Woodland Trust - Smithills Estate

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Woodland Trust - Smithills Estate

Welcome to England's largest Woodland Trust site, on the edge of Bolton and West Pennine moors.

From the historic village of Barrow Bridge up to the famous Winter Hill mast, the Smithills Estate is home to some of the best walks in Greater Manchester. Walker Fold Car Park opening times:

Summer
28th March - 31st October
6.30 am - 8.30 pm

Winter
1st November - 27th March
7.30 am - 5.30 pm

https://linktr.ee/WTSmithills

22/06/2026

Step-out at Smithills on July 1st and August 5th 🥾

Join our free, volunteer-led, 5km walk on the first Wednesday of each month, 11am–1pm!

Meeting point: Walker Fold Car Park, Walker Fold Road, Bolton BL1 7NH

Book using the link in our bio. Dogs on leads are welcome, and children aged 16+ accompanied by an adult.

All attendees can enjoy a free drink from The Coffee Box Bolton, on us!

📷️ Tony Greenwood

20/06/2026

Pause and breathe 🍃

Let the gentle sounds of Dean Brook ease your mind in this film by Olly Hitchin, one of our local volunteers.

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/pVH2plAzawk?si=6n5OgWys8FwsDU7i

Don’t forget to like & subscribe to support Olly! 💚

16/06/2026

Two Lads Restoration Timeline 🪨

This summer, the Woodland Trust are restoring the iconic Two Lads monument on Crooked Edge Hill.

To get involved and learn more about the project, please view the FAQ on our LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/WTSmithills

📷️ Sarah Woollam

15/06/2026

Shoutout to our Fire Wardens! 🎇

We’re incredibly grateful to our amazing fire wardens across the Smithills Estate.

During last months high fire risk, our volunteers were out encouraging fire-safe behaviour and keeping an eye out for fresh burns. Here are a few selfies from their rounds!

Thank you for helping keep our moorland safe ❤️

📷️ Pete, Olly, Collette, Bob, Trevor, Lawrence, Kiel

12/06/2026

We're revisiting the 2018 Smithills Moor wildfire🔥

On July 26th, we’re raising awareness of the long-term impact of moorland wildfires through an educational guided walk on a historically burned moor.

Join us to learn how the 41-day fire began, hear first-hand experiences, and explore its lasting impact on Smithills Moor. We’ll also share insight into current restoration efforts and fire response.

Meeting point: Woodland Trust Walker Fold Car Park, Walker Fold Road, Bolton BL6 6PR
Time: 2–6pm (approx. 4 hours)
Distance: ~3.8 miles / ~6 km

The event is free. Book using the link in our bio.
Dogs on leads welcome. Children aged 16+ must be accompanied by an adult.

📷️ Joel Goodman

10/06/2026

Smithills is in the spotlight 🎉

Last weekend the Woodland Trust Smithills Estate Team was featured in the Bolton News.

The article highlights the work of Katie and Eddee from the Smithills Estate team, inspiring more people to visit, explore, and reconnect with nature.

Read the piece to learn about their various projects and find out how you can get involved with the community activities happening at Smithills 🌳

📷️ Joe Regent

08/06/2026

Thank You to our community!

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our recent survey – we really appreciate your support. Your feedback is incredibly valuable and will help shape future activities, improvements, and decisions across the Smithills Estate.

We’ll be reviewing the responses over the next year, and will be back in 2027 to discuss proposed changes and ideas for Smithills. Keep your eyes out on our social media for more information.

We will be in touch with the gift card winners over email soon!

06/06/2026

Exciting events coming up at Smithills🚨

This June and July we are hosting a variety of outdoor (and indoor) events for you to get out in nature and explore the Estate's history!

You can book via Eventbrite - find the link in our bio.

If you have any questions, access requirements, or would like to join us for the walk but have any hesitations which we may be able to support you with, please get in touch: [email protected]

Made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.

📷️ Sarah Woollam, Joel Goodman, Katie Thompson, Eddee Endley

03/06/2026

Final Green Art Session 💚

Over the last year, we've been working in collaboration with Breakdown Bolton and Bolton GP Federation to deliver 12 creative nature-based sessions at Smithills for Bolton residents who have lived experience with mental health.

Last month, we delivered our final session which was a guided bat walk! Led by Russ from Nature Talks and Walks, we saw several pipistrelles hunting in the trees above us. We also hosted a celebration festival at Wild and Fruity, where some brilliant young people from the nearby school came to join in flower pressing.

Thank you to Bolton's Fund for supporting these sessions. 🦇 🌷

02/06/2026

Shoutout to our beautiful moorland on this 🤍💚

Do you recognise these shots from the Smithills Estate?

📷️ Katie Thompson, Richard Cooke, Sarah Woollam

Address

Woodland Trust Walker Fold Car Park, Walker Fold Road
Bolton
BL66GS

Website

https://linktr.ee/WTSmithills

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