Every year on the first of January, but not in the morning, we have a tradition to go to Tandle Hill country park for a walk and catch some sunshine along the way.
The area is very beautiful. In the foreground there is a beech forest and open fields of grass and woodlands.
The forest is really impressive. If you look closely you will see that some trees are covered with fine moss which seems like a soft, green velvet.
On many of them you can see orange mushrooms. Trees also come in a variety of shapes. Some are proudly straight and impressive, while others twist and turn in amazing shapes, as if they were taken straight out of a fairy tale.
Between the woodlands live abundance of animals and birds. Here is a raven proudly walking and looking a food
Tandle Hill is Royton's oldest country park in Grater Manchester and covers some 110 acres, which is an unusually large area between housing estates.
A walk to the top and around should take about 30 minutes. But if you are like me and are a great enthusiast of forests and hiking the walk will take up to 1.5 hours.
There are a lot of paths of varying difficulty, so there is something for everyone - from short and easy hikes to longer treks, each of which are marked with a color signifying the difficulty.
When you head to the top, in the heart of Tandle Hill, there is memorial to those who fell fighting in the First and Second World Wars.
‘’In Memory of the Men of Royton Who Gave their Lives for Freedom and Honors of their Country in Two World Wars 1914-1918 1939-1945’’
Tandle Hill is approximately 222 m (728 ft a.s.l.). When you finally reach the top, there is a view not only of nearby Oldham but also of the Manchester skyline.
We got to the top, but this time we didn't manage to capture the beautiful sunset over Manchester like we normally do. It was still well worth going there.
On the way to the top we looked for animals that supposedly inhabit the park according to the information board in the middle of the woods. Tandle Hill is a designed site of biological importance of fungi and bird populations. You can see there, among others: Bullfinch, Twite, Lesser Redpoll, bat, crow, rabbits, song Thrush and more.
This is a great place to watch birds. Although I didn't manage to see many of them, I had the opportunity to observe a raven, a squirrel and a magpie all at once in one place. However, I could not continue watching for long, because there were a lot of people walking with dogs around who chased the birds from one side to the other, enjoying the time in the fresh air.
I remember the moment when I managed to watch a raven with beautifully shimmering feathers, which perched on a branch for a moment and looked around.
I am never disappointed when I visit Tandle Hill, even when I fail to see the rays of sunshine over Manchester on the hill. It is always worth coming here, observing the surrounding nature, birds and trees, breathing in the air and relaxing.