28/01/2018 Sunday Car - Longridge / Preston

B Walk - Longridge with Chris Cook 

7½ miles (12km) with little climbing.

Meet at Longridge Civic Hall, Calder Ave (Sat Nav PR3 3HJ), ready for the usual start time of 10.30am.

Turning left from the car park we pass through Smiths playing fields to go down Lord's Lane to Longridge Road, Here we turn left and after 300 yards take a footpath through a wood to reach Inglewhite Road, We stay on this road a little while before heading north east, through the fields to Hill Chapel and school, We then go south east towards Cringlebrooks Farm, Tenter Hill, across Whittingham Road through an industrial estate before arriving at Stone Bridge and back to Civic Hall.

C Walk - Preston with Bob Tognarelli 

6½ miles (10km) with little climbing

Meet at Preston Sports Ground Car Park, South Meadow Lane (Sat Nav PR1 8JP), located on the left just before the Continental Pub ready for the usual start time of 10.30am.

Leaving the car park we head along Broadgate to cross over the Penwortham New Bridge, and join the Ribble Way going west. Initial on a tarmac path as far as Priory Park, but changing to a grass path (or mud if wet) as we come to the open fields below Penwortham. We then will follow the paths through the fields towards Penwortham, passing Nabsack Planting to meet a farm track which gently climbs up to Howick Cross Lane. Crossing Liverpool Road we to go through the suburbs of Penwortham to Cop lane and Hurst Grange Park. From the Park we make our way down hill to Penwortham Old Bridge, cross the bridge and then it´s a short walk back to the start car park.

Refreshments can be had either at the Continental or the Pavilion cafe, should anyone be thirsty or even peckish after the long walk.

17/01/2018 Stroller - Meal Only

Meal Only with LEADER
No Walk

No walk this month but a meal at Duxburys Garden Centre. 12.15pm for 12.30pm.

Meet at Maple Leaf Café, Duxburys Garden Centre, Whitestake (PR4 4LB).

14/01/2018 Coach Walk - Hebden Bridge

8:00 start with 16:30 return

A Walk - Black Hameldon with Dave Colbert

13½ miles (22km) with 2000ft (620m) Total Ascent

Black Hameldon sits squarely on the main watershed of Britain (and two River Calders) and would certainly meet Private Frazer´s definition of ‘A Wild and Lonely Place’.

We start from Holme Chapel (bizarrely just outside of Burnley) and follow the Pennine Bridleway up onto The Long Causeway, leaving this at the windfarm for a trackless tramp across Black Hameldon (479m/1,572ft) to the pass at Gorple Gate below the dramatic Gorple Stones. Here we rejoin the Pennine Bridleway and head down to Widdop Reservoir, thence via Clough Foot and Gorple Lower Reservoir and a short climb to the ancient Reaps Cross. Leaving the Pennine Bridleway we ascend Standing Stone Hill (a trig point here, nothing more) before descending into the deep-cut valley of Colden Clough, which leads directly to Mytholm and Hebden Bridge. If the weather is really bad we will stick with the Pennine Bridleway between The Long Causeway and Gorple Gate.

B+ Walk - Packhorse Trail Trot (Stoodley Pike) with Susan Banister

9½ miles (15.3km) with 1830ft (558m) Total Ascent

We leave Hebden Bridge and head west along the Rochdale canal before climbing up through Callis Wood and joining the Pennine Bridleway to Swillington and London Road. Dropping down we will pass through the beautiful village of Mankinholes with its 18th century cottages and stone water troughs, a sure sign that this was an important stopping point on these old packhorse trails.

Heading south from Mankinholes we join the Calderdale Way and start the steady climb up to Stoodley Pike monument which dominates the moors for miles around. It was first built in 1815 to celebrate peace at the end of the Napoleonic war but it collapsed in 1854 and was replaced 2 years later by the present structure. The internal spiral staircase can be climbed, using torches as it is pitch black, to reach a viewing platform. Well worth the effort.

We descend by Law Hill, Pinnacle and the tiny hamlet of Horsehold to follow the steep lane back to Hebden Bridge. Don´t forget your torches!

B Walk - Crimsworth Dean with Colin Manning

7½miles (12.1km) with 1000ft (304m) Total Ascent

At the time of writing these details I have been unable to recce the walk due to a felled tree on a vital part of the route (no pun intended). The local authorities where working on it and I am assured this tree will be gone well before we do the walk today. This means that all the details are as accurate as I can get without having been able to recce the walk.

So, starting our walk from Hebden Bridge we head up towards Mytholm and Heptonstall. Here, we continue north to Lee Bank before baring west to continue through woodland paths towards Shackleton and round to Hardcastle Crags. Further along we reach Walshaw where we turn to open field paths to head East to Lumb Hole Waterfall at the top of Crimsworth Dean. Turning back towards Hebden Bridge we now start a steady decent through woodland paths down alongside Crimsworth Dean. At New Bridge we continue south to Midghole and Lee wood. Our descent steepens here for a short while till we reach Nutclough and follow the road back in to Hebden Bridge.

C Walk - Stoodley Pike — Well almost! with Margaret & Bob

5½ miles (8.8km) with 600ft (182m) Total Ascent

Leaving Hebden Bridge we pass the Railway Station and go under the railway track to join the path through Crow Nest Woods. It is a good steady climb all the way through the woods, we then exit onto a hard track. Crossing the track we take the path signposted to Pinnacle Lane, which goes through open field, and involves more climbing to the Brents, and the junction at Pinnacle Lane. Then it´s along a good path on Kilnshaw Lane to Kershaw Farm. Sadly, this is our nearest point to the Stoodley Pike Monument.

We now join the Pennine way at Lower Rough Head for a short distance, before crossing fields to Pinnacle lane. Then it is a descent through open field to the edge of Callis wood and onto Horsehold and a further long descent on the road back down to Hebden Bridge. At this point we will have walked 4 miles. At Hebden Bridge the walk will continue along the canal and the river Calder for approx 1.5 miles.

11/01/2018 Thursday Car - Longridge Fell from Hurst Green

B Walk - Longridge Fell with Susan Grierson 

7 miles (11km) with 1024ft (306m) Total Ascent

Meet at Hurst Green Village Car Park (Sat Nav: BB7 9QB), ready for the usual start time of 10.30am.

Leaving the village we turn left onto Whalley Road. After a short road walk we turn left onto a track taking us past the school and Timothy Cottage, and on through fields towards Stonyhurst College. Passing the college we take the road past Stockbridge Cottages turning right into fields and making our way to Kemple End. At Kemple End we turn right up a broad forest track up Longridge Fell where we will have lunch.

After lunch we take a descending path through bracken leading us to a forest path and then briefly onto a road. We continue onto a cart track that leads to the ancient house 'Greengore'. We walk on through beech woodland and follow Dean Brook back to Hurst Green.

Earlier Archives

For earlier walk archives please consult the 'Programmes' and 'Footprints' Pages