Billinge Hill Circular

by David Chesworth
8 months ago
Near Billinge Chapel End, GB

47 views

Park the Car at the bottom of Roby Well Way(off Rainford Road Billinge.) Walk west to a tarmac road that heads north to Crookhurst Farm. Continue past the farm on the tarmac road and head towards the summit of Billinge Hill passing a field with ponies on R.H.S . Pass the gas capture site then take a left off the tarmac road onto a footpath leading to the summit of Billinge Hill (excellent views on a fine day)Continue past the stone summer house

Wikipedia Note

Billinge Hill is in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in North West England. With a maximum elevation of 179 m (587 ft), it is the highest point of Merseyside.[1][2] It lies in Billinge, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, and it is one of the 176 hills graded as a Marilyn in England.

A beacon tower is at the summit. Built as a summerhouse to Winstanley Hall in the 18th century, it was used for the Year 2000 celebrations. Most fireworks displays for miles around can be seen from the summit and people often gather there in small numbers to watch displays over the towns of Wigan and St Helens and the local village of Rainford. Over the years it has been covered in graffiti which was recently cleaned off and the metal panels restricting access to the inside of the beacon have been painted black.

Nearby to the northwest are several large transmitter masts which take advantage of the height and relative isolation of the land. The views are fairly extensive, notably to the southwest where, when clear, the mountains of Snowdonia, in Wales, can be seen and to the northeast Winter Hill can be seen. Looking east one sees Manchester and the Derbyshire Peak District. On a clear day, it is possible to see Blackpool Tower just over 25 miles (40 kilometers) away, the town of St. Helens and the Widnes–Runcorn bridge. Depending on the conditions and direction it is facing, the telescope at Jodrell Bank can be seen to the southeast, also just over 25 miles (40 kilometers) away.

Billinge Hill was also used by the Royal Observer Corps, and there was a bunker at the site, 60 yards (55 metres) west of and below the beacon. The beacon itself was used for aircraft observation during and after the war. The bunker would have been used to monitor the location of nuclear blasts and the resulting fallout over Lancashire in the event of nuclear war. The post opened in January 1960 and closed in October 1968.

Take the footpath down the hill avoiding the slippery direct route. Continue downhill retracing steps until back on the tarmac road near the gas capture site ( waste dumped here several years ago). Continue heading east along the footpath with fine southerly views. Join Beacon Road and continue until it meets Main Street. At this corner is a cafe serving ice cream etc. Cross the road at the traffic lights to Saint Aiden Church. Take a look around the Church and graveyard

Wikipedia Note

St Aidan's Church is in Main Street, Billinge, St Helens, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Liverpool. It was built in 1716–18 to replace a chapel of ease on the site and was remodelled and extended in 1907–08. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

In the Churchyard is a grave dated 1720, the stone coffin-shaped grave has been a feature of St Aidan's Church in Billinge, for over 300 years. It's certainly the churchyard's most striking grave and known locally as the 'vampire' grave thanks to its shape and unusual motif.
Carved into the stone is an emblem of a winged skull encircled by a serpent that is eating its tail. This is an ancient circular symbol known as an Ouroborus, where a snake or dragon devours its tail - representing the eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth. Meanwhile, above the skull is the carving of a curtain with an illegible inscription that has worn over time.

Take a left turn as you leave St Aidan Church and head along Newton Road. Just before you get to Lower Billinge Lane Farm cross the road and join a footpath heading south downhill towards Blackley Hurst Farm. At the farm follow the path to the right for a short distance then turn left heading in a southerly direction. Follow this path (can be muddy in wet weather) with wood on R.H. S. Cross the stream ( a drop of 5ft ) and join the part paved path on the other side. Turn right and head west to join Garswood Road. Partway along the road has a tarmac surface and joins a housing estate. Continue through housing estate until you join Main Street. Turn left and pass Belinis Bar & Ristorante. Continue along Main Street and follow right onto Rainford Road. Stop for refreshments at the shopping centre if required. (choice of two cafes) Cross Rainford Road and head west back to walk starting point