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Saddleworth

Situated east from the centre of Oldham, the Saddleworth area is situated on The Pennines hill range and is noted for its hilly landscape. Saddleworth is formed by a collection of villages, including Springhead, Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Grasscroft, Diggle, Delph, Denshaw, Grotton, Lydgate, Friezland, Austerlands and Scouthead.
 

Dovestone Reservoir

Saddleworth has a large number of annual customs and traditions, many of which are held during Pentecost. On Whit Friday morning, congregations from the churches of all of the Saddleworth villages parade into Uppermill, where a religious service is held. Later in the evening, the Whit Friday brass band contests take place. The band contests originated in Saddleworth and the nearby towns of Mossley and Stalybridge, and are still centered on the local area. Bands from around the UK travel to the area annually to compete. Due to the huge popularity of the event, Whit Friday band contests are now held in many of Saddleworth's surrounding towns. On the following Saturday, the Beer Walk is held. This is a massive fundraising event where participants walk around Saddleworth in fancy dress, stopping off at many of Saddleworth's pubs along the way for half a pint of beer or lager. Spectators are encouraged to give money to the participants for charity.

Although no longer officially within Yorkshire, many residents consider Saddleworth to still be within the historical boundaries of the county.
 

Delph is a village in the Saddleworth area. With a population of around 2,000 it consists of a variety of stone cottages nestled in a pennine valley.

The centre of this picturesque village has barely changed from its 19th century heyday, when small mills were at the heart of a thriving community. The place name of Delph is derived from the Old English word 'Delf', meaning a quarry and refers to the bakestone quarries which lay at the lower end of the Castleshaw Valley just north of the village. The bakestones were quarried as tiles up to three quarters of an inch thick and used to bake oatcakes and muffins. The industry was in existence well before 1330 and only died out in 1930: examples of bakestones are available in Saddleworth Museum.

Delph is an ideal start for walks up the Castleshaw Valley to the Roman Fort. High on a hill above Delph sits the bleak, lonely site of Castleshaw Fort, one of a series built on the Roman military road from Chester to York. Excavations finished in 1988. The banks and ditches have been reconstructed to give visitors an artist's impression of the scale of the fort as it was. Saddleworth Museum's display tells the story of the landscape, archaeology and history of this Roman site.

The Millgate Centre in Delph is the venue for a wide range of plays and films.