Local Walks in Oldham and beyond

For nature walks in Oldham, the 40 hectare landscape in the heart of the Medlock Valley is right on Smokies Park’s doorstep. There are waterways, a lake, a canal, woodlands and wildflower meadows, it’s a great spot for wildlife and bird-spotting walks – look out for great-spotted woodpeckers, owls and foxes.

A little further on in nearby Saddleworth, the Peak District National Park offers the opportunity for some longer hikes. A range of trails from easy through to challenging, including some wheelchair accessible routes, take in some breathtaking vistas, conifer woodlands and waterfall scrambles.

If you’re heading to the Capital of the North and want to incorporate a stroll, the Castlefield Viaduct is our top recommendation. Housed within a disused part of the train viaduct that towers over the canal basin, the sky park has gorgeous views of Manchester above the hustle and bustle of the city.

Rising above the town of Shaw as the gateway to the Pennine Hills, Crompton Moor is a 75 hectare site full of open moorland, pine woodland and dramatic quarries. A network of public footpaths cross the moors and woodlands including the Oldham Way and the Crompton Circuit. A great spot for a scenic walk in Oldham area.

Not far from Crompton Moor, the magnificent beech woodland and open grassland at Tandle Hill offers some stunning panoramas of the local countryside. From the park’s highest point, the Welsh Mountains can be seen on a clear day with a 1920s war memorial marking the summit. There are many pleasant rambles and routes to be found through the woods and grasslands.