Hike File

Distance: 24 km – Climb: less than 100 metres – Time: 6 hours (excluding breaks)

Start:  "The White Lion" – Market Place- Clitheroe GridRef: SD743419

Finish:  "The Myerscough" – Samlesbury – GridRef: SD 618312

Going: Mainly gentle riverside walking, beware bulls.

Waymarking: The Ribble Way is well waymarked as far as Ribchester Bridge. After that, following the field paths around Balderstone takes some navigation and the Pathfinder Map 680 is highly recommended.

Maps:

• Pathfinder 669 (Clitheroe & Chipping) 1:25 000 scale
• Pathfinder 680 (Longridge & Grt Harwood) 1:25 000 scale

Books:

• The Ribble Way – A 70 Mile Walk – by Gladys Sellers -Cicerone Press – ISBN 0902 363 697-
  My edition of this is dated 1985 and the route has been changed in places by the Lancashire Planning Office so try also to get the following booklet.
• The Ribble Way – by Ian Goldthorp – for Lancashire County Council and Yorkshire dales National Park
  Obtain from – County Planning Office, Eastcliffe, County Office, PO Box 160, Preston PR1 3EX
  Telephone: 01772 263920

Clitheroe – Great Mitton 5.5 km

  Start:  "The White Lion" – Market Place

Leave the market place and go SW heading for the castle. Go round the right side of the castle down the B6243 signposted to Longridge. After 1.5 km along this road you will reach the Ribble at Eadsford Bridge.

2 km Eadsford Bridge

Do not cross the bridge, but turn south and keep to the east bank. After 1 km, at Siddows, you will join a small lane for 800m to Shuttleworth Farm. From here there is a riverside path again, for 1.3 km, to Mitton Bridge, by the "Aspinall Arms".

•  -"Aspinall Arms" – Tel: 01245 86223

5 km Mitton Bridge

Cross the bridge and in 500m you will come to Great Mitton, where you will find "The Three Fishes" .

Great Mitton – Hurst Green – 5.5 km

5.5 km Great Mitton

Continue north through Great Mitton along the B6246. In 600m keep left at junction with minor road going west for 500m to Lower Hodder Bridge.

6.7 km Lower Hodder Bridge

•  Cromwell’s Bridge 20 m downstream from Lower Hodder Bridge is a picturesque ruin of a three arch medieval bridge. Here in 1684 Cromwell made the decision to advance along the north bank of the Ribble to cut off the Scots at Preston.

Cross the Hodder, a main tributary of the Ribble, and continue up the road for 300m or so until you find a stile on your left, opposite a lane on the right.

• If you are short of time you can continue along the B6246 into Hurst Green and save 3 km and 45 minutes.

Take the stile on the left and cut through Spring wood to Winckley Hall Farm.

8 km Winckley Hall Farm

From here starts a very pleasant 2.4 km walk along the banks of the Ribble. Where a small wood meets the river, the path winds north west up to the village of Hurst Green.

Hurst Green – Ribchester Bridge – 4 km

•  "Shireburn Arms" Tel: 01254 86518
•  "Bayley Arms" Tel: 01254 86478
•  Stoney Hurst College Just 1.5 km to the north, up Sir Nicholas Shirebrook’s Avenue and between two pond you can visit one of the leading boarding schools for Roman Catholic boys. The impressive gate house dates from 1595, though most of the buildings of the hall date from 1799. There is a fine chapel dating from 1877.

11 km Hurst Green

Take Lamb Clough Lane directly south out of the village and reach the river an about 1 km. From here you can see Dinkley footbridge, which offers an alternative route along the south of the river.

100 m before the footbridge, the Ribble Way turns right across the fields to Hey Hurst Farm. Shortly after the farm the path brings you out onto a ridge above Coppy Scar.

  13.5 km Coppy Scar Ridge

•  The 30 m high ridge in a meander of the river offers good views east to Pendle Hill.

From here the path descend through Haugh Wood to the banks of the river. After 1 km you will reach Dewhurst House. Go through the farmyard and follow the track south east that will bring you to Ribchester Bridge in another 500m.

Ribchester Bridge – Balderstone 6 km

15 km Ribchester Bridge

Cross the bridge and turn right towards Blackburn, passing "De Tabley Arms" . In about 500 m, there is a small car park on the right. From this car park a public right of way leads across the fields to the west. The path is marked by small yellow arrows labeled Ribchester Walks.

Keeping roughly to the direction of WSW (240 deg), the path dips twice to two streams, which you can cross using substantial footbridges provided by Lancashire County Council. Just 400 metres from the car park, you will come to a narrow concrete farm road running up from a wide meander of the Ribble. Turn south and climb gently up the farm road.

16 km Roman Road

You are now on the course of an old roman road. This runs roughly SSE (160 deg) from the roman fort at Ribchester and no doubt was once the main way to the south. After 250 m, the farm road turns sharp left, but a stile on your right allows you to keep on in the SSE direction. After 300 m across the fields you come to another bit of lane, which you leave when it swings to the left. A line of electricity poles heads roughly in your direction. Keep just 10 degrees to the right of this pole line. Pass through a farm and leave by the farm track. 75m after the farm, at grid reference SD 662335 you will reach a little lane going east west.

17.5 km Grid Ref SD 662335

Turn right and follow the lane round a couple of bends until you work your way round to Showley Hall. Despite its name Showley Hall is now more than a few farm buildings. Follow the track that runs past the farm.

Just 100 m past Showley Hall the track enters a field. Be careful to turn WSW (230 deg) to find the stile into Mire Wood. The path crosses a footbridge and up through Old Park Wood, to Oxendale Hall.

19 km Oxendale Hall

•  Oxendale Hall is a fine old Tudor Building, with the date 1656 over the door.

Take the drive south to the lane and turn right to Park Gate. Where the lane takes a sharp turn to the south, you take the field path heading west to Balderstone. Don’t miss the stile on the right after crossing a footbridge. Generally keep a straight course following the hedges WSW (240 deg) to Pewter House Farm. A further 500 m will bring you to the lane at Balderstone

Balderstone – Myerscough Smithy (Samlesbury) 3 km

21 km Balderstone

Turn right along the road for 1.5 km, passed Lane Ends and along Jackson’s Bank Road.

When the main road turns left, you carry straight on along the lane passed Cheetham House. Carry on till you reach the track up to Pickering Fold Farm on the left.

23 km Pickering Fold Farm

Go down the drive to the farmyard and between the farm buildings a small gate lets you on to the path down to the footbridge over Bezza Brook. Cross the brook and turn left for 50 m to find the stile into the field to the south. Head ESE (120 deg) for 200 m to find the gate onto the track up to Rigby Fold Farm. Leave by the farm drive down to the main road at Myerscough Smithy.

At "The Myerscough" have a pint of Robinson’s for me.

Finish: 24 km  "The Myerscough" – Samlesbury – GridRef: SD 618312