Rag Pudding Mama

A fine day today, so Heather and I went off to Darwen to do the walk around the reservoirs, and, just for once, we took a packed lunch hence avoiding the Black Bull’s culinary masterpiece.

For those of you unfamiliar with the area, which is just of the A666 between Darwen and Bolton, there are three large, connected reservoirs in the valley. Turton & Entwistle, Wayoh and Jumbles as well as several smaller ones. These supply Bolton and surrounding areas with water.

The dam at the eastern end of the Turton & Entwistle reservoir was built in 1832 and was the first in the UK to exceed a height of 100 feet.

Wayoh reservoir was completed in 1876 and enlarged in 1962.

Jumbles was opened in March 1971 by Queen Elizabeth II. At its northern end is Jumbles quarry which is now flooded by the reservoir. The name Jumbles is thought to derive from a northern English term from the 19th century, ‘dumbles’, meaning a ravine like valley with wooded sides and a fast flowing stream. Never heard of it myself and I’m very old!

Armsgrove or Entwistle viaduct carries the railway line from Bolton to Blackburn. The area also carries remnants of a Roman road which ran from Manchester to Ribchester and there are traces of a Roman fort, probably a way station, at Edgworth.

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