hameldon and goodshaw hills

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging; one of my favourite pastimes is walking and bagging trigs. With the covid-19 situation, I have re-discovered some of the amazing scenery in Accringtonia, my home for the last 15 years.

My route can be seen on the attached screenshot rather than talk all the way through it I will point out assailant observations, the walk starts on Pinewood drive, after a few hundred metres walking take the footpath which forks right over a small bridge crossing pleck brook, then take the immediate footpath to the left. Look out for a nice mini waterfall across the stream after a hundred metres or so. 

Follow my route upto a cross paths junction with a couple of farm buidings (Higher Riley), go straight across through the farm driveway path and continue ahead onto farm land. At the next farm building a few hundred metres beyond I hopped a gate and went straight ahead to cross the main dual carriageway (an alternative would be to not hop the gate but carry on another few hundred metres before using the subway to go under the dual carriageway.). Both paths require a steady climb up to join a more major track known as the kings highway. Turn right onto this main path (there are good views to your right of Accrington, hyndburn and rossendale).

After approx. a kilometre take the minor road/track to the left (look for rossendale round the hills marker). This path takes you to within 10 metres of top of goodshaw hill (if you can avoid the cows (cows seem to enjoy hill tops in the sun) climb on top of the hill to gain good views of rossendale, thiverley pike and crawshawbooth). Re-turn to the path following the rossendale around the hills markers for around 1 mile.

Look out for the track with stones going to left near 2 gates as you are approaching the hameldon hill weather station. Take this (great hamledon hill will be on your right). After walking approx. Half a kilometre look for the 1st proper path to the right up hamledon and go ahead to bag the trig. On a clear day as well views of pendle hill, Burnley and hyndburn. You can see Ingleborough over pendle's left shoulder and Blackpool tower beyond Blackburn.

Now take the path to a roughly 90 degree angle to the left of from where you came follow this down the slope (note to go left of the fenced off area.). Follow my path down Moleside coming out to the right hand side of the farm before following the road underneath the dual carriageway. 

From here I turned right and left just past a wall and meandered my way past reservoirs to the left and then through the trees of the coppice down.

Accounting for a steady pace but a good few of brew flask stops to admire the views. I would allow 3 hours starting a finishing top of avenue parade/pinewood drive. Distance travelled 12.5km, elevation gained 319 metres.

Hoped you can enjoy the walk like I did with good visibility.

Best wishes 

James

Woodlands wander (Clayton le Moors)

For this walk, we abandon the west Pennine moors surrounding the Accrington/Hyndburn area. But discover fabulous wooded and canal areas the locality has to offer.

In conjunction with my route map blog, you can see I start off at Avenue Parade, Accrington. skirt the lower edge of the coppice, crossing Burnley Road, before heading towards Accrington Cricket Club. At the cricket club, I turned right down a path alongside the ground and then left at the top of it into a pathed wooded area. After a few hundred metres this path bends to the right to meet a path cross junction with a marker post. Go straight ahead on the path in front and follow the path up around slightly left. After a few hundred metres you will be half way up Whinney Hill, there is a bench in a clearing giving fantastic views south (good brew spot). Continue on the main path as the path curves to meet Whinney Hill road near the entrance to a modern housing estate. Cross the road and follow the path down the side on greengates building supplies. 

Follow this path as you enjoy (may need to ignore smell!) the tip and landfill site to your right and old brickworks(I found it strangely interesting, the large size of the land and on-goings). After a kilometre or so the path turns right alongside the M65 motorway before crossing the footbridge (excellent views of Ribble valley from footbridge.). Follow the path straight ahead through farmland till you reach the main Burnley Road in Altham. Turn right follow this for a few hundred metres, just after you cross over a canal turn left down the lane (before you do spare a moment to look at the memorial on the right hand side of the road honouring the many life's lost in the moorfield mining disaster from the 19th century.)

After a couple of hundred metres you will come across an entrance to Woodlands, I completed a circuit of this lovely wood. Squirrels and birds aplenty. After completing a circuit I carried back on past initial entry point and took the signpost to the Liverpool and Leeds canal. Once at the canal I turned left and followed the canal past swans, ducks and agricultural countryside for around a mile. I then took a grass path off to my left to cross the footbridge and double back a little to access a footbridge back over the M65. From here I turned right and past the side of the still working brick works. Heading up through Huncoat, going more or less straight across at the top of Bolton Road through newish housing (foxwood chase) up to take a footpath up to the right as the road bends left. This ascends to join a footpath that can with a right turn be followed down a track to the bowling green at the base of the coppice (the initial ascent from foxwood chase, gives good views if you turn around of our route and beyond into the lush trough of bowland and Ribble valley).

I would allow 3 hours for walk(that is averaging 5 km an hour this allows for some view and snack stops on top of that, it is relatively flat for the local area, 229 metres gained during ascents and a travel distance of 14 kilometres). Thanks for reading, get out there and enjoy walking.