[1]: 20  It originates in the outskirts of Middleton, and extends to Hollins Vale Nature Reserve[2] in Unsworth, flowing South East to North West.

[3]: 20  Whittle Brook forms part of the habitat for farmland birds as well as great crested newt and barn owl.

[4] Whittle Brook runs through a historically agricultural area, though has come into further contact with human settlement following the suburbanisation of its vicinity.

The earliest part of its history was suggested in 1984 when an archeological investigation concluded that there may have an iron smelting site on the banks of the brook.

In a 2021 report, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority stated that the 'u-shaped valleys of the brook and associated vegetation form pleasant characteristic features in the landscape.