Country:
District:
Start : Assheton Arms, Downham, near Clitheroe. (BB7 4BJ) Grid ref. SD 784 443
(S/E) From the frontage of Assheton Arms pub, turn left, heading downhill (South-East) through the picture postcard village of Downham, taking the right fork at the bridge, then right across the footbridge, then left at the fork to the footpath at end of the lane.
(1) Go through the kissing gate and follow the path East beside the beck, then right to the kissing gate in the top corner of the field (ignore the stile to the left).
Go through the gate and head right (South-East) along the field boundary, continuing to climb alongside the fence, with the beck on your left, and over footbridge.
(2) At the farm track, continue straight over, then along field boundary and over stone stile to Lane Head barn, where there are a couple of well-placed benches here to get your breath back and admire the view back towards Downham.
(3) Head left (North-East) across the beck and go straight over the fields. Here, the views open out up the Ribble Valley and into the limestone country of the Yorkshire Dales. Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent are visible to the northeast, with the Bowland Fells appearing to the north.
Keeping the post markers across the field on your left, cross the stone stile, continuing straight over the track and along the field boundary then over the stile in the corner of the field, heading for farm buildings on the skyline.
(4) Skirt round to the right, above the farm, following the boundary wall to a narrow stone stile. Over stile, continue straight on over the track, following the marker stone to another narrow stile then along the field boundary to skirt farmhouse to your left, then left to follow the track right up the hill for 75m before descending half left along field boundary down to a kissing gate into the wooded ghyll.
Continue over the footbridge and up the other side of the ghyll, through kissing gate then climbing steeply across a field, passing to the left of the barn and over footbridge.
(5) At the cottage, turn left then over a stile beside gate and follow the fence along the right-hand field boundary. Continue through gate then over squeeze stile and follow the hedge on left to stile in bottom corner of field. Over stile, follow hedge round to the right and through the gate. Then head half left across field and through the squeeze stile. Cross field to gate to left of the farm and over stile.
This field offers amazing views back to Pendle and also reveals some limestone outcrops - a hint of the changing geology as the millstone grit of East Lancashire gives way to the limestone of The Dales.
(6) Head half left to follow the field edge to a gate then drop down into the ghyll and past the outbarn. Ignore the footbridge on the left and head for kissing gate in corner of field then follow stream and turn right through gate onto a quiet lane (Twiston Lane).
(7) Continue on the lane for 150m then, after the bend, take the footpath on the left (North) next to the farm buildings and follow path downstream beside beck through kissing gates.
(8) Turn left over a footbridge. Follow the wall to a cottage then head through gates between the buildings and right over the stile. Continue to the tree at top of the appropriately named Wooly Hill – usually covered in grazing sheep – then over stile. Continue straight ahead to stile then half right towards buildings.
Go straight over track and continue along edge of fields, keeping straight on path along edge of woodlands then across a field for 400m before taking footpath left then lane right back to the Assheton Arms.
Walker
Easy 
Association or club
Difficult 
