Walking

The walk starts in the hamlet of Tosside, which straddles the Lancashire/Yorkshire border on a hillside watershed.The route takes the Forestry Commission tracks through Gisburn Forest, before descending to Stocks Reservoir and dropping down to the River Hodder and Slaidburn village.

Clitheroe to Chatburn then Chatburn to Bolton-by-Bowland

Starting at the site of a Civil War rebellion, this route passes through one of the oldest villages in Lancashire and takes us, via an ancient highway, past an ancient rabbit breeding ground.

Bolton-by-Bowland to Slaidburn, Slaidburn to Dunsop Bridge then Dunsop Bridge to Whitewell

Leaving the beautiful church of St Peter and St Paul in Bolton-by-Bowland, we pass through peaceful moorland and the home of a 16th century rebel, to the picturesque village of Slaidburn.

Whitewell to Chipping, Chipping to Bashall Eaves then Bashall Eaves to Clitheroe

The walk takes us from the former hunting grounds of Whitewell to the old market town of Chipping, passing a disused lime kiln and ancient forest boundaries.

Following the arrival of the railway, Longridge boomed. Between 1850 and 1874, four coal-powered cotton weaving mills were built along the railway line. This was accompanied by an influx of workers. Houses were built for them in the Stonebridge area, in Berry Lane and in the streets built off it. The Churches, Berry Lane School and the Co-op building were all completed by 1890. Longridge continued to grow during the first half of the 20th century.

This walk follows the Hodder Valley downstream from Slaidburn to Dunsop Bridge. After following the river as far as Newton, the route then cuts over a hillside through field paths for fine views across the Hodder Valley towards the Newton fells and the Dunsop Valley.

Stocks reservoir was opened by HRH The Prince George on July 5th 1932. Annual rainfall here is about 1500mm (5 feet) and when full the reservoir covers an area of about 192 hectares, the equivalent of about 500 football pitches. After treatment, the water from Stocks goes mainly to the Fylde area of Lancashire.

The earliest building at Stonyhurst was probably built in the 13th century, and added to during the 14th and 15th centuries. Around 1590, Richard Shireburn embarked on the creation of a new Elizabethan house, which wasn’t completed for a further 250 years.

Pendle Hill rises majestically above an ancient hunting ground, once the home of wolves and wild boar, a wild and mysterious place. Beneath the hill lie pretty villages which tell a story of intrigue and witchcraft nearly 400 years old.