29/01/2017 Sunday Car - Witton Park, Blackburn / Penwortham

B Walk - Witton Park, Blackburn with Chris Cook 

8 miles (12.9km) with minimal climbing

Meet at Crematorium Entrance (Tower Road) Off A674, Witton Park (Sat Nav BB2 2TP) ready for the usual start time of 10.30am.

From the car park we take a path through Crow Wood to climb to the highest point of the walk today, Billinge Hill. Turning West we take the Witton Weaver’s Way through fields to Hoghton Bottoms. We walk by the River Darwen via the viaduct, through woods to Feniscowles. Here we join the canal tow path for one and a half miles back to Witton Park. HAPPY DAYS!

C Walk -  Ribble Way & Guild Wheel with Bob Tognarelli 

5 miles (8km) with minimal climbing

Meet at Hurst Grange Car Park on Hill Road, Penwortham (Sat Nav: PR1 9XH), ready for the usual start time of 10.30am.

This walk will be like visiting an old friend as I am sure most have walked the Ribble Way, Guild Wheel and nearby paths many times, but it still will be a pleasant walk of around 5 miles. There is a short easy descent from the car park down to the Ribble. Since it is January the walk will be on good paths following the south side of the Ribble, before turning onto the old tram way which will take us to the path leading to the A6. Crossing the A6 we pick up with the Guild Wheel for a short distance to connect with the Ribble Way. We follow the Ribble Way until it again connects with the Guild Wheel which we then follow back to the parks and onwards to cross back over the Ribble at the old Penwortham Bridge. Now all that remains is the short climb back to the Hill Road car park.

18/01/2017 Stroller - Meal

Meal
No Walk

No walk this month but a meal at Lakeside Coffee House, Charnock Farm, Wigan Road, Leyland (Sat Nav: PR25 5DA). 12.15pm for 12.30pm.

15/01/2017 Coach Walk - Malham

8:00 start with 17:30 return

A Walk - Malham Mysteries with Dave Colbert

11 miles (18km) with 1900ft (580m) Total Ascent

Way back in the mists of time (well in 1992 anyway), the pages of ‘Footprints’ reverberated to furious academic debate regarding the disappearance from Cumbria of the Horvhet or Lakeland Pygmies, a theory first put forward by the late Professor TSK Fullalore and researched in depth by a Dr Bente Kanin-Vakmester from Tromso University. More recently, others have alleged that this disappearance was the responsibility of the ‘Ogri’, a race of carnivorous standing stones said to inhabit the area around Malham Tarn, but despite extensive investigations by Celtic stravaiger Evad Trebloc, no hard evidence has yet come to light. Maybe today some will, or maybe not, but we can certainly try on this clockwise circuit of the Tarn from Malham by way of Grizedales (553m/1,815ft), Great Close Hill (465m/1,526ft) and Watlowes Valley.

B+ Walk - Tarn Tantaliser with Merriel Nutter

9 miles (14.5km) with 1300ft (396m) Total Ascent

This walk may be 'tweaked' depending on recce and weather.

We leave the coach at Airton and follow the Pennine Way towards Kirkby Malham, at Hanlith Hall road head north easterly  through Hanlith to Windy Pike Lane and Weets Top. Down north, then north east to Smearbottoms Lane, not literally I hope!

Westerly on Hawthornes Lane to Gordale Bridge. Following a path west to the road at Malham Rakes, there may be time to have a look at Janets Foss? Continue north east over the road, past Sheriff Hill and the field system at Trougate towards Malham Tarn. If time allows continue to Lings Plantation and return on the Pennine Way for teas etc in Malham.

B Walk - Malham & See The Dales with Chris Cook

8 miles (12.9km) with 1495ft (455m) Total Ascent

We head south to the Pennine Way to Airton, Calton and onto Hanlith where we turn and head for Weets Top. Leaving Weets Top we walk ¾ of a mile on a quiet road (passing the way to Gordale Scar) and onto Janet’s Cave where The Queen of all the fairies lives. She showers underneath the water fall at 12 noon every Sunday. Let’s hope we are there at the right time! Then its back to the Pennine Way and Malham. HAPPY DAYS!

C Walk - Becks Scars & Coves with Pete Stevens

5¼miles (8.4km) with 400ft (122m) Total Ascent

Today's walk is quite an interesting walk. We will take in Janet's Foss famous for fairies, its waterfall which was used as the location of the fictional Molkham Falls as featured in the 2006 independent British film, WATERFALL. Filming took place there in May 2006. Gordale Scar with its two waterfalls and overhanging limestone cliffs over 100 metres high and finally Malham Cove, an ancient waterfall now dry which has left a huge curved amphitheatre shaped cliff formation of limestone rock. Scenes for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows were filmed here.

We start today's walk from the visitor centre car park where toilets are available. Following Gordale Beck we make our way to Janet's Foss following good paths. From here we continue our walk to Gordale Bridge, where a short walk on Gordale Lane leads us to a path that takes us into Gordale Scar. Retracing our steps back to Gordale Bridge, we start a gentle ascent over the next mile or so where we slowly gain height as we cross fields and follow footpaths which will bring us out at the top of Malham Cove on the limestone pavement.

From the top of the cove we descent the 420 steps (never counted them to be sure!) to the foot of the horse shoe cliff which was an impressive waterfall before the river found an easier route through the porous limestone. We are now on the homeward stretch and follow a minor road back towards the village where refreshments and the coach awaits.

12/01/2017 Thursday Car - Scorton

B Walk - Scorton with Chris Cook 

8 miles (12.9km) with 700ft (213m) Total Ascent

Meet at Scorton Picnic Site (Sat Nav: PR3 1BU), ready for the usual start time of 10.30am.

Leaving the picnic site we bear left over the motorway to Foxhouses. We walk through the woods and then pass the Fishing Lakes following The Wyre Way to Dolphinholme. From here we make our way to Harris End Fell, then down to Sykes Farm and on to Clifton's. We follow the road back to the picnic site. HAPPY DAYS!