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| Distance: |
12 miles, but feels like 24 |
| Time: |
5 Hours or more. Needs an early start. |
| Height: |
1175 feet. Take the oxygen cylinder
Min. |
| Difficulty: |
Some hard slogging, boggy bits, and
beer easily quaffed. Beware of sheep ambushes. |
| Scenery: |
Beautiful, sweeping dales, streams,
wildlife, and a delightful little village, passing a kiln a mill,
and touching the pathways of the Pennine Way. |
| Location: |
Start SD 939471 |
| Maps: |
Outdoor leisure 21. South Pennines.
or UMS
maps Goto |
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1
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Park
in the lay-by at SD939472 and walk downhill to the footpath across
the road. Access to the Pennine Way is at SD939471, indicated here
(pictured) by a wooden gate and sign. Head east towards Pinhaw Beacon,
passing an abundance of heather and variety of grasses on both sides. |
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2
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You
should soon see the Trig point coming into view directly in front
of you. Pass here at SD944472 and continue this path admiring the
view. A sign on the earth over to your left requests you to keep to
the Pennine way...go forward. |
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3
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Reaching
the corner of a dry stone wall, edge to the left, keeping the wall
on your right, and beware of boggy ground in this area for some considerable
yards. There are two sets of boardwalk to help you (supposedly) over
the worst of the mud. You have done your first mile at this point.
The wall on your right comes to an end, and the path turns sharp right
...follow this down to a stone stepped stile with its small hinged
wooden gate, (seen here,) go over this, and continue on; keeping the
wall on your right. |
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4
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You
will pass an industrial area on your left...eventually finding yourself
funnelled into a gap between two high walls either side of you. At
the end go over this pictured stone stile, then down the lane (not
right towards the farm) and at the bottom, cross over the B road (after
passing a Pennine way sign.) Climb the stile in front of you, at SD957469
noticing as you do, the farmhouse and outhouses in the far distance,
the pathway to the right of the farm as well as the electricity mast
at the top of the hill beyond it. This is where you are heading for
next. |
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5
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Move
towards a five bar gate directly ahead of you and not to the right.
A stile with wood posts (pictured here) is next, ignore the direction
arrow to the right once over this, but carry straight on instead.
Keep to the left as much as possible here. Walk towards a wall on
your left and eventually on a path ...a small ravine appears over
on your right. |
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6
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Appearing
in front of you (pictured), is a two stepped stone stile to the right
of the gate. Go over this and into the gully, keeping as best you
can to the left. This is a very boggy area and needs a certain
amount of care when dry, but if there are really wet conditions, take
care not to lose your boots! You have then to veer right...at this
point...make your way to the right wall side straight away, and then
head on up. I found this a very taxing climb. Pass the farm on your
left, watch out for the magnificent views over to your right, and
behind you. On reaching the pathway, turn right and follow it upwards.
You have now done two miles! |
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7
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The
lane curves sharply to the left, and within 75 yards you reach a three
stepped stile over on the right, seen here at SD964464. Go over this
and follow the dry stone wall on your left till its end. Turn left
and go towards the metal gate. Should you wish to, you may try and
seek out three carved milestones, one is on the ground, hidden against
the wall, before you leave the field; the other two are on the gate...
At the road, turn right. Continue to walk down this road (Babyhouse
Lane) until you reach the crossroads, where you turn right towards
Lothersdale. About 500 yards along on the left, look out for a Public
Footpath. |
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8
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At
the fingerpost turn left onto the public footpath and go through the
very large metal gate, head for the left of the copse of trees ahead.
Turn left and going over the stone stepped stile, and 50 yards along
over another stile into an open field. Go left following and keeping
the long line of hawthorns on your left. |
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9
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Go
forward over a couple of stiles before you find yourself in someone's
back garden. (see picture) walk through onto a tarmac forecourt, and
cattle grid, and through the next three stiles. Now go over a four
stepped stone stile, heading towards a farmhouse, go past it and turn
right at the wall, go over a wooden style and then a three stepped
stone style to your left. On this road, turn right and go downhill
to the next stone stepped stile across the way a hundred yards down
on your left. Once over keep the wall on your right and continue along
this footpath. |
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10
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Go
over 3 more stone stepped stiles, a barn is over on the right, about
100yds ahead. At about 20yds past this on your right, is an open gate,
turn right through this, come back on yourself, as if going into the
house, over on your left is the PF covered by a slab of standing stone
at Cookhouse SD983449 shown here...go over this and into the field,
taking care should there be any electric fencing up... (used here
occasionally)...and head downhill (you should be able to see directly
ahead and in the distant hills ...the salt and pepper monoliths)... |
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11
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..about
500 yards down, and over to your right look for a pair of double wooden
gates. At these gates, seen here SD983447, enter Birks, and take the
left track. Head towards the house with the conservatory, passing
its edge on your right. Down the hill, over on your right, head towards
and go through a large five bar wooden gate or its companion stile.
