This walk is best done in fine weather. It should not be attempted after prolonged rain or if rain is forecast as there are many small streams that can fill quickly making crossing treacherous.
[1] Leave car park in the direction of the church and turn left along Church Raike past terrace of pebble-dashed houses on the left. At road junction take right fork going downhill. Continue on road, across a bridge.
(A) Kirk Mill was originally a water-powered corn mill that was converted to be an Arkwright style water-powered cotton spinning mill in 1785. Cotton spinning ended in 1866 and it was subsequently developed for joinery and chair making by H J Berry Ltd.
Pass Kirk Mill on your left and up slight incline to pass mill pond on your left. Just past its mid-point, turn right into a drive and across a stile to follow footpath signed up hill diagonally to the left. Continue with fence on your right and then cross a stile. Continue straight across to pass under electricity wires and follow the way-mark to bear left on the first electricity pole but don’t descend into the valley. Carry on to the right of the valley and some old quarry workings to make for a gate at the left hand edge of a dry stone wall. Continue in the direction of a cottage with low level stonework outbuildings.
Pass through row of trees between two fenced areas. Continue keeping fence on right and pass through metal gate to turn right on metalled road in front of the cottage previously seen. At signpost turn left along another rough metalled track. Pass over cattle grid and continue on the concrete and going slightly downhill turn left through a gate signposted “North Lancashire Bridleway”. Cross the narrow stream over stones that may be submerged. (If the stones are submerged, you can continue on the paved track over a bridge and go through a small gate immediately after on the left, over a stile and you’ll be back on the described route).
Go uphill, past a bridleway signpost, towards a dry stone wall and through a gate into access land. This is marshy land but take a rough footpath through relatively firm ground and head for the top of the hillock. Keep parallel to the dry stone wall several yards away. Continue in similar direction, passing game bird cages and picking the best way through the heather, until you meet a rough track crossing your path. Turn right towards a farm. Pass through two metal gates and, keeping the farm on your right,continue along a roughly metalled road downhill to the left away from the farm.
Beware of any ground nesting birds when going over the access land.
[2] At bottom leave the road to the left and cross the stream on footbridge. Continue in same direction uphill and cross the stile. The path skirts just to the left of the main hill in front of you through a couple of isolated gate posts and to a further gate through a dry stone wall. (If you climb the hill, when you reach the dry stone wall follow it down to the left, taking care on steep sections, and through the gate.) Bear slightly left and head towards the fence corner and then follow the fence to a metal gate. Turn right before the gate to follow the marked path along the edge of the field. Take care crossing the muddy gully.
Continue with the fence on your left, until you reach a gate onto a rough track. Follow the track. Turn right when you meet a further rough track and follow this to several buildings. Past the first building turn left towards an open garage type area and just to the left of this is a wooden gate. Follow the path between edge of the garage and wall. Heading slightly left make for a metal gate in the line of the dip between fell and hill in the distance. Through the gate carry straight on to the fence on your right and cross over stile turning left to continue with the fence on your left.
At a track turn right and cross wooden footbridge over stream and through wooden gate on track. At a farm the right of way is well signed through the farmyard going obliquely to the right. Alternatively there is a rough track to the right just before the farm that curves round left until it becomes a metalled road which you follow. At a junction bear right continuing along the road. Remain on this road crossing 4 cattle grids and a cottage on your left until you meet a minor road. Turn left. After a bend to the left there is a signpost across a field to the right through a gate.
Follow this path to the left of the hill and head for the wooden gate by the tree. Pass through this gate and, descending slightly across a field keep the fence on your right. Pass through a further wooden gate to then keep fence on your left side and follow the track round. Through another wooden gate turn right on track towards farm. Continue on track straight through farm and through several wooden gateways.
[3] Pass downhill on stony track which you soon leave to keep the stone wall to your right until you meet the river. Cross the river on stepping stones - known locally as 'hipping stones.'
The stepping stones are well maintained but still require a degree of balance. Young children would find the gaps quite wide (see photo).
(B)The Inn at Whitewell - A Royal Resting Place. In the 1300’s The Inn at Whitewell was just a small manor house, lived in by the keepers of the Royal forest. The Royal connection still remains as the Inn forms part of the Duchy of Lancaster Estate. It was not until comparatively recently, during the 1700’s, that the building was transformed into a resting place where travelers en route to or from Lancaster could safely stay before continuing their perilous journey. Charles Bowman is the third generation of Bowman to become involved with the Inn’s evolution. His father Richard, the former Lancashire cricketer and brewer, was largely responsible for the restoration of the existing building. (From the Inn website.)
On the far bank turn left and follow path immediately adjacent to the river. Turn right into car park and then left up the drive to the main road. Turn left on road and immediately right along a minor road. Continue uphill past Whitewell Social Hall and a drive until you come to some steps with black railings to your right. Take this path. Angle right away from the wall and towards the right hand edge of the house and outbuildings. Cross a track and pass between the house on your left and a track leading to a tunnel for waterworks on your right. Head uphill on a rough path towards a ladder across a dry stone wall. Cross this and continue with a dry stone wall on your right, crossing another stile near the top of the hill.
