Across the Moss to Croston
In winter this part of
Start:
Summary: Distance: 13k 8m
Time: 3 ½ - 4 ½ hours
Terrain: Flat. Very easy walking.
Map: OS Explorer 285

Directions: Rufford to Croston 5k - 1 ¼ hours. From Church Road turn left on B5246. Cross first the canal, then the railway and finally the river

Turn left onto a broad, farm track and follow it as it crosses a sluice by a metal bridge.
Across arable land the track reaches a branch of the same waterway. Cross this by a flat bridge and continue, beneath pylons with the channel on your right. At the end of the field turn left and walk towards a small oak tree near the corner.

On reaching the hedge turn right. For the next 15 minutes or so (1100m) walk ahead with the field boundary on your left. To your right, across a field, you will pass Caunce Wood. The footpath is narrow and hardly discernable but the odd waymarker will confirm the direction of travel. Do not stray from the left side as you cross four large fields to reach a farm track. [This is a point of contact with the Mawdesley Jubilee Trail] Turn left onto the track. Ahead in the distance you will notice an imposing farm.

The track will lead you to the right of this building, past tennis courts, to where it meets a tarmac lane. Turn right onto the lane and follow it as it bends to the left. This will lead you to the edge of Croston village. Turn right at Manor House Barn towards the burial ground and then left by a footpath sign and cross the river Yarrow to pass through a passageway into the church yard.

Nearby there is a primary school. With the church on your right, cross the yard to reach Church Row which brings you on
Croston to Rufford 8k 2 hours. It is a brave editor that leaves out the view of the church and the ancient stone bridge in any calendar of

Hardly a decade has gone by in the last 400 years without some addition to the range of styles and yet without detriment to the essential charm of the village. It is well worth exploration in its own right.
Turn left onto

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