Astley Moss referred to today in a Guardian supplement: 'A Spotter's Guide to Urban Wildlife'. It says:
'Outside the city centre, the Greater Manchester area extending north and west into Lancashire contains some truly excellent places to watch wildlife. To the west, Astley Moss is one of the last remaining areas of wet bog in the region, a haven for breeding Curlews, Whinchats and Willow Tits, along with wintering Short-eared Owls, Hen Harriers and Merlins'.
I was really excited this morning to discover the route around the SSSI, thanks to the guide & aerial photo on this site. Up to now I have only ever been down the roads and one or two side paths.
What a fantastic place it is. Beautiful morning light today, and totally lonely - I could have been in a Scottish glen! The mix of vegetation and the wealth of bird life is stunning.
Being alone without prior knowledge of the paths, I think I found myself straying a bit, and was not entirely confident which bits had public access and which not, but I think I got it right in the end. This was WAY more than I have discovered down there before, and I'm really grateful to this site for the details of the area. Never been across the railway yet - or to the east pools - maybe next time!
Unfortunately there is no access to the Astley Moss East Pools I'm afraid as the path which allowed very restricted viewing anyway is very over grown as is the viewing area too.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 16th of May 2012 05:28:16 PM
