Leader: Neil

Number on walk: 20

Distance: 16 miles

Weather: Cold but largely sunny in the morning – overcast in the afternoon.

The shortening days and the distance of the walk dictated an early start of 8.30am meeting by the Leeds Liverpool canal in Parbold opposite the old windmill. With such a good turnout we quickly filled the small car park and had to resort to parking on the road. But the good news was that whilst it was cold the sun had risen and promised a decent day’s weather.

The aim of the day’s walk had originally been to visit as many of the tops of the hills – “peaks” – around Parbold in the Borough of West Lancashire. However, with the discovery of an old challenge walk called the “Beacon Bash”, run by the now disbanded South Lancs LDWA, the route was reorganised to faithfully reflect as much of this walk as could be completed in the hours available. The original route was 21 miles but this was reduced down to 16. This was achieved by removing a section between the High Moor to Harrock Hill the long way around via Parbold itself and Hunters Hill and secondly a later section through Roby Mill and Jollies I’th Dean.

The walk began by taking the canal in an easterly direction to Bridge No 40 and then turning north up to the summit of Parbold Hill, with its viewpoint across the Douglas Valley and beyond to Liverpool and the Lancashire Coast. From here the route continues north to High Moor and then directly to the disused windmill on top of Harrock Hill via Harrock Hall. The section before this has views to the coast including today the southern fells of the Lake District and after this the West Pennines.  From here we headed east for a short while and then back on ourselves in a southerly direction.

The next point of interest is Fairy Glen – a lovely wood, now unfortunately without its beautiful Autumn leaves, set in a deep valley with a stream cascading over the rocks in parts. And then through Appley Bridge, past the Community Centre, which was Checkpoint No 3 on the old Challenge Walk with excellent pies apparently – well we are technically in Wigan now! And the Lancashire flag was flying too as it is Lancashire Day on the 27^th November. Then back over the canal and the River Douglas before the gradual climb up to the Beacon Country Park via the outskirts of Roby Mill.

There is another viewpoint in the Country Park, looking down on “Skem”, but from where we could also see Liverpool again and even North Wales including Anglesey. Then on to Ashurst’s Beacon via the golf course for more great views. The final return leg to Parbold is almost all downhill via Dalton and Newburgh including a walk through a Christmas Tree Farm – very festive! More super views north this time including Blackpool Tower and even Parlick shining in the evening sun. We were back to the cars by just after 3pm so still day light for the journey home – hopefully this did not mean that the pace was too fast?

If you don’t know this area then please do explore it – being a small hilly area almost entirely surrounded by lowland gives it a quite unique perspective on this part of the North West. But then I would say that wouldn’t I, being a Parbold man myself!

Photos can be seen here