Let’s Take A Walk
Before he discovered the Lakeland Fells, a youthful Alfred Wainwright explored the hills and moors around his native Blackburn. According to Wainright, the reservoirs above Langho offered a glimpse of ‘Lakeland in Lancashire.’ This short linear railway walk skirts these reservoirs before descending over the ‘Nab’ into Whalley
WAINWRIGHT’S WHALLEY
Distance: 7.6km/4.7 miles
Time: 2 hours 30 mins
Terrain: Footpaths, quiet lanes and tracks with several stiles to negotiate
Difficulty: Easy to moderate with some steep ascents and descents
Start: Catch the train to Langho from Clitheroe, Whalley or Blackburn. Trains run every hour from Clitheroe or Blackburn. Go to northernrailway.co.uk
1. From Langho station, cross the main road and head up Whinney Lane, taking the footpath that continues straight on when the road turns right. Climb through the woods alongside the little stream and over a couple of bridges and past a cottage. Go over the stile and join the road coming in from the right and continue up the lane to York village. At the crossroads, go straight on and when the road swings sharply left, continue straight over the stile and up the hill, reaching its crest and then heading downhill to the corner of the reservoir.
2. From the northern end of the dam, go through the gate and take the track left downhill to the base of the dam, through another gate to join the gravel track climbing back up to a farm track. Turn left, heading towards Pendle Hill. The track bends right through a gate and meets a minor road at a small car park. Turn left along the lane, following it past farm buildings and a whitewashed cottage to reach a stile on the left. Cross the stile and climb steeply, crossing a farm track and another stile to reach the top of a grassy incline.
3. The path becomes indistinct, but head for the right-hand corner of a conifer plantation where you will find a dilapidated stile. Follow the right-hand path through the woods, out into the field and across the ladder stile to join the lane heading right. The views open out on both sides as you continue past the farm to a junction.
4. Turn left at the junction, past the transmitter and downhill to a driveway marked with a footpath sign. Walk up the driveway and follow the path to the right of the cottage over the stile and into the field beyond, following the line of a collapsed wall across the hillside. At the end of the wall, contour round to meet the farm track at the edge of woodland and take the track right.
5. Go over the cattle grid and a bridleway joins from the right. Take this path, as it switches back almost the way you came, offering great views of Whalley. Keep left when the track forks, continuing steeply downhill until the bridleway turns out onto a track which joins the main road just above the bridge.
6. Turn right over the bridge and into Whalley and look out for a footpath sign which takes you through a narrow mews and past the Abbey Corn Mill into a new housing development. Cross the courtyard and follow the path past the primary school, turning left when you hit the road to go past the abbey. Continue under the ancient gatehouse – the oldest remaining part of the abbey and follow The Sands round to the right and along Broad Lane to join Mitton Road just across from the station. Hop on board from Platform 1 and enjoy the ride across the iconic arches before hopping off five minutes later at Langho.
Discover more of Mark’s Lancashire walks with the Cicerone Guide to ‘Walking in Lancashire’.
cicerone.co.uk/walking-in-lancashire
