7/31/2019 Stanza Stones Trail Guide Short Walk - RAIN STONE

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TiMe Taken 20 minutes each way.

disTance 2 km/1.2 miles each way.

access Through a squeeze stiledesigned to be accessible for buggies

and wheelchair users, and along a level,gravelled track. The gravel is not loose.Access info: 01706 373421.

refresHMenTs and ToileTs The White House Pub (see below) servesfood and is open all day. There is also a cafand toilets at Hollingworth Country ParkVisitor Centre OL15 0AQ, 15 minutesdrive away.

GeTTinG THere and ParkinG Travelling between Littleborough andRipponden on the A58 look out for TheWhite House Pub. (OL15 0LG, Map ref SD968178.) Park in the convenient car park onthe downhill side of the pub.

Th WWalk up the road past the pub to a largegate on the left beside the reservoir dam.

Go through the metal squeeze stile signed Pennine Way and take thegravelled track for about one mile.

Shortly before reaching a tall, imposingrock outcrop on your right, cross thedrainage ditch running beside you by anarrow miniature bridge.

Continue on the far side up to the rocks tofind rain carved into the rock face.

Wheelchair users wont be able to crossthe bridge but you can get a good view of the carving from the main track at a range

of about 20 metres.

THE RaIN STONEcoWs MouTH Quarry off THe a58liTTleborouGH To riPPonden

a , v w g g vt w th w

m t w t h.

a t th r stSimon has often been up here in adownpour and wrote rain with this exactspot in mind.

The old quarry is very popular with rockclimbers so we identified the best place forthe carving with the help of local climbersand the British Mountaineering Council.As its the very bottom section of a climb, alocal expert came out to show lettercarverPip the hand and foot holds so she couldlay rain out round them.

Look carefully as you approach CowsMouth Quarry and youll find small areasof pure white gravel glittering on the inkypeat evidence of how hard these rocksare. These are quartz crystals all thatremains of earlier gritstone, eroded overmillions of years.

This is the coarsest gritstone of all theStanza Stones, and more than once thequartz crystals chipped my tungstenchisel. P p H

Photo:the site of the

Rain Stone.

sTanza sTones PoeTry Trail Guide

s H o r T f a M i l y W a l k s

7/31/2019 Stanza Stones Trail Guide Short Walk - RAIN STONE

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RaIN STONE Walk

4kM/2.4 Miles in ToTal

Squeeze stile

White Housepub

Smallfootbridge

Viewpoint

A 5 8

R I P P O N D

E N

L I T T

L E B O

R O U G

H

BLACK STONEEDG E

RESERV OIR

LOCKEDGATE

DRAINAGEDITCH

COWS MOUTHQUARRY

N

Stanza Stone

Parking

Footbridge

Stile

Gate

Building

Gravelled track

Road

Stanza Stones TrailMAP KEY

b g th hw t t

sTanza sTones PoeTry Trail Guide

s H o r T f a M i l y W a l k s