watch the Salford Heritage Loop final - YouTube that Lancashire Wildlife Trust has created. This video is 25 mins long and was created to make this walk accessable to everyone!
For those of you wanting to further explore New Moss Wood, The Ghost Wolf Poetry Trail is amazing! Download the IZI travel app bfore visiting and then download the trail. Instructions for the trail are on the app and also on our website.
Follow the link : New Moss Woods Ghost Wolf Poetry Trail Trail | izi.TRAVEL or use the QR code Below:
Poetry by award winning poet Laura Smithers https://lornasmithers.wordpress.com
For anyone who is interested in the history of the area, check out The Timewalk of Chat Moss Podcast (at the bottom of the page). Inspired by the RoundView by Dr Joanne Tippett, with help from Friends of Chat Moss and the Hamilton Davies Trust and narrated by Ed Darling.
Also watch our Youtube Video 'The Life and Time of Chat Moss' filming at Astley Mining Museum, script by Jules Mckiernan.
If you liked this trail also check out:
The Mossland Gateway Poetry Trail | izi.TRAVEL created by Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Poet Clare Shaw.
Take a walk and discover your creative side as Clare leads you on a walk to discover the beauty of Chatt Moss. Supported by Hamilton Davis Trust and Cadishead Library.
Here is a link to Maxwell's Davies "Chat Moss" by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
