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Peel Tower Walk
Total walk distance - 11 miles
Total walk time - 6 hours
Grade of walk - 2 or 3
Pub - Strawbery Duck
Walk details -
The memorial tower to Sir Robert Peel high above Ramsbottom was planned and erected at the same time as Bury was preparing its statue to the then recently deceased statesman who was born in Bury.
A public subscription provided the £1,000 needed to build the tower. The stone for the tower was obtained from the hillside. The Peel Tower was opened in September 1852, the day after the inauguration of the Baily's statue in Bury.
As at the earlier ceremony Frederick Peel was the principal guest of honour, and he declared the monument to be a splendid memorial to his father and to the principles of free trade. Local speakers included Joshua Knowles and John Robinson Kay.
Inside the entrance to the tower is an extract from Peel's speech to the House of Commons in 1846.
If the tower, in the words of the Manchester Guardian, is not 'a specimen of architectural beauty', it does provide a conspicuous landmark, and it also has a viewing platform from which to look across the surrounding countryside. The tower is 128 feet (39 m) high. A local Easter tradition entails people walking up the hill on Good Friday, often rolling hard boiled eggs down the steep sides, although the significance of this is unclear.
The tower was renovated in 1929 and at various other times. The tower closed after World War Two in 1947 and was reopened and rededicated in November 1985 by Conservative Councillor Alice Maders.
After this we will have a traditional Sunday lunch in the Strawbery Duck, which is a hidden gem and the best kept secret in Bolton.
Kit list: hat, gloves, warm clothes, waterproof jacket and trousers, walking trousers walking boots as may be slippy tea flask.
Regular walking can...
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fill you with energy and confidence
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help you beat stress
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make your heart fitter and strengthen your bones
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help you keep your weight down
