National nature reserve
Dog walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss
Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss is a national nature reserve of 541 hectares in Salford, 4.3 km from the middle of Irlam. 103 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 41% are under 3 km and 19% are loops.
See every dog walk near Irlam, or across Greater Manchester.
Three walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss
From the 103 walks that lie mostly in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss, those that start nearest its middle: a 7.5 km loop, a 6.4 km there and back and a 3.2 km one-way walk.
Where these go is in the app
Create an account- Near Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss (longest)7.5 km · 129 min · A loop
- Near Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss (in between)6.4 km · 109 min · There and back
- Near Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss (shortest)3.2 km · 54 min · One way
The land and what it asks of a dog
- Site of Special Scientific InterestAstley & Bedford Mosses SSSINatural England designations
- Special Area of ConservationManchester Mosses
- Site of Special Scientific InterestRisley Moss SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific InterestHolcroft Moss SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific InterestHighfield Moss SSSI
- Dogs on a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any timeThe 56 hectares that are open access landCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
- Open by permission, not by right82 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
- Open by right20 hectares of the woodland
Salford council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Wigan council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Warrington council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Signs on the ground may say more.
What the walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss are like
Every share is of the 103 walks that lie mostly in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss, with Irlam as a whole marked on each bar.
How far they go
Over 12 km: 5% of the walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss, against 12% near Irlam.
Where the walks fall by length. The five bars add up to the whole, give or take the rounding.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Irlam |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 km | 41% | 35% |
| 3 to 5 km | 23% | 21% |
| 5 to 8 km | 21% | 18% |
| 8 to 12 km | 7% | 12% |
| Over 12 km | 5% | 12% |
What shape they are
There and back the same way: 57% of the walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss, against 48% near Irlam.
A loop brings you back without repeating a step. There and back retraces the way out.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Irlam |
|---|---|---|
| A loop | 19% | 24% |
| There and back the same way | 57% | 48% |
| One way, ending somewhere else | 23% | 27% |
What is beside the path
Through a park or green space for a third or more: 88% of the walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss, against 27% near Irlam.
Shares of walks where the ground beside the path is a given kind for the stated part of the way.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Irlam |
|---|---|---|
| Under trees for a third or more of the way | 23% | 34% |
| Beside water for a tenth or more | 51% | 66% |
| On open access land for a third or more | 11% | 1% |
| Through a park or green space for a third or more | 88% | 27% |
| Off road for four fifths or more | 23% | 3% |
| On roads or lanes for half or more | 53% | 86% |
| Through built-up streets for half or more | <1% | 7% |
What might stop you
No busy road to cross: 94% of the walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss, against 57% near Irlam.
Shares of walks with none of each thing on the way. A road counts when it runs within about fifteen metres of the path.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Irlam |
|---|---|---|
| Never beside a fast road | 95% | 85% |
| Never beside a busy road | 92% | 57% |
| No busy road to cross | 94% | 57% |
| No stile, gate or cattle grid | 88% | 81% |
| No steps | 87% | 84% |
What is on the way
Pass a pub: 5% of the walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss, against 41% near Irlam.
Shares of walks that start by, or pass, each of these.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Irlam |
|---|---|---|
| Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road | 74% | 84% |
| Pass a pub | 5% | 41% |
| Pass a dog-waste bin | 19% | 34% |
| Pass a public toilet | <1% | 11% |
| Pass a drinking-water tap | <1% | <1% |
| Pass a busy beauty spot | 18% | 20% |
Measured on 20 October 2026 from the map. How these figures are made
Walks in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss, for your dog
If you live in Greater Manchester, it is your home county, and every walk in it is free, for good. Tell the app what your dog finds hard and it shows you walks that suit, with anything that might stop you shown first.
Anywhere in Great Britain, even with no signal.
Further is the Trekosa subscription. 23% of the walks here run under trees for a third of the way or more. It brings the Further map, 1:25,000, with contours, field walls and every right of way, while you have signal. Press Offline on a walk in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops. Part of Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss is open access land, where a path on the ground can be faint: drift off your line and the phone buzzes. It also opens walks beyond your home county, if Greater Manchester is not yours.
The first 250 households have it for good. After that, £4.99 a month or £34.99 a year.
Questions people ask
- Do dogs need a lead in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss?
- On the open access land, the law asks for a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any time. Salford has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 1 October 2026. Wigan has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 1 October 2026. Warrington has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 11 October 2026.
- How many dog walks are there in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss?
- 103 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss.
Getting there
2 car parks within Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss or at its edge, from OpenStreetMap.