Start: Marles Wood Car park. From Junction 31 M6 take the A59 towards Clitheroe. Keep on this through Osbaldeston and then turn left at traffic lights onto the B6245 Ribchester Road. Just before Ribchester Bridge continue along a lane. After a mile and a half turn left into the car park off a wooded brow.

Map by kind permission of the Blackpool Gazette

Factfile: Distance: 6m 10k
               Time 2 ½ - 3 ½ hours
                Terrain: Generally easy walking across farm land and through woods. The first 1 ½ miles involves a road walk.
             Map: OS Explorer 287 West Pennine Moors

Start: Return to the lane, turn right and walk to Ribchester Bridge.

 

The lane is narrow but quiet; even so it would be best to walk on the right facing on coming traffic. At the bridge cross the Ribble and turn right onto the farm lane leading down to Dewhurst House Farm.

 

Now on the Ribble Way the route turns right as it enters the yard and after a stile emerges close to the river.

 

For the next 2 ½ m 4k follow the Ribble Way as it enters Haugh Wood and then crosses pastures to put you on a farm lane above Hey Hurst.

 

Turn right and then left over a stile.

 

 Continuing across a field drop to a footbridge on the edge of Clough Bank Wood.

 

 Keep ahead with the field boundary on your right as you traverse three fields to reach the lane below Trough House. Turn left and pass between farm buildings on an improving lane.

 

 300m from Trough House turn right onto a footpath.

 

After crossing a strip of meadow the route skirts the edge of woods above the river. Still on the Ribble Way continue for 400m just before the path dips down towards the river.

 

Turn left onto a footpath (waymarked) and begin to gently ascend towards Hurst Green. The path crosses the clough to the right and then a large pasture to emerge in Hurst Green to the right of the Shireburn Arms.

As well as the Shireburn Arms Hotel, Hurst Green has two other pubs so you may wish to avail yourself of their facilities if refreshment is required. 

It is becoming more widely known that JRR Tolkein  used this part of Lancashire as the model for his descriptions of the Shire in his fantasy books "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" and indeed there is a Tolkein Trail to be followed details of which may be obtained from the Shireburn.

On reaching the road turn left and then beyond the hotel left again on a lane leading down to Lambing Clough.

 

Beyond Lambing Clough you will pick up, for a short distance, your outward trail. Continue to Trough House and then immediately after passing through the yard turn left onto a footpath leading down to Dinckley suspension bridge.

 

In his superb book "Walks in Ribble Country" (Cicerone Press 1999) Jack Keighley notes that the bridge had been erected in 1951 to replace a boat ferry operated by the farmer of Trough House, an individual whose deafness was commercially selective. As passengers had to shout across the river to attract his attention it seemed he never heard them until there was a boat full.

 

The suspension bridge straddles a delightful reach of the Ribble. Cross it and turn right to follow the river downstream. After about 1000m the route enters Marles Wood.

When the path divides with one branch leading to a wooden footbridge bear left up along a concessionary path leading to the rear of the car park.

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