Burwhi one

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As a child I used to be a regular visitor to Whitefield, but I never explored the area. Finding myself there with a few hours to spare, I was able to walk three Slow Ways, one after the other. This one runs from Bury Interchange to the tram station at Whitefield. To leave the interchange, look for a signpost for Bury Market, then use a complex pedestrian crossing before following Market Street past college buildings. Simply follow the road in a straight line all the way to Bury Cemetery. Follow a road and paths around the outside of the cemetery wall. It isn't obvious that you're supposed to keep left of a derelict gatehouse building, and a new housing estate has been built against part of the wall, so you have to find the continuation of the path. After passing sports facilities, a bit of a riverside walk does NOT run as marked on the map, but you have to follow a road past a duckpond instead. Next, there's a climb from the River Roch on the way to a golf course. You really need to watch your step to find the path onto the golf course. Although it's signposted opposite Hollins Bakery, you need to turn right at a little social club, then go through gates that appear to lead into someone's garden, and only then will you find a little gap in a hedge leading onto the golf course. Follow the path across the golf course, then take care in a wooded valley. As mentioned by another reviewer, the path can be very overgrown beside Parr Brook. It was much easier when I was there as all the vegetation had died back, and the sub-zero temperatures had frozen the muddy ground. You also need to take care climbing out of the valley into a housing estate at Ajax Drive, as the route is NOT marked correctly on the map. You need to turn left uphill BEFORE reaching a pipe spanning Parr Brook, otherwise you'll run into severe difficulties. I'm only giving two stars because this part of the route is pretty bad, and the map being wrong doesn't help. Everything else is simple road-walking, with green spaces being passed at St Bernadette's school and a little park beside Dunkirk Road. The route finishes at Whitefield tram station.

This is a good alternative to walking the main road between Bury and Whitefield, with the highlight being the playing fields at Goshen and the back of the cemetery. Walked this early one morning and it was very peaceful with lots of birds.

Note of caution for the section of path off Ajax Drive to Prospect Place (via crossing the golf course). I walked this early August and the path immediately off Ajax Dr was overgrown with Himalayan Balsam above head height, which made for difficult work. It's obviously not well used but probably no issue for most of the year when Balsam isn't growing.

The path across the golf course is not immediately apparent so GPS is quite handy at this point.

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