Hameldon Hill
The more east you travel in Lancashire you will become aware of "the Lancashire Beyond" phenomenon. That is you reach what you think is the furthest point of the county only to be told there is another bit over the hill and in the next valley. Rossendale is a case in point. Here is a different geography altogether, more akin to West Yorkshire than the rest of Lancashire and part of an area known as the South Pennines. Wild wind swept moors cut by deep valleys provide a fascinating place to explore – especially on foot. The Ordnance Survey map Explorer OL21 lists 19 National Trail and Recreational paths – a walker's Shangri La! This walk uses two of these paths – the Burnley Way and the Rossendale Way in a ciruit of Clowbridge Reservoir by way of Hameldon Hill.
Time: 2½ hours
Terrain: Includes some strenuous walking over moorlands
Start:
Limy Lane, off A682 Manchester Road at Clowbridge Reservoir. Though not laid out like a car park, there is plenty of off road parking.
Map by kind permission of the Blackpool Gazette.
1. Car Park to Hameldon Hill (3 Km or 2 miles: 45 minutes)
Retrace your way back to Manchester Road and after crossing it, turn right towards Burnley. At 300m the Burnley Way crosses the road. Your way is left onto a tarmac track that soon peters out.
After 300m the track crosses a wooden stile ahead and becomes a footpath. (The Burnley Way insigna is clearly marked on the post by stile.)
Passing through a pasture, the footpath enters a walled lane which leads down to a yard. Here the route doglegs first right, then left (passing realistic exotic crane by ornamental pool) A waymarked post indicates the way. Cross a wooden stile to reach a grassy track going along the fellside. Continue straight. A good view of Clowbridge Reservoir will open up on left.
On reaching a tarmac lane turn right. This is a service road for the paraphenalia of masts on top of the hill, which soon come into view. As the service road bends to the left, continue straight through two imposing boulders onto a stony track. This track is reunited with the service road 300m ahead. On reaching the edge of the summit plateau go right in front of the wall to the distinctive looking radar weather station.
The trig.point is to its left across a broken wall - close enough to touch. Extensive views include Winter Hill, Darwen Tower, the Bowland Fells, Pendle Hill and Boulsworth. To the south the Rossendale Valley points towards Rawtenstall, Bury and Manchester beyond. But perhaps the most striking view is east across Clowbridge to the sterile moors around Coal Clough Wind Farm.
2. Hameldon Hill to Loveclough (2½ Km or 1½ miles: 30 minutes)
Retrace your steps to the Burnley Way, and turn right along it across a cattle grid. Where the service road turns right carry straight on passing a mast enclosed by metal fence. At 700m/11minutes pass through a wooden gate, next to a metal one. This next section of the walk is most decidedly awkward and needs a degree of concentration. Turning left immediately with wall on left, descend through thigh high marsh grass to reach stone step stile. Cross it and then bear to right to reach a furrowed track. Track hardly covers it - more an indentation made by wheeled vehicles. Once on it begin to follow it down the fell. Soon it turns to the left. Your way is to cross the wall in front by a stone stile.
Ahead you will just about see the line of the path crossing an unavoidable patch of boggy ground. Beyond you reach a broken wall with barbed wire fence, crossed by a wooden stile.
Heights Farm on left is a complete ruin with a landrovers' graveyard scattered about the fellside. Ahead you will see a small reservoir. (Penny Lodge) Aim for this. Skirting the water on the leftside, the lower path will bring you to a metal gate adjoined to a wooden stile.
Follow the track down to a fairly new development and the Rossendale Way. Turn left and follow lane through Loveclough to Manchester Road.
3. Loveclough to Car park (4½ Km or 2½ miles: 1 hour 10 minutes)
Once again cautiously cross Manchester Road taking path directly opposite to the right of National School building (now converted for residential use). In a little under 200m reach Swinshaw Lane (named to commemorate the last wild boar to be killed in England) and turn right. In 500m look for footpath sign on left (on right a comparatively new housing estate). Turn left and follow path beside a wooded gully. Beyond as wall on right ends, cross a wooden stile into a pasture, with wire fence on left and walk up to a metal gate. Cross stile with wall now on right. Clowbridge Reservoir comes into sight. A further 350m/5mins along you come to a junction of paths. Go through the metal gate and bear to right. At the next wall keep to left (not ahead over stone stile) and go forward through a gap. The wall is now on your right. This section is a superb upland yomp. On reaching the point where two sets of pylons traverse the route, turn left onto a solid track. (A stone cross will be seen on the right.)
Follow track and descend to car park across the northern tip of Clowbridge Reservoir.
Reproduced by kind permision of The Blackpool Gazette