Total Distance: 12 Km or 7½ miles

Ascent: 320 meters or 1050 ft

Time: 3 - 4 hours

Terrain: Mainly farmland with some woodland walking. A sharp descent to Hareden.

Map

Start: Car park at Dunsop Bridge.
From Longridge follow signs for Trough of Bowland and Whitewell.

1. Dunsop Bridge to Whitewell. (3.5 Km or 2¼ miles: 1 hour)

After having your photo taken by the famous telephone box, walk along the lane towards Newton and as it bends sharply to the left, turn right into an impressive drive lined with tall pines - the approach to Thorneyholme Hall. Across the bridge turn immediately right through a metal gate onto a footpath.



With the river Hodder on your right, follow the path through fields. The path is not always easy to pick out so you need to be alert when after 20-25 minutes it begins to turn towards Burholme Farm to the left. This is beyond a recent ground work carried out by a utility company.



Just before the farm, cross a wooden bridge, and turn right through the yard. Then on a good track walk to Burholme Bridge. Continue along the lane ahead looking for a concessionary path on the right at 400m. This follows the lane on the safe side of the wall, up to wooded Whitewell.

2. Whitewell - Tunstall Ing. (1.6 Km or 1 mile: 30 minutes)

Pass the Inn at Whitewell and church on your right and turn right through a car park. A sign will direct you to the stepping stones. Across the stepping stones the ground rises steeply along the edge of a wood, reaching the large farmstead of New Laund. 100m beyond the farm, by a cheese press, turn left through the first of two metal gates and begin to climb along a grassy track.

 

 

Further on follow the line of a fence on your left.  After 600m the path levels with limestone outcrops in evidence. Go through gate onto a lane. Turn left looking for a stile 30m on your right. Cross a meadow aiming to the left of a white house - Tunstall Ing. As the path meets the farm track turn right.

3. Tungstall Ing to Hareden (4 Km or 2½ miles: 1 hour )

For a while you are on a firm farm track, which in fact is a public bridleway. Across the 3rd cattle grid the track leads towards Higher Fence Wood past chicken huts. Turn right at the junction before reaching the farm, and then 300m further along, turn right by more chicken huts. This track brings you to a gate leading into a conifer plantation. As the track levels out you enter scattered woodland by a wall. After crossing a stream, the path climbs and by way of a stile passes into the open pasture below Toteridge Fell. The route, after crossing a wall by a ladder stile, traverses very muddy pasture towards Mellor Knoll.

 

Then veering left and crossing another wall by a ladder stile, begins the descent towards Hareden. With a wall on your left drop down to Hareden, quite steeply through pasture, reaching a corner where a gate and ladder stile are to your left. Cross this and bear right with the wall on your right down to the farmstead of Hareden. On reaching the farm road turn right and follow it to Trough Road.

4. Hareden to Dunsop Bridge (3 Km or 2 miles: 45 minutes)

At Trough Road turn right. 800m along, beyond a cattle grid, go through a gate on the left to traverse a field to a gate. Beyond the gate, pass behind a farmhouse to reach a metalled track. Turn left.  In a little over 200m cross the wooden bridge on the right and walk back in the opposite direction to Dunsop Bridge. Immediately on your left as you enter the village, is the post office with its adjoining Puddleducks café. The famous telephone box is a little further on the right.

 

Special note: Should the stepping stones at Whitewell be submerged retrace your steps to Burholme Bridge, cross it and turn left into a lane signposted for Chipping. After 15 - 20 minutes when the lane levels out look for stile on right leading across to Tunstall Ing


The Inn at Whitewell
It is probably too soon in the walk to stop at The Inn at Whitewell for either lunch or liquid refreshment but in our humble opinion it would be a great shame to be walking in the area and not visit this delightful establishment. Our suggestions would be either lunch at Puddleducks then park up at the Inn at Whitewell for a pint before driving home or wait until you have completed your walk and then drive on to the Inn for lunch.


The Inn itself is in the style of an up-market coaching house. The floors are of stone/slate and the place has the feel of 'old-fashioned quality'. There is nothing old fashioned about the food and drink which we have sampled on more than one occasion.
On our latest visit they were serving 3 different cask ales. All could be said to be premium beers. We prefer cask ales with a lower ABV as they tend to keep their body better and have less residual sweetness. However, if premium ales are the order of the day then the 3 on offer are 3 of the best:: Copper Dragon IPA (4.6%), Moorhouses Blond Witch (4.5%) and Timothy Taylor Landlord(4.3%).
We sampled the IPA and the Blond Witch, both of which were in excellent condition. The IPA is a stronger version of Copper Dragon's other offerings, retaining the same citrus undertaste. The Blond Witch as its name suggests is a blond bitter, smooth but with a bitter after taste.
We were too late for lunch on this occasion but recall a most pleasant ham salad from a previous visit.