Wednesday 9th July 2014, LDWA Red Rose 100 recce, Day 4

The full route description can be read here on the LDWA website.

Tosside to Chipping

There had been a bit of a breeze overnight so condensation in and on the Laser Comp wasn’t too bad.
A lovely sunshiny, albeit hungry start to the day. Tosside’s only two eating establishments remained firmly shut. Fortunately I was carrying some emergency rations so things weren’t too bad. I need to lose some weight anyway.

Campsite at Tosside

Before leaving my overnight pitch, the campsite owner took time to show me some of his tractors – these will be of particular interest to Alan R. 



The route out of Tosside is very pleasant indeed. Equally important, especially for the navigationally challenged like me, it’s dead easy to follow. Turning right after the (CLOSED…..I might have mentioned this before) Dog & Partridge pub onto a well surfaced track / roady thing into Gisburn Forest. A good pace can be attained on this stretch. If you like that sort of thing.

The good track into Gisburn Forest

 Thisaway

It wasn’t long before I took a wrong turning. This was my fault entirely, I was having such a lovely time wandering down the forestry tracks that I waltzed right past my turning at Bottoms Beck. I actually spotted the turning and thought that it looked quite nice, but I still carried on. What an idiot!

Anyroadup, this was really no big deal. There are loads of forestry tracks and as long as you have an up to date map it’s quite easy to get back onto the route, which is what I did. It would have been just as easy to double back but I was quite happy in exploration mode. 

The Route Description points out that this is an area frequented by cyclists, it most certainly is. Even on this midweek day there were low-flying mountain bikes whizzing around everywhere. Bicycle bells must be seriously not cool, I didn’t hear one. You’ve been warned!

Arriving at Stocks Reservoir I was treated to a lovely cool breeze blowing in from the water. It was hot even at this (relatively!) early hour and any relief was very welcome.

Stocks Reservoir 

The next point of note is Dalehead Church – and if you have the time I’d suggest a quick look inside. The church was built in 1937 from material from Dalehead Parish Church which was demolished when Stocks Reservoir flooded the village of Stocks-in-Bowland. A few years ago the building began suffering a severe bout of dampness. A small wind turbine was erected at the rear of the building in order to generate electricity to warm the building. Along with some remedial works the building is now warm and dry.

  Dalehead Church, outside and in

Back on the road again, now heading for the Elizabethan Hammerton Hall. I was just about to photograph the hall when I jumped out of my skin – the RAF were playing nearby and a fast (and loud) turbo-prop ‘plane appeared out of nowhere:

….well I think it was one of ours

Hammerton Hall. And shorn sheep.

An easy section from Hammerton Hall (and it’s shorn sheep) delivered me into Slaidburn and food and drink.

The village shop / Post Office was doing brisk business flogging butties and cups of tea. A bench seat outside the shop was just the job. I kicked my shoes  & socks off and rested whilst enjoying my lunch. It was so hot by this time that I decided to sit out the heat of the day for a couple of hours.

I was tempted to call into the Hark to Bounty, but if I’d have done that I wouldn’t have walked any further that day.

The view from my lunch bench

Whinge Warning!

Directly across the road from my bench was Slaidburn YHA. It had the look of a ‘real’ Youth Hostel, not one of the new breed of fancy hotels that masquerade as YHA hostels.

The Youth Hostel Association – providing a bed for the night for young people, especially those of limited means.

Who are they trying to kid?

Remember when Youth Hostels used to save beds for cyclists and walkers? That was a LONG time ago. Booking online with your Credit Card is the New Way. That’s provided the hostel hasn’t been taken over by a school party – they demand sole occupancy. Or a Hen Party. It’s all very sad, but rucksacks have given way to suitcases.

I wonder what those who donated buildings to the YHA would think now if they saw the way things have changed.

I now prefer to use Independent Hostels – often cheaper than YHA hostels and more often than not much better.

End of whinge.

Slaidburn has a distinctive War Memorial, really quite serene – if that’s the right word:

Just down the road from the War Memorial came the next checkpoint at Slaidburn Village Hall:

Checkpoint 8, 56 miles

There was something going on in the hall, there may have even been a WI coffee morning / afternoon or whatever, but I needed to head off on the next leg of my walk to Dunsop Bridge.

