Woodland, wellies & crunchy autumn leaves

Catherine Aspinall, a local mum of two lively children and an equally energetic pug, shares her top family day out ideas. With a love for exploring and the outdoors, Catherine and her family are always out and about, having fun adventures in Rochdale & the North West. Follow on Facebook & Instagram @wherewegoingmummy

We have some beautiful woodland nearby; perfect for crunching autumn leaves and exploring with all the family.

HOPWOOD WOODS

• In between Castleton, Heywood and Middleton

• We park in the lay-by near Hopwood Hall College (M24 6XH), but there are other access points

These woods are so much bigger than you would expect from the road and we have previously spent nearly 2 hours exploring here. You might hit dead ends but you can just keep turning back and choosing different paths - up, down, through streams, over bridges, jumping onto tree stumps and balancing along logs… fun to be had by all! There are also a number of lovely carvings dotted around Hopwood Woods… including an owl, a rabbit, a woodpecker and… A GRUFFALO!

SYKE WOODS

• Rochdale

• You can park on Syke Road (near The Donkey, OL12 9TB) or on Buckley Road (OL12 9DT)

This is not a massive place but a lovely leafy spot, with little paths to explore, mini hills to conquer and ponds to find!

BARKERS WOOD

• Littleborough

• You could park on Starring Way or Starring Lane (OL15 8LP), but be mindful of residents

This is only a small wood but it is surrounded by countryside so you could easily extend your trip out with a lovely walk. Inside the wood, however, there are so many den building opportunities to keep you busy! There are also trees you can climb, stumps you can jump on and a bug hotel you can peep in… and make sure you keep your eyes peeled for colourful painted “Littleborough Rocks”!

ALKRINGTON WOODS

• Middleton

• There is a car park just off Manchester Old Road (M24 4EB) or street parking around the Hall Drive area (M24 1WD)

This is such a fantastic area for little explorers. You could easily spend a couple of hours wandering and that’s before you’ve thrown stones in the brook, played pooh sticks in the stream and spotted all the different birds on the lake.

Don’t forget to find the imposing Alkrington Hall, which overlooks the wood. It has a big hill in front of it which is perfect for running (or rolling) down. Dotted throughout the woods there are also some boardwalks to follow, bridges to ford and dens to find… and - if you’re lucky- you might stumble across a tree swing!