Start: Jubilee Tower car park, on the fell road between Quernmore and Abbeystead.
From junction 33 on the M6 turn left onto the A6 and IMMEDIATELY left onto Hampson Lane. After crossing over railway and motorway turn right at the T junction. After 1,000 metres turn left onto Bayhorse Lane and follow it for 3 miles to reach the tiny village of Quernmore. At its cross roads turn right onto Quernmore Brow towards Trough of Bowland and Abbeystead. In under 2 miles you will reach the car park opposite the tower. (Since this walk entails over 3 miles of road walking readers may consider an alternative start at Tarnbrook where there is limited off road parking. To reach Tarnbrook continue along the Fell road and bear left at the next junction. (Tarnbrook is at the end of a mile and a half cul-de-sac.)
Distance: 18 Km or 10¼ miles
Time: 5 - 6 hours
Terrain: A walk in two halves! Over Grit Fell and Ward's Stone rough moorland - boggy in places and strenuous. On descent easy track and road walking, but with a long haul back to the car park.
Map by kind permission of the Blackpool Gazette
1. Car Park to summit of Ward's Stone. (5 Km or 3 miles: 1½ -2 hours.
With your back to Jubilee Tower walk to rear of car park.
With the fence on your right follow a hardly discernible footpath that leads straight up the fellside.
Ascent is gradual at first, but becomes steeper closer to the top. On the skyline a cuboid cairn will provide an aiming point if the fence is not straight enough for you.
Amongst an area of gritstone you will reach a ladder stile over a wire fence.
Beyond it take a footpath through bilberry and heather that soon crosses by the summit cairn of this well named Grit Fell on its march to distant Ward's Stone to the east. On this upland plateau there is not much by way of feature but on a clear day wide views encompass the peaks of Yorkshire and the fells of
Lakeland. The trick now is to stay on the path as it ribbons its way along the ridge. At some points, especially after crossing a landrover track, detours become necessary to avoid patches of saturated ground.
The way dips between Grit Fell and Ward's Stone, then begins to climb along a shallow rock strewn gully to reach the first of two trig. points.
Here there is an impressive gritstone outcrop that presumably gave the fell its name.
2. Ward's Stone to Tarnbrook (9 Km or 5½ miles: 2 - 3 hours)
The broad top of this fell can be a confusing place in mist. Even in clear weather picking up the path is not easy. Maintaining the same direction of travel from Grit Fell, i.e. eastwards, look for the second trig. point on the horizon.
A boundary stone will be passed after 150 metres or so. After reaching the second trig. point, at 561metres one metre higher than the first, drop down on a more definite path to the corner of a fence.
This fence now provides a handrail to guide you over the next section of the route. On two stretches the fence becomes a wall. Keep the fence/wall on your left as you progress along the broad ridge moving closer to the next summit, Wolfhole Crag. In this way you will intercept a landrover track that
crosses your path, 2½ Km or 1½ miles (45mins) from the 2nd trig. point.
After the exertions of the moorland yomp from the car park, this track will come as a blessed relief. Turn right and head down the fellside.
Soon you will be in the company of running water. This is the infant Wyre, or at least the Tarnbrook branch of it, on its journey to the sea at Fleetwood.
[If a sheltered picnic spot is required then take a short cut to a rudimentary shooting hut overlooking a small waterfall. Just before the point where the track crosses the stream, bear left on a faint path that brings you to the top of the waterfall. Carefully negotiate the mossy boulders to cross the stream and turn left onto a rough track. Within a few metres you will reach the shelter. Continue beyond it to reach the main track.]
Follow the track as it winds its way down the fellside and about an hour after joining it, you will arrive at the tiny settlement of Tarnbrook.
3. Tarnbrook to Jubilee Tower (5 Km or 3 miles: 1 - 1½ hours)
The directions for this section are simply given. Follow the lane through the hamlet and keep on it to Lower Lee and the junction with the Abbeystead Road. Here bear right and on a busier road (very busy at weekends) walk up the hill to the Jubilee Tower. Easy eh! Well no - these last miles may seem particularly wearying. The lovely bubbly Tarnbrook Wyre will doubtless offer some distraction on the first section, and later the wide views beyond Rakehouse Brow will compensate for the effort, but the effort has still got to be made.
Once on the main road keep to the right to face the oncoming traffic. Eventually Jubilee Tower will come into sight.