Another five bar wooden diamond gate or its stone stile again right
of the gate, and onto a B road, turning left. Wander over the river
via a green cast iron, railed bridge. |
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12
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Just
after the bridge, the road turns sharp left and you have to look out
for a gap in the hedge over on the right. Squeeze into the field,
and climb up the hill for 50 yards, over these stone steps, onto another
small B road. You may need to remove some weight, or your pack to
get through this one, but once past you will find a wooden bench on
the other side, dedicated to Nathan Jennings of Cowling to rest your
aching limbs. |
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13
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At
the road, opposite the gap you have just come out of, is a junction
just to the left. Take this and head downhill towards a bridge, turn
right for about a 100yds. Go over a wooden bridge on your right, at
SD981443 then follow the path ahead uphill and up about 18 steps.
Keeping the river on your left, take it easy and enjoy this next stretch
along some very pretty pastureland. Over on the right is a disused
kiln, should you wish to investigate...go forward through a couple
of gates, and 50 yards after the last one is a wood bridge. |
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14
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Go over the bridge on your left, (it has a wooden gate at the far
end of it,) at SD975439, then through a five bar wooden gate. Follow
the path, and past a seat dedicated to Brian Garside on the right.
Turning right up a footpath directly after it, to find yourself
on a green lane through a metal gate. At the wooden diamond gate
seen here in the picture, take the stile on its left, and follow
a cinder track, passing these farm outhouses on your left.
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15
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Follow
the track (Cinder Hill Lane) and passing in turn, a communications
mast on your left, a church on the right, and finally walk direcly
ahead at a small crossroads, passing Town End Farm entrance on your
right and into the village of Ickornshaw. Over on your right is a
derelict Wesleyan chapel; turning right at the end of this tall building,
you see public toilets up ahead, and to the right of these, our route
picks up the Pennine way, at SD966430. Follow this in a northerly
direction, passing Glen Royd Terrace over on your right, and after
300 yds you will notice running water from a stone trough on your
left. Opposite this is a metal mesh gate (see picture) in the wall
on the right. Go through this, and continue the path to the road,
passing outhouses on your right. |
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16
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Once
on the road turn left and then turn into this downhill junction on
your right. (see picture). |
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17
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At
the bottom of the road turn left after the bridge and go along the
track to the end where you will meet this gate, at SD966436. (pictured)
Go through the small swing gate to it's right. Keeping the pedestrian
gate directly behind you, move forward towards a derelict wall, and
go through the gap at its right. Now stay on the Pennine Way. Go respectively,
through a swing wood gate, over a two stepped stone stile, up a hill,
and through another swing wood gate, marked with a yellow dot. Allow
yourself the pleasure of looking back now and then at the views towards
the crag. |
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18
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At
a pair of double gates, ignore the diamond gate on your left, but
take the marked gate on the right, with its stone stepped stile. Go
through another 5 bar diamond gate, to the end of the path. You have
to turn left at the end of the field wall, then watch out for this
five bar diamond gate and stone stile on the right, (pictured) about
50 yards down. Go over this and move towards the old farmhouse |
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19
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You
pass between a wood post and a tall stone, and have to follow the
Pennine route passing to the left of the building. Continue through
a wire gate, at the end of the building. Next is a double diamond
wood gate, go through the gap on its right. At a rickety old gate
is a wooden stile seen here. (pictured) Enter the roadway turning
right, at SD961445 and take the first left. The road goes downhill
giving excellent views all around, and as it curves left... then right,
you need to take the signed pathway... just after this second curve.
Climb over the three stepped stone stile and finger post at this point,
and follow the wall on your left. |
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20
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About half way down the gulley a track over on your right...get
onto this and head towards two double gates at the bottom left of
this field. Take the gate on the right, and continue downhill with
the drystone wall on your left.
At the bottom of this field, cross over Surgill Beck, at SD960452,
and through this gate (pictured).
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21
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Walk
uphill staying fairly straight and as close as possible to the fence
which should be at your right. Head for the meeting of the wall and
wire fencing. Then as you get to the wall turn right through a gap
there, and head around the hillside noticing a farm over and down
the slope to the right. As you reach the end of the right hand corner
of the field you will see a large wooden gate, and the village of
Lothersdale and its church down below you to the right. Turn left
at the lane, and make your way over grass to the derelict wall on
the right, and now just follow the pathway into the village. |
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22
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No
doubt you will have a short rest in the pub...once refreshed go past
and you will see a sign on your left for the Pennine way, at SD959459.
Go up this dirt track and follow through to a metal seven bar gate,
slipping elegantly through the space on its left. Keep the fence on
your left and pass the farm buildings over to the right. Now with
a wire fence on your left, as well as beautiful views, a dry stone
wall appears in front of you...keep this to your left, and follow
on. |
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23
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Follow
the acorn sign, and a redundant stile on your left. Just before the
corner of the field, go over the stone stepped stile with wooden rails
on your left. Once over, head for the wooden five bar diamond gate
ahead, and then climb the stone stile at SD957469. You should now
be able to retrace your steps back to the lay-by, via the moor path. |
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There are no toilets along this
route except at the pub in Lothersdale
and the Public Toilets in Ickornshaw
Walkabout
Checklist : Print this out and take it with you...
This walk (and pictures) submitted by Crag Face. Good work, fella.
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