Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail

Newton to Dunsop and Hodder Bank

Moderate

8.9 miles | 14.3 km | 333 m Ascent | 10.5 Naismith miles | David Longton
Within the Bentham Footpath Group, we regard the Yorkshire Dales, the South Lakes and the Forest of Bowland as our home patch. Of those three, it’s the latter that offers the best opportunity for quiet walks free from the more popular tourist hotspots.
Does that mean that the Forest of Bowland is remote and inaccessible then? Not in our opinion – in fact this walk passes through the centre of the United Kingdom which, as it turns out is Dunsop Bridge.
We start though in Newton – where there is good parking, then go via Beatrix to Dunsop Bridge with great views of Beatrix and Burn Fells along the way. We then stroll along the banks of the Hodder down to Burholme before returning via Hodder Bank Fell.

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Bolton by Bowland

Easy

6.5 miles | 10.5 km | 155 m Ascent | 7.3 Naismith miles | George Sheridan
We head back to the Forest of Bowland for this great and relatively easy walk from the pretty village of Bolton by Bowland, creating a great opportunity to combine the walk with a visit to the village – which boasts two great pubs and a very interesting church.
We start at a free car park next to the road bridge over Skirden Beck and then follow the beck upstream to Oak Trees Nursery. A short section on the road takes us up to Forest Becks, where we pick up Monubent Lane, which we follow as far as Monubent Head. From there we cross Fooden Moor until we get to Raygill Moss where we pick up the Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail. This takes us to Fooden, where we start to see the Ribble over to our left. We then follow the Ribble Valley down to the estate where Bolton Hall once stood and walk back into Bolton by Bowland via the estate grounds. We then stroll through the village, passing the church, the two greens and one of the pubs.

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Dunsop Bridge

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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Pendle Hill

Moderate

8.4 miles | 13.5 km | 479 m Ascent | 10.8 Naismith miles | Ed Badley
Infamous for its links to the witch trials of 1612, Pendle Hill and the surrounding villages are a lovely part of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Bentham Footpath Group explored the Sabden Valley in an earlier walk (https://benthamfootpathgroup.co.uk/sabden-valley/) and have climbed Pendle hill before – though prior to logging our walks on our website.
For this walk we climb Pendle Hill again, starting from the Nick of Pendle on the Clitheroe Road. Rather than walking on the road to start the climb, we cross and head west to pick up the Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail at Parsley Barn, and then cross the road higher up, to head up Pendleton Moor. Instead of taking the direct route up Pendle Hill though, we veer left and circle round it via Mearley Moor and Pendle Moor before reaching the peak. Our return route is via Boar Clough then Ogden Clough, before climbing Black Hill to gain great views over Churn Clough reservoir. From there it’s an easy walk back to the Nick. Although classed as “moderate”, be aware that this walk can be challenging in poor weather.

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