The next section was lovely, generally following the course of the River Hodder:

 That’s the River Hodder on the left. Honest.

In spite of an extended lunch break it was still very hot. This made fast progress all but impossible. At least it wasn’t raining.

Footbridge over the River Hodder 

There was a bit of a navigational faff around SD682502. I didn’t find it particularly easy to follow the path. On reflection I might have been better off following the road into Dunsop Bridge. This thought was reinforced when I had to walk through a horribly fetid swampy bit of path around SD667503. Considering that I was doing the walk in a particularly dry spell of weather, I suspect that this bit could be a bit nasty in the wet.
There were a couple of other hindrances on this section:

 The dodgy stile and the gate wired shut with barbed wire

The fallen tree blocking the footpath

I imagine the tree problem will be sorted in time for next May but I’m not convinced that the dodgy stile will be repaired.

Dunsop Bridge has a curious tea room – Puddleducks. It probably gets that name from all the ducks that wander around that part of the village. What’s curious it that it closes at 4pm – just at the time when I would suspect most people might want their tea! I managed a piece of cake and a pot of tea at 3.55pm but I could tell that I was considered a bit of a nuisance. I was a bit miffed when I was directed to the garden hose when I asked to fill my Platypus. Puddleducks didn’t strike me as a friendly or welcoming place.

The next 2km (around 1.25 miles in old money) were on tarmac, a lovely quiet lane that just happened to pass the next checkpoint:

Checkpoint 9, 61 miles

Leaving the road at Hareden, the route climbs up the side of Totridge (Fell?). It’s easy to get diverted from the proper route here and I had to keep an eye on map and compass….and, er, GPS.

Hareden, with Totridge behind

I found it best to keep to the left of the wall as you ascend the hill, this will get you to the stile and gate at SD644497 and everything will be hunky-dory and rather spiffingly good.

A spiffingly good gate and stile

My intended camp spot was just before Lower Fence Wood but the ground wasn’t really good for camping, there were too many moo cows around and the running water looked a bit fetid, even for my Travel Tap.

I decided to continue through Lower Fence Wood and keep my eyes open for a nice grassy spot with a fast running stream close by, a pub (with a chippy next door) in walking distance etc but it was not to be.

As I walked through the wood on what was initially a good path, I came across a major blockage. Of the path that is, not me. I was fine.

There were over a dozen fallen trees completely blocking the path. There was no way round –the woodland was too dense. The only way was forward and it took me ages to get through. This really needs to be sorted for next May – whether it involves a re-route or a man with a chain saw. (I’ve got a chain saw…..just sayin’).

 Just part of the blockage at SD642481

Once through that little lot I thought my troubles were over, they were really. It’s just that going through Dinkling Green Farm at SD 639468 was a bit confusing. I’m easily confused. I may have pointed this out before….
By this point it was clear that I wasn’t going to be able to find anywhere to camp, the farmland just didn’t lend itself to stealth camping let alone a ‘proper’ campsite. I decided to continue to Chipping – for there would be beer and maybe even a chippy.

Navigation Heads Up:

About 1km south of Lickhurst Farm, at around SD631453 (it’s good to have a GPS handy!) where there’s a dodgy ‘bridge’, take care in plotting a bearing to the footbridge (SD629452)that’s seriously well hidden at the bottom of a deep gully. I’ll leave you to do the Pythagoras-type calculation. Or you could just follow your nose until you find the gully. The gully isn’t terribly difficult to locate but the hidden footbridge is a pain in the derriere to find – especially in the dark.
By the time I’d battled through that lot it was getting late. I had a lovely cool walk into Chipping….where there isn’t a chippy (well not one that I could find anyway), but there IS a most wonderfully excellent pub: Tillotson’s.
You should visit Tillotson’s, not when doing the 100, but whenever you get the chance. The beer is tremendous, the landlord (Curly) is a great bloke – he even offered his back garden as a camp spot for me, the food is good….it’s a proper pub. You should definitely go.

Tillotson’s in Chipping.

As it happened the pub’s back garden wasn’t really suitable for pitching my tent because the ground was a bit too lumpy. I ended up walking over to the Village Hall and I put my tent up on it’s lawn. A quiet and comfortable night’s sleep followed.

Checkpoint 10, 68 miles

The day’s fun and games:

20 miles..with some up and downery:

Check out the route I actually did on Viewranger.

