Section 6Whitewell to Chipping

From the Inn at Whitewell and theChurch of St. Michael walk westwardsthrough the car park and past the houseon the left- hand side. Cross the stileand head for the River Hodder. Crossthe stepping stones and walk uphilltowards the farm buildings at NewLaund. A laund was a clearing in theforest where deer came to feed; thismade them easier to hunt.

Go through the farm gate and carry on.Between the buildings on your left thereis a gate to a path that leads uphill. Takethis path, heading south-west. Pass thenext gate and carry on until you cross astile into a field. Walk along the righthand side of this field, then take thetrack to Fair Oak Farm, which was avaccary.

Follow the signs through Fair Oak Farmand cross the stile into the field. Walkwest/south-west across the field, crossthe road and take the footpath opposite,heading towards Higher GreystoneleyFarm. Cross the stile in the westerncorner of the field and walk through thefarm. Follow the track, crossing the ford.

Continue to follow the track through thebuildings of Lower Greystoneley Farmand on to Knot Barn. Shortly after thecattle grid, take the footpath to the right;note the Lime Kiln built into Knot Hill onyour left.

Follow the footpath to the right, aroundthe reservoir, and take the footpathnorth/north-west. Follow the track all theway to Lickhurst Farm. Pass the firstbuilding on your right hand side and take

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the path through the first gate on yourleft, walking south-west towards the oaktree. Cross the stile and headwest/south-west to the next stile. Turnleft along the track, passing the ruinedbarn at Park Style and the farm at ParkGate. As their names suggest, thesewere entrances to the Leagram ParkEstate, an area of the Forest of Bowlandreserved for hunting.

At the water, take the path leftand follow the farm track until it

ends near Chipping LawnFarm. Turn right and walkalong the surfaced track.Carry on past Birchen LeaFarm, which was a birchclearing in the wood,

probably to provide cover foranimals. Take the footpath on

your left, which follows astream on your right hand side.

Cross the stream on your left andwalk across the field, due south. Cross

the stile and head south/south-westacross the next field, turning south whenyou see the waymarkers. Continuesouthwards, the path leads you to thepond at Chipping. Turn left along thetarmac and walk into the village ofChipping.

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Whitewell

Chipping

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New Laund

Fair Oak

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Greystoneley

Knot Hill

Lime Kiln

Knot Barn

Park Style

Park Gate

Birchen Lea

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Church of

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19th Century engraving of thePark Keeper’s Lodge atWhitewell in the Forest ofBowland.

The Inn at Whitewell.

To be used with O.S.Outdoor Leisure Mapno. 41.

Whitewellto

Chipping

Section 6 8 km (5 miles)

The Forest of Bowland

Today, the word ‘forest’ denotes aheavily wooded ground, but in medievaltimes it was used to describe anotherwise barren area set aside ashunting ground for the nobility. The deLacy family, owners of Clitheroe Castle,declared the Forest of Bowland a privatechase in the 12th century. In the 13thcentury, they divided it into enclosed‘vaccaries’ for raising cattle and ‘parks’for deer, thus gaining more value fromthe land. The term ‘laund’ described anarea of land where trees had beencleared to attract deer. In 1311 theForest passed to the Earl of Lancaster,thence to the Crown in 1399. Itremained under the control of the noblesuntil 1507, when Henry VII abolished theforest laws relating to the Forest ofBowland, making it available fordevelopment.

The Inn at Whitewell

The Inn at Whitewell was formerly amanor house built in around 1400 byWalter Urswyck, who was then the ChiefForester of Bowland Forest. It was usedas a courthouse for the SwainmoteCourt, which met three times each yearto manage the Crown’s forest. By 1652,the manor house was occupied by theKeeper of the Fallow Deer. The presentInn was built in 1836 in a 17th centurystyle. The forecourt was once thedistrict market place.

The Church of St Michael

Walter Urswyck built a chapel here atthe same time as the manor house. StMichael’s Chapel at Clitheroe Castlewas destroyed during the Reformationand its dedication and revenue weresubsequently transferred to the chapel

at Whitewell. The datestone over theporch marks the enlargement of thechurch in 1817.

