Dunsop Bridge

A Hodder Trod at Whitewell

8.8 miles | 14.1 km | 300 m Ascent | 10.3 Naismith miles | Mary & Kate Taylor
We recently enjoyed a great walk on the Tolkein Trail, visiting the far end of the Hodder where it meets the Ribble, and we also spent time on the Hodder as part of our equally enjoyable Dunsop Bridge walk. This walk is also based around the Hodder and explores the region between our other two offerings.
We start from Whitewell, and head downstream to Stakes, but as there are no rights of way directly along the banks of the Hodder, we find a route along the side of Seed Hill, before crossing the road and clipping the edge of Ing Wood where we enjoy a view which includes ostriches. From there we head across fields, over a ford and on to Stakes, where there is an option to cross the river via stepping stones. When the Hodder is in full flow this route can be difficult, so we took a diversion to Doeford Bridge and Loud Mytham bridges to safely cross the river.
The return leg of the walk brings us via Knot Hill to New Laund Farm where we again have the option of a route back over stepping stones. We took the safer, but slightly longer route back via Burholme Bridge, and then a permissive path close to the Hodder. The extensions to cope with the high water levels make this long enough to be classed as a moderate walk, but there are no hard climbs.

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Brock Bottom and Beacon Fell

Easy

6.8 miles | 11.0 km | 215 m Ascent | 7.9 Naismith miles | Peter Lennard
Of the areas that Bentham Footpath Group walk, the Forest of Bowland is generally the quietest. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its hot spots though, and it’s at one of these – the Beacon Fell Country Park that we start this easy walk.
The Country Park has a number of attractions all within a well defined and quite small boundary, so you could easily augment the walk by adding one or more of . . . a sculpture trail, orienteering challenges, waymarked walks around the site, a barbecue site, viewing points, and a visitor centre with café and toilets. The whole site is a Biological Heritage Site, so you may also see interesting and rare flora and fauna.
Although we start at the Visitor Centre, we soon leave the site and head down to Brock Bottom, where we pick up the River Brock and head upstream passing Brockmill on the way to Gill Barn Wood. We then enjoy great views of Parlick and Fair Snape Fell before climbing back up to the Beacon Fell site where we wander around the Beacon.

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Moderate

7.6 miles | 12.3 km | 234 m Ascent | 8.8 Naismith miles | Peter Lennard
Within the Bentham Footpath Group, we tend to think of ourselves as living “up North”, and indeed we do – but only by a few miles: It turns out that the geographic centre of Great Britain is (according to the Ordnance Survey) in Dunsop Bridge. Given this curious fact, how can we decline the temptation to start a walk right from the centre of the country?
That curiosity aside, Dunsop Bridge is a great place to walk, and is often described as being at the heart of the Forest of Bowland. This gentle walk heads out from the village up the banks of the Dunsop before striking out to the isolated farms at Beatrix. From there, we cross Rough Syke at the bottom of Oxenhurst Clough and then after a brief but steep climb, follow green lanes and a very minor road to the lovely village of Newton where we pick up the Hodder, to follow it downstream back to Dunsop Bridge.
En route, we follow the Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail over Giddy Bridge, and then past Knowlmere Manor, and Thorneyholme Hall where we see the confluence of the Dunsop and the Hodder. The walk ends back at Dunsop Bridge where ice cream beckons.
We recommend that you take waterproofs on this walk – be aware that Dunsop Bridge holds the record for the most intense rainfall in the UK with 117mm (4.6 in) falling in just 90 minutes on 8th August 1967.

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