Tuesday 8th July 2014, LDWA Red Rose 100 recce, Day 3

The full route description can be read here on the LDWA website.

Barley to Tosside

At 5.30am the bright sunshine on my tent woke me, Barley was waking up too. By 6am I was wrapped around my first cup of coffee of the day as the village dog walkers wandered by. The tent was once again wet through with condensation, both inside and out. I managed to spread it out on a wall so it could dry out in the sunshine – that was hot even at this early hour. As the tent steamed gently I used the facilities and managed a full top-to-toe wash down in the washroom of the public bog.

 Barley campsite park

First objective of the day was Pendle Hill, famous for black pussy cats, broomsticks and witches. This area is perhaps most famed for the Pendle Witches, a bunch of unfortunates who were tried and hanged for witchcraft at Lancaster Assizes in 1612.
‘The Lancashire Witches’, written by William Harrison Ainsworth is recommended reading for anyone wanting to know more. A more speculative work, but very readable, is ‘Mist Over Pendle’, written by Robert Neill.
End of Eng Lit lesson.
Back to the walk: I set out in the direction of Pendle Hill, passing the Pendle Inn, famous for good ale and brill pie & mushy peas. I may have mentioned that bit before, but it WAS good.

Cobbled path leading out of Barley

It’s a bit of a tug up the side of Pendle Hill, but quite do-able. There’s a choice of a couple of paths up to the top, I’d suggest the zig-zag route – a bit further but much easier. Easier is A Good Thing.
Once on the top it’s easy to spot the trig-point, even if it’s dark a well-worn track will lead you to it.

Pendle Hill 

Another zig-zag path on the north slopes of Pendle guides you nicely through Downham Moor down to a road and then another path leads to the very attractive village of Downham.

Approaching Downham 

My first job was to locate the Village Hall, the venue of Checkpoint 5. It wasn’t difficult to find, on leaving the footpath you have to climb uphill and AWAY from the village and the general direction of the route. Oh well.

Checkpoint 5, Downham Village Hall.

It was still quite early and I hadn’t yet had breakfast – only a Mars Bar, an Eccles Cake and my compulsory two mugs of coffee. I found a rather good tea room on the edge of the village. Two pots of tea and a large BLT roll set me up for the next section of the day’s walk.

The next few miles weren’t without excitement – a herd of cowlets decided that I was worthy of following…perhaps they thought I was carrying their dinner in my pack!

    Disappointed cowlets

Then there was this nice little bridge (crossing Ings Beck?):

I was now heading for the River Ribble and the village of Sawley – that DIDN’T have a checkpoint, but it did have Sawley Abbey. Well it had it’s ruins anyway:


According to English Heritage, Sawley was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1148 and lasted until its dissolution in 1536. Monks were in possession until the execution of their abbot. Nice.
Sawley lies on the River Ribble, one Lancashire’s more famous rivers…..perhaps because we share it with North Yorkshire. That’s it with Lancastrians, we’re generous y’see.

River Ribble

The stretch alongside the Ribble and then Skirden Beck varied between highly walkable to thrashing through overgrown undergrowth. If you get my meaning. It wasn’t terribly difficult to navigate but I think it must have been a good year for triffids. I imagine that in May the plant life and general weedery will be much easier to walk through.
Checkpoint 6 at Bolton-by-Bowland Village Hall was one I didn’t photograph…..’cos I was hot and bothered…..and forgot.The Village Information Centre, loo and car park at SD785493 is a great spot to sit down, visit the loo, have a wash-down, fill up your Platy etc if you’re doing a recce. You might need this facility ‘cos there was bugger all open when I passed through. Not even the boozer. The actual Village Hall is just a little further to the east of the information centre and isn’t difficult to find.
Continuing north there was another navigational / Right of Way confusion. I’m easily confused, you may have noticed this. The turning to Green Ford Farm at Stoop Lane was quite overgrown. The signpost was difficult to spot – the Route Description does point this out. I ended up walking a little further north and taking the farm track at SD783509 instead.
The next little problem was negotiating Newhurst Farm at SD778512. According to The Map (OS Explorer 041) the footpath goes right through the middle of the farm….which doesn’t appear to be a farm anymore, rather a posh residence.
Click on the photo below to see the details of the alternative route by a concessionary path. What I find REALLY bloody annoying is that the original path has been blocked in spite of it not having been extinguished. I shall be on to the council about this and I suggest you do too. Try entering the details on Fix My Street – this takes all the hassle of reporting problems of Rights of Way issues. The website automatically sends your complaint to the appropriate local authority - it’s good.
If you intend having a whinge about this you’ll need the Post Code for the location of the problem…..Newhurst Farm, Forest Beck, Bolton By Bowland, Clitheroe BB7 4NZ. You can view my whinge here.
 
