Risley Moss

Our local Moss is an isolated fragment of the extensive Chat Moss which historically covered a huge area and extended westwards from what is now Greater Manchester.

We enjoy our short walks here, but it isn’t everyone’s “cup of tea”. In 1726 Daniel Defoe wrote: “the surface at a distance looks black and dirty, and is indeed frightful to think of ….. what Nature meant by such a useless production, ‘tis hard to imagine, but the land is entirely waste”. At that time Nature wasn’t appreciated in the way that it is appreciated now. We appreciate things a lot more when there is so little left, even on a day as grey and gloomy as this one (although contrary to forecast whilst very breezy it stayed dry).