Manchester

Walk Details:
Date: 17/04/2005
Total ascent: 29m/ ft
Total distance walked: 083 miles
Walk difficulty: 1/10
Enjoyment rating: 4/10
Best bits: Views, stunning temple and house, ha ha, the mysterious hat
Worst bits: Rain and plenty of it
Walkers: Anth, Jim
Car Parking: There is plenty of free car parking within Heaton Park; we used the car park at SD 836 044

Top details:
Name: Heaton Park
County top number: 66 of 207
Grid reference: SD 83492 04558 View Map
Height above sea level: 108m/ 354ft
How nice was the top? 5.5/10
Views: 3/10
Description/Notes: The highest point of the Unitary Authority of Manchester is occupied by an ornamental temple

The Walk:

The drizzle that plagued us on Winter Hill had now turned into heavy rain, but nothing was about to stop us bagging our tenth and final top of the day – a new record for us. It was also a bit of a first – the first top adjacent to a manor house. Heaton Hall is actually now publicly owned; it’s rather special having a building like this open to the public for free.

We pulled up in a slightly muddied parking area in the middle of the park – we were quite surprised that cars were allowed to scar the grass in these way. However, they were prevented from driving further and ruining the view from the house by a large metal fence running the full width of the park. This was only a temporary barrier though; we wondered if there was some big event coming up.

Getting out of the car we headed up the gently sloping path towards Heaton Hall, and were pleased to cross a ha ha. I’ve always had a strange affection for these ditches – the aim of this one was clearly to keep animals away from the immediate environs of the house without destroying the view by building a fence or wall.

Looking right before we reached the house we immediately discerned the county top and set off up the hill towards it with wild whoops of joy (or at least with as much enthusiasm as its possible to muster when it’s freezing cold and raining!). For the highest point in Manchester had been generously decorated with a small ornamental “temple” surrounded by a generous circular patio area edged with an attractive balustrade. There was even a sign stating it was the highest point in Manchester. Unitary Tops don’t get much better than this!

The temple, known as the “Temple of the Winds” had a domed roof supported by several columns. We couldn’t get into it, although it looked as if someone had at one point – on a table inside was a rather forlorn looking hat. We could imagine the hapless owner returning the following day to find his hat locked away, forever to be gazed upon but unobtainable. Despite the rain there were several people at the temple, mainly admiring the fine views of the Peak District to the east (unfortunately to the north-west was the inevitable view of a radio mast).

We went back down the hill to have a look at Heaton Hall. Now I’m no expert on these big houses, but this one seemed pretty pleasing on the eye, with a very nice symmetry between the two wings. It did look a little run down though; a couple of windows were boarded up. I guess this is the price you pay for free access and public owner ship. We were especially pleased to find a stone lion and (unusually) a lioness lounging at the front of the house – this provided a happy continuity from the stone lions of the Warrington top and the real lions of the Knowsley top. We’d never had lions on a county top before and yet we seen three sets in one weekend of bagging!

We were glad to get back into the car and out of the cold and rain. We took the Snake Pass across the Pennines to reach our beds for the night at Castleton Youth Hostel, a charming and friendly hostel that provided us with the biggest bowls of pasta we’d ever eaten!