Continue to the end of this wall and cross it by a wooden stile protected by metal railings. Pass diagonally to a tall metal kissing gate. Pass through this and continue keeping dry stone wall on your left. When you come to a farm, pass straight on between farm buildings and on to a metal gate. Pass through this and head towards a wooden gate in the middle of a dry stone wall on your right. Pass through this and continue keeping the dry stone wall on your left hand side and continue as this bends to the right. At the end of the wall cross a wooden stile over a further dry stone wall across your path. Cross the field slightly obliquely to the right, crossing a gulley as you do so.
By a line of telegraph poles cross a stile next to a wooden gate. Proceed at right angles from the stile towards a rough track between trees which brings you to a farm on your right side. After the farm house carry straight on over a wooden stile before the track turns right. Follow the line of a fence with bushes in it on your right until you reach a stream and scramble down a bank to cross it. Climb the bank on the other side and bear left to keep the stream on your left. At a stile in a fence on your right cross over and proceed with the fence and then stream on your left. Cross a way-marked wooden stile over a fence and continue to then cross the stream at a wooden footbridge and up the other side to a wooden fence and stile onto a minor road.
Turn right along the road until a T-junction. Turn left and immediately cross road, through a wooden gate onto a public footpath between fences to the gate at the far end. Turn left and walk across the field, away from the wooden bridge over a pipe. Pass through two wooden kissing gates and continue in similar direction across another field, keeping the fence to your right past a farmhouse and onto a track. Through wooden gates and turn right along a rough track. Quite soon, before farm buildings, turn left along a track through a gate and continue with the fence on your right. Cross a wooden stile and continue in the same direction across a field in the general direction towards a fence on your left. Keep to the left of a marshy stream down embankments and when the fence is reached cross a further stream and continue with the fence on your left to a stile.
Carry straight on along minor metalled road until some farm buildings. When level with farmhouse turn right onto grass path and cross the River Hodder on stepping stones. Clamber up bank and over a stile. Cross field heading for stone building going under some electricity lines from your left. After trees turn left and cross a wooden bridge made out of sleepers with metal rails. Leave by gate and turn left on minor road. At junction bear left and continue with wood on left. After a moderate distance (1/3 mile ) turn right along the first obvious farm track with a cattle grid. (If the stones are impassable, retrace your steps to the outbuildings you passed. With outbuildings on your left go through gate into field and turn left up path uphill.
Pass through gate and keep low trees on your right. Where path starts to descend pass through gap in wire fence and then bear left slightly downhill. If you meet river turn left and continue to bridge where a stile leads onto the minor road. Turn right and cross bridge. Continue on road and turn right at the first junction over a bridge crossing the river Loud. Continue on this road. There is a sharp right bend; some way after this take the first track on your left. You are now back on the route at waypoint [4]).
[4] Continue on the track to Glebelands Farm. After farmhouse turn left before farm buildings and turn right beyond them to skirt the shed and continue keeping fence to your right. Pass through hedge and follow edge of field until you pass a metal gate and come to a stile on your right. Cross and walk downhill slightly to left, over a stream on a concrete bridge and then with river on your left cross stile onto road by Gibbon Bridge.
[5] Pass the hotel on the left and just after double stone cottages, cross a wooden stile on the left hand side into a field. Pass diagonally across towards a house in the distance (may not be visible) to a metal pedestrian gate. Pass through this and continue in the same direction to a wooden stile near the far corner of the field. Cross the small road and pass along a driveway past the stone house and store on your left. Pass between two wooden buildings with way-marks on. Cross a metal stile and continue in same direction finding best way possible across marshy land. Way-marked posts mark the way. The characteristic Parlick Hill can be seen in the distance with the destination of Chipping in front of you. Keeping in the general direction of Parlick Hill cross a wooden stile and proceed with a fence on your right. Pass through metal gate and over stone bridge over stream. Turn right on the road and walk into Chipping. At T-junction turn left and take first right into Church Raike. The car park is on your left.
Alternative route: [3] At New Laund farm pass through outbuildings and immediately after a small wooden garage on your right and before the farmhouse on your left turn right through a wooden gate (if returning from the stepping stones then turn left after the farmhouse). Climb straight up the hill and when it flattens bear slightly right just after a dip with reeds. Make for the left side of the hill ahead and cross stile by a gate. Continue on path upwards curving right. When path flattens ignore sheep track but bear left towards wooden steps over a wall. Cross and continue with fence on your right. Follow the fence as it curves to the right and cross a stile by a metal gate. Turn left on footpath towards houses. Follow the main track and it rises towards the houses. Turn left keeping a house on your left. Before a barn follow the track to the right, round a metal gate into a yard. Ahead is an old stone barn with slit windows, take the path to the right of the barn and continue around the back.
After the end of the barn turn right over a stile. Straight across the field aiming for the left edge of a row of trees on your right and some stiles come into view. Cross three stiles also crossing a small road. Cross the field towards houses. Leave field by gate or kissing gate and turn left on a metalled road. Pass between new houses and it becomes a track. Continue and cross stream by wooden footbridge to your right. Continue on track which is metalled in places. Note Knot Hill on your right. Eventually you meet a metalled minor road. Cross this to use a wooden stile into a field. Continue with the fence on your right, ignore the bridge and stile to the right, until you leave by another wooden stile and carry on in same direction along minor road. Turn right over a cattle grid along the first track you come to. You are now at waypoint [4].