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Walk Summary:  Hard 7.0 mile circular walk in Saddleworth from Dobcross, across to Delph and up to the Roman fort at Castle Shaw, across to the A62 Parking area, down to Diggle and back to Dobcross.
Start : Swan Inn pub, Dobcross
Locality: Dobcross, Saddleworth
Area: West
Start OS Grid reference: SD9924206639
Start What3words: tributes.jars.repair
Difficulty: Hard
Distance miles: 7.0
Ascent meters: 325
Estimated Walk Time  hours: 3.8
Pub & Locality: Swan Inn at Dobcross
Parking: Difficult parking near pub in centre of Dobcross but ample parking 10 minutes away on roadsides on edge of village
Public Transport: Buses 310/314/316 Holmfirth to Huddersfield then train to Greenfield and Bus 356 to Oldham, stop at Dobcross Square. Journey time 1hr 45 mins. Check bus routes and times.
Walk Description: Walk up by side of Swan Inn pub (Long Lane). On Lark Hill, left down field paths to A62. Across into Sandbed Lane then paths along valley bottom to Activity Centre. Join lane left and across stile to Castleshaw Roman Fort (2). Onto lane to Bleak Hey Nook, left on track to cross A62 at Brun Clough reservoir. Follow Oldham Way down to Diggle and join canal towpath.   At road, cross and head right, towards the Navigation Hotel. Take the signed footpath left, just before the hotel car park, up to Sugar Lane and either follow left to Dobcross village (3) or use field paths opposite, back to Long Lane and the Swan Inn pub.
Other comments and points of interest:  (1) In Delph the area around the pond in Hull Brook to your left was a well known source of bakestones, essential for the production of oatcakes, a staple food item for hundreds of years.
(2) The Castleshaw Roman fort was built around AD79 but fell out of use during the AD90’s. It was then replaced by a fortlet in AD105. The layout and remains can be clearly seen and information boards provide interesting detail.
(3) Dobcross village – this seemingly insignificant but attractive village can lay claim to two remarkable superlatives. The first is that on Nicker Brow, which is the footpath leading down towards the viaduct at Brownhills, one Henry Platt started manufacturing textile processing machines in 1770. Such was the success of this enterprise that by 1879, then known as Platt Brothers and based in Oldham, it employed over 15,000 people and was the largest engineering company in the world.  The second superlative is related to the first.  By the 1930’s the depression was causing severe difficulties for manufacturing industry. Platt Brothers decided on a new initiative and to purchase the manufacturing rights for an advanced Japanese weaving loom. It doesn’t appear to have been a great success for Platts but the proceeds of the rights sale enabled the Japanese company to diversify into auto manufacture. The name? Toyota, now the largest auto manufacturer in the world.  And it all began in Dobcross!

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