The River Medlock, Daisy Nook.
Daisy Nook is the name of an area of the Medlock Valley between Oldham, Failsworth and Ashton under Lyne.
The River Medlock runs through a steep-sided, wooded valley between Oldham and Ashton under Lyne, preventing the urban sprawl of the two towns joining up.
The area was originally called Waterhouses, but local writer and poet Ben Brierley wrote about the area in a short story entitled "A Day Out, or a Summer Ramble to Daisy Nook" published in the 1850s, and the name caught on.
During the Victorian period, Daisy Nook began to be a destination for afternoons out. Families would picnic by the river, walk by the canal, take a boat ride at Crime Lake and visit one of the refreshment facilities.
Canal basin and lock, Daisy Nook Country Park.
Each year at Easter visitors flocked from miles around to the large annual Daisy Nook Fair.
The chief features of the area are the River Medlock and the Hollinwood and Fairbottom Branch Canals.
The canals stopped being used around the 1920s, but luckily were not filled in. In the 1970s the area was developed into a country park and the canals and basins were made into a feature for visitors.
The area is very popular for short walks, sunbathing, fishing and horse riding, with several stables nearby. A garden centre in the valley bottom is a magnet for many people and the Easter Fair is still held each year.
The canal towpaths make attractive and level walks. There are plenty of seats and grassy areas for sitting and enjoying the scenery.
Waterhouses Aqueduct, 80 feet high, which carried the canal across the River Medlock, now carries a footpath and bridle track. Paddling in the river below is popular with youngsters in the summer.
Away from the canals, there are several footpaths through the woodland. Below is a photo of Riversvale Drive, once the carriage drive to Riversvale Hall, now offering a path into the country park from the main road at Bardsley Bridge.
"Sammy's Basin", once a canal basin, now a favourite spot for fishing.
Riversvale Drive, Daisy Nook Country Park, originally a carriage drive to Riversvale Hall.
Former canal basin and locks. There were four locks here; these two formed a staircase.
The dramatic Waterhouses Aqueduct, which carried the Hollinwood Canal across the River Medlock.
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Fairbottom Bobs.
Park Bridge.
The Hollinwood Branch Canal, which passes through Daisy Nook (external link).
The Hollinwood Canal Society website (external link).
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