Start: On the junction of Chapel Lane and Shore Road, Hesketh Bank. From Preston centre take the A59 towards Liverpool. After 8 miles just beyond the narrow Bank Bridge over the River Douglas turn right towards Tarleton. As you enter the village proper turn right onto Hesketh Lane. Follow this for a further mile. Beyond the village centre opposite the church turn left into Chapel Lane.  After the chapel on the right the road bends right towards Shore Road. Alternatively take the Number 2 bus from Preston bus station.
 Fact file: Distance: 10 k 6 miles
                  Time:  2 ½ - 3 ½  hours
                 Summary:  Easy walking.
               Maps: OS Explorer 286 Blackpool & Preston

Map by kind permission of the Blackpool Gazette

Directions: One aspect of the walk is that the place names encountered have literal meanings. Chapel Lane has a Chapel and Shore Road indicates that the sea shore once ran alongside it. From the junction of these two roads turn right and almost immediately cross to a public footpath leading out onto Hesketh Old Marsh.

 The contrast to the approach could not be greater - away from the linear built up development along Hesketh Lane and Chapel Lane you enter a vast polder - reclaimed land devoted to growing.

 Along a broad track walking is easy. After 750 metres turn left after a drainage channel onto another broad track. This now becomes your direction of travel for the next 2 ½ kilometres.

750 metres from the turn cross Dib Lane a farm road and continue on a footpath.

After a stile

the path continues in a strikingly long narrow field between raised embankment on the left and hedgerow on the right.

 When you reach a tarmac drive

 in just under 1500 metres (25 minutes) from Dib Lane, turn left

and follow it past a grand house and along an avenue to arrive at Shore Road opposite Hundred End Farm.

 ("Hundred" was an administrative district and this was the boundary between Leyland and West Derby Hundreds.) Turn right.
Walk along Shore Road for 500 metres taking care for the traffic moves rather rapidly along the long straight from Banks. After passing a footpath sign on the right take the next turn on the left - a track leading to Dandy's Farm.

After the house keep ahead on a track leading across arable land.

There is not much feature to help you here but 500 metres after the house follow the track as it dog legs to the left.

  Keep ahead to reach Boundary Lane ("Boundary" again referring to the old Hundreds.) close to New House Farm.

Turn right  and walk a further 500 metres to the next junction and turn left into Boundary Meanygate.

 There is much discussion about the derivation of "Meanygate" a common place name in this area. It may be a corruption of the word for "main" with "gate" meaning entrance. Another possibility is that it comes from the time when tolls were applied to roads - thus "meanie" if you demanded them or "meanie" if you avoided them.  No tolls now though.  You will maintain this direction for the next two kilometres. (35 minutes) At first on a road

and then (after crossing Taylors Meanygate at 500 metres) a farm track

continue until you reach Moss Farm on the edge Becconsall.

Here take a footpath left across Hesketh Moss leading to surprise surprise Moss Lane.

On Moss Lane turn right. Here horticulture is dominated by glass - people around here do not thrown stones since most of them own green houses!. After 400 metres opposite a pumping station turn left onto a footpath

leading behind glass houses

and then across a footbridge onto fields.

 Keep ahead with the hedge on the right.

 

When you reach Wrights Farm turn right onto its drive.

 This leads down to Chapel Lane close to the start.