Lime Kilns

Pockets and knolls of limestone weredeposited in this area during thecarboniferous period (around 350 millionyears ago), when sea levels were highenough to cover much of Britain. Manykilns were built in this area to exploit thisabundance of limestone.

Inside the kiln, workers createdalternating layers of limestone and coalor charcoal, then set fire to the coal. Asthe fire burned, the limestone turnedinto quick lime and dropped to thebottom of the kiln, where it could beextracted. The lime served twopurposes; it could either be applied tofarmland to improve soil quality or usedin building work for mortar, plasterworkand lime wash.

A circular walk is available, beginning andending at Whitewell. For more informationring the Clitheroe Tourist Information Centreon 01200 425566.

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.

Cut-away drawing of a lime kiln.

Sights of Interest

kiln pot

drawhole

access arch

limestone

coal

supportbars

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Section 7Chipping to Bashall Eaves

On the fourth field, follow the left handboundary most of the way, then headfor the gate in the middle ofthe hedge. Go throughthe gate and towardsPale Farm.

Go through the gate at Pale Farm.Between the buildings on your right,there is a stile leading to a footpath.Take this path, following the trees alongthe left-hand boundary of the long field.Go through the pen on the far side intothe next field. Keep to the left-hand sideof the next four fields, heading north-east and crossing a couple of streams

until you reach the gate at GibbonBridge. Carry on through the buildingsof the Gibbon Bridge Hotel until youreach the road.

Take the footpath directly opposite (youdo not need to cross the bridge) andwalk on until you cross a concrete

footbridge over a stream.From here, head

uphill due north,cross the stileand walknorth-easttowards

Greenlands Farm. Turn leftimmediately before the lastfarm building and go betweenthe buildings, then turn righttowards the farm road. Takethe farm road due north, then

follow the farm track heading north-eastacross two fields until you meet the mainroad.

Turn left at the road and follow it as itcurves around the River Hodder. Justbefore you reach Wardsley Farm thereis a white gate and a footbridge on yourright hand side. Cross the footbridge

and take the path heading roughly southdown to the River Hodder. Cross thestepping stones near the buildings hereand turn left along the riverbank,following the farm road which takes youpast Stakes Farm. ‘Stakes’ gets itsname from the time when the ownersused to stake out fishing nets across theriver to catch salmon.

At the farm, take the track on the leftand pass the trees on the left hand side.Where the track stops, carry on aheadroughly

north-eastacross the first

field, keep to the left hand side of thenext field and take the track that runs tothe left hand side of the next field. Turnright for a short distance along thesurfaced track from Lower Lees Farm,then left up the track towards the farmbuildings. Walk around the buildingsand head north-east towards MiddleLees, keeping to the left hand side ofthe field. Lees is mentioned in theDomesday Book and was also avaccary. At the end of the field, take thediverted footpath past the garden andonto the main road.

Start from the main gate of the Churchof St Bartholomew in Chipping, facingtowards the Sun Inn. Turn left and thenturn right at Windy Street. Walk downthe street, passing John Brabin’s oldschool, former almshouses and thechurch of St Mary. Walk along this roadtowards Town End until it curves away tothe right with an old footbridge on theleft.

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Chipping

Bashall EavesChurch of

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Pale Farm

Gibbon

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Greenlands Farm

River Hodder

Wardsley

Stakes

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Middle Lees

Lees

Limes

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Paper Mill

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Buck Thorn

Aigden Farm

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Plaque above John Brabin’s school.

Cross thefootbridge and takethe footpathdiagonally across the fieldon the right (due south/south-west).Follow along the left hand field boundaryfor the next three fields, passingStartifants and the sewage works onyour right. As you walk the path, youwill notice a large ditch with a line oftrees on top. This is the old boundarybelonging to Leagram Deer Park. (Route description continues over page)

To be used with O.S. OutdoorLeisure Mapno. 41.

