Going for a walk through the trees has to be one of the best activities to do during autumn. There’s something cosy about wrapping up on a crisp day and heading outside, while the chilly air leaves you feeling invigorated.
What really makes this time of year so special is the colourful display nature puts on, with green leaves transformed into various hues of orange and red. Tucked within the boundaries of the M60 in Blackley, Boggart Hole Clough is the place to go if you’re looking for an atmospheric woodland walk.
The 190-acre-park is part urban park, part ancient woodland. On the face of it there’s all the features you’d expect from a Greater Manchester park : a boating lake, a cafe, a fishing pond and a children’s play area.
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Yet follow one of the paths into the woodland of Boggart Hole Clough and you’ll discover a different world. Hidden among the trees are cloughs; a local dialect word for steep-sided, tree-lined ravines and gullies.
The unique landscape gives this patch of woodland a magical and slightly eerie feel, especially when there’s low-lying mist and crunchy leaves underfoot. You’d be forgiven if you feel a chill down your neck when you walk around Boggart Hole Clough, though, as it's reputedly haunted.
As its name suggests, the area is said to be home to a boggart, a mysterious mischievous creature which has its roots in Lancashire folklore. Boggarts are believed to inhabit holes, ditches and nooks under bridges.
Whether you’re one for scary stories or not, it’s still a gorgeous area of woodland to explore. There’s different trails through the trees you can follow and lots of autumnal colours to admire.
If you don’t fancy venturing into the woods, a walk around the boating lake is a less spooky alternative. Keep your eyes peeled for the resident heron, which you may spot among the usual ducks and geese.
Boggart Hall Clough became a designated Local Nature Reserve in 2008, but historically the park has been used for public meetings. Suffragettes held meetings there and Keir Hardie, the first Labour party leader in Parliament also held meetings there, so the park is full of history.
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