Words & Photos John Gillham

September 21 2011

The rivers of Ribble, Hodder and Calder all meet among a square mile of verdant pastureland and meadow. On the horizon sleek heather hills look down on a scene of winding country lanes, pleasant villages and country pubs. But this
isn’t leafy Berkshire and those hills belong to Bowland. The geographical centre of England is a mere few miles away.
Hurst Green at the start of the walk is a lively village with a handful of pubs and stone cottages. Life and tourism around the village revolves around Stonyhurst, founded as Stonyhurst Hall in 1592 and home to the Shireburn family until it was turned into a Catholic private school in 1794.

This June afternoon was warm but slightly hazy. After crossing fields from the village a domed building, Stonyhurst’s observatory, appeared ahead. As I neared it I heard the sound of leather on willow and sure enough the older pupils were playing serious cricket in full whites – this is middle England after all.

Around the corner the true majesty of Stonyhurst becomes apparent. First you see the chapel, then the ornate hall itself, which is a veritable palace overlooking manicured gardens with two rectangular pools and an imposing, almost regal drive leading to the entrance. The area as a whole has links to JRR Tolkien, whose son Michael was a pupil and later taught classics at the school. Tolkien senior was a regular visitor and is said to have written part of Lord of the Rings here. It has also been suggested that nearby Pendle Hill was the inspiration for the book’s Misty Mountains. Now we’ve moved from Middle England to Middle Earth!

A country lane leads the route out to high farm pastures, with Pendle and the South and West Pennine moors filling the southern horizon and the squat conifer-clad Longridge Fell peeping over pastures to the north. Wild roses and honeysuckle add colour to the hedgerows. A cross-field path climbs towards Longridge Fell.

The hill has far more paths than the maps show, especially the Landranger, which is fairly useless for guidance in the forest. The path I wanted is marked with black dashes on the Explorer map. It’s more interesting than the forestry road further west. The unsigned path begins at the top of a steep rise in the lane and tucks under the trees in fine fashion. As I sauntered along tracks on the northern rim of the fell there were glimpses through the trees of Bowland and the fields of the Hodder Valley, but the summit trig point offers so much more. From the heather-clad ridge a myriad fields are laid before you like a fine carpet leading your gaze onto Bowland’s dusky escarpments. On a clearer day I would have been able to see Blackpool Tower and the peaks of the Lake District.

I’d chosen the fastest way down with the least forest. This meant descending to meet the farm lane from Moor Game Hall. By teatime I was on the Hurst Green bridleway watching contented anglers on Crowshaw Lodge Reservoir. Just beyond, the 16th century house of Greengore, once a hunting lodge, looks fascinatingly stark with its small mullioned windows and twin buttresses. In complete contrast the closing stages are highlighted by the wooded gorge of Dean Brook, an enchanting place which could have staged a Tolkien scene. The brook has smoothed the bedrock slabs into weird sculptures. As I returned to the village someone was drinking a cool Pimms in the garden of the Bayley Arms. Now that is a fine middle English way to end a walk.

Distance: 12km/7.5 miles Ascent: 320m/1050ft Time: 3½ - 4 hours Start/Finish: parking, Hurst Green Village Hall – donations requested (GR: SD 684382) Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 1:25,000 sheet OL41 (Forest of Bowland) and 287 (West Pennines) Tourist Information: Clitheroe, 01200 425566 Public Transport: Buses: 5/5a bus runs to Hurst Green Mon-Sat from Longridge and Clitheroe (Stagecoach: 01772 884484). Nearest railway stations: Whalley and Clitheroe

Technical Spec
From the car park turn right along road then right along Smithy Row. Continue across fields. Turn left along lane past Stonyhurst College then left at a junction. Just past Stockbridge Cottages go right and head north-east across fields to farm lane, which passes through hamlet at Kemple End. Climb left along lane then right on a narrow path through conifers. Turn right at junction by an area of felled trees and circle left to the northern rim of the fell before heading west through trees to join forest road. Where this veers left leave it for path on the right (GR: SD 666413), which leads to open ground. Follow the ridge wall to summit trig point. Continue west and cross wall at first stile. Take the right fork path, descending though trees then across heath to meet farm lane east of Moor Game Hall. Turn left at junction with road. Beyond Intack car park turn right along a farm lane. As it veers right uphill go straight on through gate and follow the bridleway to Greengore. Where stony lane from farm veers right go straight along enclosed bridleway into the wooded valley of Dean Brook. Cross bridge and turn right along far bank. The path leads back to the village centre.