Sunday 14th January 2024

Walk Leader – Neil Harwood

Number on walk – 15

Distance – 17 miles

Weather – Cold – sunny morning but cloudy thereafter with a bitter wind!

The walk, as the title suggests, is a short version of an old Challenge walk based upon a route by an East Lancs member and his dog called Spanner. That walk began at the Jumbles Reservoir and walked north to Haslingden Grane and then returned south. This version began in the north at the Calf Hey Reservoir and went south as far as the Peel Tower, before returning back and only made it as far as the Wayoh Reservoir.

It was a cold start to the day with a heavy frost and also a competition with dog owners over parking spaces – I have never seen the car park quite so busy. The first half of the walk picks up the Rossendale Way and shortly afterwards there is a steep climb up to Musbury Heights, with its remnants of stone quarrying. Once out of the valley we were in the sunshine for most of the next hour or so with clear views across the valley to Haslingden and Rawtenstall including the distinctive flat peak of Cowpe Lowe and Scout Hill. With the recent dry weather and cold night it was decent underfoot unlike my reccie two weeks earlier, which was quite the mud bath. Our first stop was at Naughty Corner, well known to any Two Crosses walkers.

Shortly afterwards we depart from the Rossendale Way and pick up the Lancashire Way following a good track along Holcombe Moor to the Peel Monument. The views of the Manchester skyline rarely disappoint from here unless in cloud. We then turn around and head north to the trig point on Bull Hill, via the Pilgrim’s Cross, which is the highest point of the day at 418m. The descent to the notorious Black Moss reveals the new flagged path, which is a most welcome sight and avoids the deep mud and water on this stretch of moorland. After the crossing we have lunch on the remains of an old with views now west towards Winter Hill.

We decend into the valley on to the outskirts of Edgworth via Crowthorn, with its old National School buildings. Rather than add six miles to the route by using Stage 54 of the Lancashire Way we take a much shorter route to Entwistle, albeit taking in the shores of both the Wayoh and Entwistle Reservoirs. It’s then back north to Haslingden using Stage 55 of the Lancashire Way via the Broadhey valley and Hog Lowe Pike. The views from the latter are worth the short detour which included the distinctive hill of Ingleborough many miles to the north over in Yorkshire and our dear own Pendle Hill. There is then a final steep descent back down to and a quick walk around the reservoir on what is now a fine but cold afternoon. A good walk for January if you choose your day – we were lucky!