Enough whinging….for now.
I ended up using the concessionary path to get past the farm pretentiously posh residence.
Next came Witton Farm:

Welcome to Wittons Farm 

Easy enough to find, I used the farm track rather than the footpath through the field ‘cos the field was being fettled by an enormous tractory-thing and I didn’t relish the idea of being threshed, thrashed and baled.
Approaching the farm there’s a locked electric gate:
Just before this locked gate, in the dry-stone wall on the right, is a gate that allows you access into the farmyard.
Once out of the farm the route follows tarmac for around 4km. This allows for a decent turn of speed (Ho-ho!) – the surface is good and navigation is dead easy. This was A Good Thing….especially considering the sky was turning a decidedly dark shade of rain. The faster I went, the more threatening the clouds. A steep descent to cross Bond Beck meant an ascent towards Tosside, my goal for the day.
Looking at the map I could see a footpath off the road that would take my directly onto my intended campsite at Hartley’s Farm. This was COMPLETELY blocked by triffids, nettles, man-eating thistles and heaven knows what else:

Stile at SD770553 

This blockage wasn’t the end of the world but I do find this sort of thing irritating.  A couple of hundred metres on tarmac got me to the access road to the site….but even this wasn’t without it’s problems:

At the entrance to Hartley’s Farm Campsite, Tosside

The rather expensive campsite (£15 for a solo backpacker) had a shower block, a loo, and flat, smooth grass. After a shower I wandered up the road to the pub in the centre of the ‘village’. It was closed….at 6.30pm!

Not only was this pub closed, I later discovered it only opened on Saturdays and Sundays between mid-day and 5pm. I don’t think they want the business.

Things got worse. The Old Vicarage Tearoom, a very attractive establishment with a stomach-rumblingly good menu outside along with signs advertising that they were ‘Now Open’ proved to be utter cobblers.

The very closed Old Vicarage Tearoom, Tosside 

Not only was the door locked, there was no indication of when the place might open. The menu listed a couple of nice breakfasty items so I rolled up the next morning, hoping for breakfast. Not a chance, it was completely shut. And I was completely hungry.

You may gather that Tosside didn’t endear itself to me. You would be quite right. I can only assume that business for both the pub and the tearoom must be so good that they don’t need to open very often.

On a more positive note, Checkpoint 7 at Tosside Community Hall looked nice:

The day’s route:

13.6 miles with 3500’ of ascent.

A more detailed view of my route on Viewranger should be available here. Be aware that my route differs from the route described on the LDWA 100 website ‘cos of my navigational problems.
If unable to open the link, just go to Viewranger and search for  LDWA Red Rose 100 Recce, Day 3

Monday 7th July 2014, LDWA Red Rose 100 recce, Day 2

The full route description can be read here on the LDWA website

Blackburn to Barley

I awoke to a wet tent – a heavy dew on the outside and lots of condensation on the inside. and I was using my Laser Comp, NOT my Akto!

I set off at around 7am and headed for the site of Checkpoint 2, St Francis Church Hall, Feniscliffe, 16 miles into the 100 mile route.

Leeds Liverpool Canal, en-route to Feniscliffe

Checkpoint 2, St Francis Church Hall, Feniscliffe

As I’d stopped short of my intended pitch the previous night there was still a couple of miles to go to get into Blackburn where I was planning to raid a butty shop or cafe for breakfast. It seems that Blackburn’s butty shops don’t open too early and I had to go off route and into the town centre to get my brekky.

  The grand entrance to Witton Country Park

I ended up walking through the streets of Blackburn for 3-4 miles altogether, just to get fed. This also meant that I missed a section of the official route….but at least I got my breakfast! This was the only time during the entire trip that I needed my waterproofs – it rained quite heavily for around 30 – 40 minutes. Then the sun came out again.