Chipping to

Bashall Eaves

Section 7 11 km (7 miles)Turn to your left - there is a road on theright hand side, signposted to Clitheroe.Walk along this road until it bendssharply to the left. Take the track onthe right, heading roughly south-east.This follows the course of the oldRoman Road connecting forts atRibchester and Elslack. Follow thetrack until you see a footpath markedon the left hand side. Walk straightacross the field, cross the ditch andstile and walk west across the nextfield, heading slightly to the left of thetrees in front of you. Cross the stile,pass the trees and walk east/south-eastacross the next field, cross the stile andhead roughly east across the next field.Head east/ south-east across the nextfield, towards Limes Wood, so namedbecause of the Lime Kilns in the area.

Follow the footpath through the wood,cross the bridge and footbridge and takethe footpath that heads southeast.Follow the footpath east through PaperMill Wood and continue eastwards,heading slightly to the right of the farm atBuck Thorn, which refers to the deer inBashall Park. Follow the path along theright hand boundary of the field in frontof the farm, cross the stile and carry onthrough the trees to Aigden farm.

Follow the track straight on through thefarm and take the track heading north-east. Half way across the field, turneast towards the stile. Walk east to thecorner of the next field, crossing overthe farm track. Head north-east acrossthe next field, cross into the next fieldand follow the path on the left-handside to the end of the field. Cross thenext field heading east, go between thefarm buildings at the end and take thefarm track down to the road at BashallEaves. Bashall means ‘Back Ridge’ or‘Back Shelf’. Turn right at the road andwalk to the Red Pump Inn.

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Church of St Bartholomew

A Saxon stone basin, found here in1873, suggests this site has been usedas a place of worship since the 10thcentury. The interior has a 13th centurypiscina (for washing communionvessels). The font, carved withdecorated shields, was donated by alocal family in 1520. Most of theexterior is early 16th century, apart fromthe tower, which was built in the mid15th century and heavily restored in the19th century. John Wesley wasattacked by a local mob in the aisle ofthe church in 1753.

John Brabin’s Old School

John Brabin (or Brabbin) was a localcloth merchant and dyer whose will leftprovision for his trustees to build andmaintain this school for poor children.Land was purchased in 1684 and thefirst schoolmaster was appointed thesame year. The latin phrase inscribedupon the plaque above the doortranslates as ‘teach, learn or cut yourstick’. The initials are those of theschool’s first trustees.

Follow the footsteps of Roman soldiers on this route,

which takes you from the 17th century buildings of

Chipping to the village of Bashall Eaves.

Church of St. Bartholomew.

Sights of Interest

Section 8Bashall Eaves to Clitheroe

From the ‘Red Pump’ inn at BashallEaves, take the road northwards. About100 metres past the post office, takethe footpath on the right handside, crossing the stile.Keeping to the right,cross two fields, gothrough the gate,then follow theroad to the right.Go down the roada short distance;as it turns sharplyto the right youcan see afootpath on theleft. Take thisfootpath, keepingto the right handside of the field, passthrough the woodenkissing gate and turn right.

Follow the path, passing through thefarm gate near Rugglesmere (pleasekeep to the public footpath on the lefthand side as you proceed up the farmdrive). Just before you reach the farmbuildings, the path veers off to the left,towards Saddle Bridge, which wasrebuilt in the 1930s. Cross thefootbridge, turn right and follow thefootpath, keeping to the right hand sideof the field. As the trees end, there is astile on your right, which leads throughto the next field.

Cross this stile and walk across the field,keeping to the left hand side, until youget to the farm at Cow Hey. Go throughthe farm gate, pass the buildings on

your left and walk to the wooden-pavedbridge. Follow the footpath, passingBashall Wood on your right, up to

Bashall Hall.

Keep on the paththat passes to

the left of thehall. At

the fieldgate

on

yourleft,takethefootpathdiagonallyacross the field,heading uphill to the road.Cross the road and take thepath straight ahead and downhill,crossing the fields and the stream.The path heads uphill towards the farmat Cheetall.

