WALKING IN LANCASHIRE
by
Mary Welsh
2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY
About the Author
‘Every year hundreds of walkers place themselves in the hands of Mary Welsh. Meet her and it isn’t hard to see why,’ says Cumbria Life magazine. ‘A 60-something, she’s enthusiastic, imperturbable and, above all, considerate – someone you would happily rely on.’ Mary is a travel writer and an award-winning writer of walking books, having written 44 walking guidebooks to date. She writes regular columns in magazines and newspapers and for the internet.
She has lived in the north of England for nearly 30 years, after a childhood spent in rural Hertfordshire where she was educated and after which she went on to take a biology degree in London. Lancashire has provided her with some magnificent countryside and wonderful hidden corners to enjoy, where the noise of modern-day life does not impinge, and she hopes that you too will appreciate its many unexpected pleasures.
© Mary Welsh 2005
Second edition 2005, reprinted 2009 (with updates), 2015 and 2017
ISBN-10: 1 85284 439 6
ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 439 4
First edition 1996
Printed by KHL Printing, Singapore
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All photographs by the author
Acknowledgements
My grateful thanks go to my four friends – Chris, Dora, Jane and Sue – who walked with me as I retraced my steps of 1996, the year of the first edition of this book. Generally the weather was good, but on some days it rained non-stop – and not one of them complained. Special thanks go to Jane, in particular, who kept the home ticking over when I was away for some very long days. Last but not least to Tom, my husband, for his unfailing support and advice.
Updates to this Guide
While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/439/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.
Front cover: Nick’s Chair, Blindhurst Fell
CONTENTS
2 Warton Crag and Leighton Moss
5 Kirkby Lonsdale and Whittington
9 Sunderland Point
10 Glasson and the Lancaster Canal
11 Cockerham and Cockersand Abbey
12 Abbeystead and Dolphinholme
13 Tarnbrook and Marshaw Wyre
14 Clougha Pike
15 Ward’s Stone, Bowland
16 Slaidburn
17 Bolton-by-Bowland
18 Dunsop Bridge, Bowland
19 Whitewell, Bowland
20 Garstang and Nicky Nook
21 Garstang and Cabus Nook
22 Knott End-on-Sea and Preesall
23 Skippool Creek, Wyre Estuary
24 Bleasdale Fells
25 Hurst Green and Cromwell Bridge
26 Whalley
27 Downham
28 Weets Hill, Barnoldswick
29 Wycoller and Boulsworth Hill
30 Pendle Hill
31 Chipping and Dinkling Green
32 Longridge Fell
33 Ribchester
34 Lytham
35 Croston and the Rufford branch of the Leeds–Liverpool Canal
36 Martin Mere and Mere Sands Wood
37 Parbold and the Leeds–Liverpool Canal
38 Darwen Moor, Jubilee Tower and the Witton Weavers Way
39 Thieveley Pike, Cliviger Gorge
40 Hurstwood and Worsthorne Moor
PREFACE
Lancashire, a county in the northwest of England, has a great variety of landscape. It is often thought of as an area of industrial towns, but these are to be found in a cluster towards its southern