 

I regained the route at Wilpshire and it was here that I first encountered the curse of the overgrown hedge + barbed wire. The footpath to Hollowhead Lane was made very narrow by the overgrown hedge - combined with a not very nice rusty barbed wire fence on t’other side.

This was A Very Bad Thing. 

This is the part of the route referred to in Para 3.9 of the route description issued by East Lancs LDWA.

 

Anyroadup, I headed north-east alongside Parsonage and Dean Clough Reservoirs. I encountered dog walkers, mountain bikers and road cyclists – all out to enjoy the sunshine. I was enjoying my walk so much that I managed to successfully wander off route – not for too long though.

 

There were more barbed wire encounters. There was even an eletric fence encounter. I wonder if there’s a law about the use of barbed wire? Inappropriate use of the stuff is really quite dangerous. I was getting the distinct feeling that it was being used to deter walkers rather than to keep livestock contained.

Dean Clough Reservoir

Although the recent weather had been good and dry, there were still muddy bits. I can’t imagine (or perhaps I can!) what this path would be like after prolonged rainfall:

To be fair, nearly all paths I’d encountered so far would be fine in wet weather.

Next stop was Checkpoint 3, Whalley Village Hall:

Whalley also meant lunch. The local Spar provided the the necessary and the local church yard provided the site. I took the opportunity to further dry my tent, I just spread it out in the sunshine. I must have presented a strange sight: a bloke in bare feet, socks and shoes steaming gently, a tent spread out….heaven knows what passers-by thought of me!

 Lunch spot, Day 2

Leaving Whalley there was another barbed-wire / overgrown hedge problem – at least the barbed-wire was on the field side of the fence posts rather than the footpath side:

The route crosses the A671 shortly after leaving Whalley and a path should be taken to Clerk Hill. Those walking the route should read Para 4.3 of the route description…..like wot I didn’t!

Just to clarify: DON’T go into the car park / woods, the correct route is through the golf course. I’d also be a bit careful leaving the golf course footpath, the correct route isin’t terribly easy to find.   

If you pass this you’ve taken the wrong path

I can thoroughly recommend Harmsworth Ice Creams though.

Worralot of ways 

The climb up to the Nick of Pendle was a bit sharp but the reward of good views was well worth it.

One should watch oneself here. Spence Moor is a wee bit boggy, muddy, fetidly swampy in parts and it’s very easy to go off-route. Keep an eye on your map and compass and all will be well. But you might get a bit mucky.

 Looking back from the ascent to the Nick of Pendle

 

 Westwards. The bright and shiny bit is the distant Irish Sea.

Anyroadup, Pendleton Moor and Spence Moor came and went. My intended wild camp spot of Fell Wood. proved unsuitable – no water y’see. Pendle Hill was now in full view – that had to wait until the following day.

Pendle Hill 

Oh Pendle, Oh Pendle thou standest alone,

‘Twixt Burnley and Clitheroe, Whalley and Colne,

Where Hodder and Ribble’s fair waters do meet,

With Barley and Downham content at thy feet.

I continued, vowing to stop at the first suitable spot – which wasn’t until the village of Barley. It was only another mile or so but it was well worth it.

Another nav warning: the footpath at SD823398, I found it difficult to locate this path on the ground. Again, keeping an eye on map & compass will help enormously.

I walked into the village, calling in to the open village hall (Checkpoint 4) to fill up my water carriers.

Checkpoint 4

I ventured further…and found a pub. Oh tsk.

The pub served a selection of excellently well kept proper beer…an appropriate place to rehydrate then! I made use of the pub’s facilities and managed a top-to-toe wash down before returning, smelling slightly less horrible, to my beer. and crisps. And meat pie & mushy pea’s. Mike would of liked it here, the pie’s were good.

Another beer or two later and the pub went into shutdown mode….at 10pm! Whatever happened to pubs staying open until closing time? I left the pub and headed for the local park: nice flat grass, secluded, with picnic tables….and, sheer luxury, a loo!

I slept comfortably that night – although only for a few hours.

And here is wot I did for 23 miles:

The route can be viewed in more detail here….but i’d rather you didn’t look too closely ‘cos you’ll see all the places I went wrong.