Keep to the right of the farm buildings,cross the drive and walk into the field

ahead. Walk to the top right handcorner of this field and into the next field.Keep to the left until you pass a group oftrees, then head for the stile at the topright hand corner. Cross the stile (becareful, this leads directly onto the road)and turn left down the road. At thejunction, turn left again and walk toEdisford Bridge, passing the pub onthe left hand side. St Nicholas’ LeperHospital was near this site in the13thcentury.

Cross the bridge and follow the roadahead, keeping to the left hand side,until you reach the leisure centre. Nowturn left, following the Ribble Way alongthe river. As you approach the housesat Low Moor, move away from the riverand go through the estate, parallel to theriver. This was the site of the formerLow Moor Cotton Mill.

Follow the footpath past thesmallholdings and towards the weir.Just before you reach the weir, take thepath that heads uphill. Keep to the lefthand side of the first and second fields,then cross the middle of the next twofields, heading towards the Castle andhouses. At the houses, take the paththat goes straight ahead, turn right andreturn to Clitheroe Castle.

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Bashall Eaves

Clitheroe

Bashall Hall

Edisford Bridge

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Saddle Bridge

Rugglesmere

Cow Hey

Cheetall

Clitheroe Castle

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Rear view of Bashall Hall.Photograph from Lancashire Library.

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Cotton Mill

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Hospital of St. Nicholas

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To be used with O.S.Outdoor Leisure Map no. 41.

Enjoy a spectacular view of Pendle Hill during your

walk, which passes a traitor’s home, the site of a

medieval battle and a reminder of Lancashire’s

industrial heritage.

Bashall Hall

In 1464, Bashall Hall was the home of theTalbot family, who, like the Pudsays ofBolton Hall, were involved in the Wars ofthe Roses. The Talbots discovered thatthe Lancastrian King Henry VI was hidingin the nearby hall of Waddington andbetrayed him to the Yorkist King EdwardIV. Edward paid the Talbots well for theirtreachery, but legend says that Henrycursed them that the Talbot family wouldlast for only 9 generations, with one wiseheir and one foolish one alternating untilthe line died out. In fact, the male linedisappeared after 5 generations.

Edisford Bridge

Lancashire was frequently subjected toattacks by the Scottish Kings, andClitheroe was no exception. Scottishtroops attacked this area in 1138 anddefeated a Norman army by the bridge. Itwas said the river below ran red withNorman blood. In 1339, the King gavepermission for users to be charged a tollfor two years so the money raised couldbe used to repair the bridge after flooddamage. The bridge was rebuilt in the18th century but the original medieval ribscan be seen under the central arch.

Sights of Interest Section 8 7 km (41/2 miles)

Hospital of St Nicholas

The Hospital was built in the 13th centuryto treat leprosy, which was thought tohave been brought to England by soldiersreturning from the Crusades. The factthat a leper hospital was built in Edisford,despite the relatively sparse population inthe area, suggests that this disease musthave spread quickly amongst localpeople, although other skin disorders mayhave been confused with the disease.

Low Moor Cotton Mill

The first Edisford Mill was built in 1782 forspinning cotton; at that time the weaversworked from home. In 1826, the owners,Horsfall and Garnett, were the first in thearea to install power looms, which couldweave more quickly. Fearing for theirlivelihoods, a mob of weavers collected todestroy the new looms, but were turnedback by troops from Burnley. The ownerssubsequently cut a moat around the mill in1829 so that it could be defended fromriots. At its peak, the mill employed 750people, and its estate included 200houses for the operators, a church andreading room provided for the bettermentof the workers. The mill was eventuallyclosed in 1928 and demolished at the endof the 1960s.

19th Century engraving of Edisford Bridge.

Bashall Eavesto

Clitheroe

A circular walk is available, beginning and ending at Bashall Eaves. For more information ring the Clitheroe Tourist Information Centre on 01200 425566.