The Outwood Forest Park has been created through the restoration and reclamation of 80 hectares of former colliery, brickworks, railway and industrial land. The land between Radcliffe and Outwood village fell into disuse in several stages, starting with the closure of the Colliery in 1931, followed by subsequent closures including the railway, brickworks, power station and coal depot. Over the past 5 years this land has been transformed and now provides an environmental, recreational and ecological asset for the benefit of the community.
The parkland includes a range of varied recreational elements including the Irwell Sculpture Trail and the National Cycle Route. The Outwood Trail features the award winning restored Outwood Viaduct, and has a track specifically dedicated for use by the many horse riders in the area.
The borough's Millennium Woodland is also a major element within the wider parkland where the Council has joined with schools, youth and community groups and contractors to produce a new woodland on 35 hectares of land formerly occupied by mineworkings, colliery spoil and railway sidings. The project will involve a significant amount of new tree planting, but equally important is the need to establish a woodland which is safe, welcoming and accessible to the public, and with this in mind a number of new feeder paths have already been built to meet up with the Outwood Trail, forming circular walks through the woodland.
