Start: Hutton Village Hall.

From Preston Centre follow signs for A59 Liverpool and Southport. When you reach Hutton Roundabout take the second exit towards Longton, Liverpool Road. A short distance beyond the Grammar School turn left into Moor Lane. The Village Hall is on the right.

Factfile: Distance 10k 6 miles
              Time: 2 ½ - 3 ½  hours
               Summary:  Easy walking across pastures and along the Ribble Way. Prepare for mud!
               Map: OS Explorer 286 Blackpool & Preston

Map by kind permission of the Blackpool Gazette

Directions: Turn left from the car park and then left onto Liverpool Road. After passing a parade of shops continue for a little under 700m (10 mins) to reach the boundary between Longton and Hutton. Here turn right onto a footpath adjacent to the entrance of a nursery (plants). 

This path, which follows Longton Brook for the best part of a mile, edges along northern limit of Longton village.

When the path reaches the last house it crosses the brook over a wooden footbridge

 and then continues across large fields.

Ahead electricity pylons provide a useful reference point. As you reach the first set re-cross the brook, again using a footbridge,

 and continue with the brook on your left. The route begins to move away from the brook and after a stile  and a wooden footbridge,

bears right. Again electricity pylons assist as the stile you need is directly beneath the cables.

Continue with a hedge on your right until you reach the buildings of Old Grange - a huge farm complex.  Aim for a corner close to two tall conifer trees.

Cross the stile into the next field and continue until you reach a second stile.

 Cross this to reach the farm lane.

There is no right of way left through the farm to reach the Ribble Way and the Old Grange is an estate that strongly asserts its right of privacy so you will need to keep to the footpath that leads round the north and west of the complex. Turn right on the lane and after a short distance cross a stile on the left close to a service track for United Utilities.

 The way edges round the farm buildings on the left. 

Cross a stile in a wire fence and then cross a second in a hedge.

 Turn left and continue to a metal gate.

Through this turn right onto a farm track leading towards the River Ribble.

After 250m you will come to the Ribble Way. This Long Distance Path is just over  a mile into its 70 mile journey to the source of the river in the Yorkshire Dales.

 

Turn right over a ladder stile and after crossing a pasture the path joins a raised embankment. After 500m the embankment turns right and maintains a parallel course to the river.

 First time visitors maybe impressed how unnaturally straight the river is at this point. It was channelled when Preston Docks were constructed in the late 19th century.

Even those who have walked the area may surprised at the extent of the construction being undertaken now. Readers familiar with the Strand Road area of Preston will be aware that the riverside is part of a huge programme upgrading the management of sewerage disposal.

 This has entailed the building of tunnels, pumping stations and pipelines.  You cannot help be impressed by the scale of the operation. Luckily for this walk it has not disrupted the integrity of the footpaths.

3k/2 miles after joining the river the Ribble Way reaches Mill Brook.

Here turn right onto a footpath that follows the stream on a tree lined embankment.

Cross a farm track by a pair of stiles and then after 400m bear left to enter open pasture.

 Keep ahead after a stile next to a metal gate

 and then turn right before you reach the next gate

as the path climbs steeply close to electricity pylons. After a stile  and a stepped pathway

keep ahead until you come to a wooden fence with three waymarks all pointing ahead. 

Across this and you will quickly arrive at the rear of a property.

The path edges around this to put you on Ratten Lane. Turn left and then immediately right onto a footpath

that crosses two large fields to reach Liverpool Road directly in front of the gates of Hutton Grammar School.

Turn right for the village hall.