THE view from the top of Rivington Pike often reveals a panorama from Anglesey, Snowdonia and the Clwydian Hills of North Wales, around to Blackpool Tower, Bowland and the Lake District.

You should be able to pick out the Reebok, Horwich, and the Rivington Reservoirs much closer at hand. On this walk we ascend the south face of Winter Hill from Barrow Bridge. You can also doff your cap at the "Will You Come O'Sunday Morning?" monument recording the 1896 access battle when 10,000 Boltonians reclaimed an ancient right of way across Winter Hill.

DISTANCE: 8 miles (allow three to four hours)

START: Barrow Bridge village (OS Grid Ref 687117). There are car parks on both the north and south side of the village on the left hand side. Barrow Bridge is reached from the traffic lights at the entrance to Moss Bank Park on Moss Bank Way (A58).

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Regular buses to Barrow Bridge from Bolton.

Use these route directions in conjunction with the relevant OS map (Explorer 287 West Pennine Moors)

Start the walk at the northern end of the village by the car park entrance on the left hand side of the road. An information board here highlights the history of the Miners Steps, which you are just about to climb. Go straight ahead along the lane from the car park, heading out of the village past the row of cottages on your right. When the road bends sharp right over a bridge continue ahead through a gateway. There are two tracks forking at this point.

Take the lower one nearest the stream. This leads through woodland to the 63 steps originally used by miners walking up to moorland collieries. Climb the steps and continue straight ahead up the spur of a hill until the path forks into two by a post. Take the left fork and the footpath heads for a stile by a stream - Dakin's Brook. Cross it and turn right, following the stream-side path gradually uphill to a roadside kissing gate.

Slightly to the left on the opposite side of the road, join narrow Matchmoor Lane. This lane is followed for the next half a mile so ignore paths on either side of it but keep to the lane as it zig-zags uphill past farms. After half a mile the lane bends sharp left and heads away along a straight course. This is at a crossroads of tracks so continue almost straight ahead here along the farm track signed for Slack Hall Farm. Continue ahead along the main track passing the farm over to your left and go through a gate. You are now on a wide grass track leading along Burnt Edge.

The track eventually swings right to gates at the head of the little valley to be seen down below to your right. Go through the gate to reach a waymarker signpost at a junction of paths. Leave the main track here and turn sharp left along a distinct grassy track, which runs alongside a wall at first then heads across rough pasture. This path soon reaches a stile leading on to the tarmac access road to the Winter Hill masts.

Turn right and follow the road towards the masts for a short distance (150m) before leaving it on the left hand side by a passing place and a fenced off water inlet. Follow the faint path here leading downhill along the left bank of a drain. You head towards Rivington Reservoir in the valley below and soon drop to a wall and a gate.

Go through the gate and turn right following the stony road - part of the old road to Belmont - uphill towards the Pike. After about mile you can leave it through a gate on the right and follow a grassy path straight up to the square shooting lodge on the Pike. To continue the walk drop down from the back of the tower to cross a stile and you will see the boggy route to the Winter Hill masts ahead of you. The masts are over a mile away and the walk takes a deceptively long time as you meander across springs and head directly for the big TV transmitter.

When you hit the access road turn right for a few metres, in the opposite direction to the brick transmitter station, and pick up a waymarked path with yellow arrows on the left hand side of the road. It leads across wooden platforms and soon bears right to follow a distinct path through heather heading gradually downhill towards Bolton and the prominent Barrow Bridge chimney in the valley below. Keep to the main path and you eventually pass the remains of an old shooting lodge on the right and go up and down steps skirting a wooded valley. A wall side is then followed to reach the stone monument recording Bolton's 1896 access battle. Go through the gate here and you join Coal Pit Road. Turn right and follow it only as far as the point where it crosses over a deep wooded clough.

On the far side of the clough, turn sharp left down the adjacent access track. Turn left in front of the buildings and keep to the waymarked path. This drops down a slope on the left, crosses a beck in the wooded clough and climbs up the other side of the little valley to a gateway. Enter the field on your right and the path follows the near wall side (with the wall to your left) heading towards Sheep Cote Farm. As you reach the farm buildings turn sharp right in the same field and drop downhill through a new plantation. Look out for the waymarkers and the path leads you to the edge of an older plantation. Enter this woodland and steps lead down to a footbridge. Cross this, bear left and a path through pasture leads to a bend in Colliers Row Road.

Turn right along the road and climb uphill only for a few metres until a signed path is reached on the left hand side of the road leading through Walker Fold. Pass between the stone farm buildings and a fenced surfaced path leads straight towards Barrow Bridge chimney. It drops down to the point by the post where the path forked at the start of the walk and you can retrace your steps from here to the village.