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Contents :: RIBBLE WAY :: Day 3


		INTRODUCTION		DAY 5
		DAY 1		DAY 6
		DAY 2		DAY 7
		DAY 3
		DAY 4

THE RIBBLE WAY RUNS FLOWS FROM ITS SOURCE IN THE YORKSHIRE DALES TO ITS RIVER MOUTH BEYOND PRESTON

NATIONAL TRAIL GUIDES UK

Day 3 :: Very attractive Scenery:: Ribchester to Clitheroe:: 12.75 miles

The first part of the walk today began on the Blackburn Road, the main road through Ribchester. We walked past the Ribchester Arms on the outskirts of the town and over the road bridge above Duddel Brook, at which point we were able to look across on our left towards the almshouses at Stydd. The walk along Blackburn Road was less than exciting but was not too unpleasant, the countryside on either side being quite attractive.

We very soon reached Ribchester Bridge at Little Town. The span of the river was magnificent and the azure blue waters beneath were shimmering from the light of the bright sunshine, being festooned on either side with multi-hued deciduous trees. Ducks swam lazily beneath in a world that knew a far slower pace than the one in which I was living.



The Ribble at Ribchester Bridge		Ribchester Bridge

Turning left from the road just before the bridge we walked along a tarmac path bounded by grass verges, on the riverbank and all awhile there was the most exotic trilling of songbirds, and at times it seemed as though their chorus was especially for us. At the end of the track was Dewhurst House. Our path took us through the yard and right of a barn to reach a narrow track between a wooden fence on one side and thick vegetation on the other.

Around a bend we continued along a grassy track alongside the River Ribble and adventured forward for some time until attaining the fringe of Stewart's Wood on our left. We skirted this for some time and then, just beyond a large silvery green tree we encountered a stile taking us into Haugh Wood. Immediately beyond the stile was a wooden footbridge across a small brook, from which we were afforded a magnificent view of a huge sweep of the Ribble as it meandered away to the right. The wood contained many open areas where dense foliage was able to obtain sunlight and grow.



Skirting Stewart's Wood		Haugh Wood

Before entering further into the woodland I glanced back at the Ribble to see the most amazing view, the beautiful blues of the water contrasting so heavenly with the variegated greens of dense herbage fronting the wood, and the woodland on the far bank. In the wood we followed a narrow, curving dirt track between widely spaced stands of trees and rich vegetation containing an assortment of yellow and white flowers.



Looking back at the Ribble from Haugh Wood		Haugh Wood

The path forked and we veered left and then over a stile and up a steep grassy bank. At the top the direction we were to follow was found by walking directly towards the scarp slope of Pendle Hill which lay prominently on the horizon in front of us. This meant walking almost through the centre of the spacious and grassy field which was dotted here and there with sheep and cattle. We walked downhill and found a gate to the next field which we climbed to the top left corner and then we walked ahead until meeting and crossing the track from Hurst Farm.

We walked through a gate on the opposite side of the track and followed the tree boundary down to a bridge at the foot of Clough Bank Wood. Route finding here was easy thanks to the generous supply of Ribble Way markers placed strategically along the route. The wooden footbridge took us over a small brook to a verdant grassy field which we climbed to a gate and stile. We then passed through successive fields, offering beautiful pastoral scenes with trees placed to maximum advantage. The landscape could well have been painted. A discolouring of the grass revealed the appearance of our path.

At length we spotted a metal bridge to our right, spanning the Ribble. This was Dinckley Bridge, but we did not see any more of the river today as our path took us away from it. After passing through a stile we joined a track between stands of conifers that took us to Trough House Farm where we turned left, saying hello to some of its inhabitants and followed the track beyond the farm uphill between stands of trees. Near the top of the hill a stile on the right led us to a small grassy field to the side of a wooded bank. It was not too pleasant here as the long grass, which couldn't be avoided because of the narrowness of the path, itched my bare legs.

A steep set of steps down through the wood soon changed to a narrow track at the top and edge of the wood again, but a kinder path, which seemed to continue for a long time until eventually an aqueduct across the Ribble came into view and the woodland disappeared behind us as we walked along the riverbank at the side of large open fields, below the village of Hurst Green. Haymakers were busy in the fields on the opposite side of the river.



Sheep and cattle at the top of Haugh Wood		Nearing Trough house Farm

The path here was easy to walk on and easy to follow and so we decided to increase our pace and close the distance to Clitheroe a little faster. The path stretched on for quite a distance until it eventually met a tarmac track which led beside a section of the river known as Jumbles Rocks, a cascade of rocks that resulted in a quickening of the water flow in this part of the river.

The track led beside the river bank for some distance in the direction of Winckley Hall. We stopped along the path to eat lunch and to stretch. After a 15 minute break we arose, a little stiffer for the rest, and continued to walk along the riverbank. We eventually came upon the confluence of the River Calder with the River Ribble. The sandy embankments here were the home to many sand martins busily trafficking to and from their nesting burrows. The air was alive with them.



Riverbank below Hurst Green		Confluence of the River Calder with the River Ribble

A little while later we met the confluence of the River Hodder with the River ribble and were then forced to follow the riverbank of the Hodder rather than the Ribble. The Hodder had to be crossed much further upstream at the next bridge, the Lower Hodder Bridge. In the meantime we continued to walk alongside the Hodder towards Winckley Hall Farm. We passed through the farm, bypassing an attractive pond and walked up an estate road and passed Winckley Hall and then turned off the road at a stile on our right that led through the field opposite along a well worn track through the grass, to a line of trees that lined the Ribble valley.

Prominent on the horizon now were the spires of Stoneyhurst College, and we soon made our way through the lush farmland to the minor cross roads, one of which was signposted to Stoneyhurst college. Our route now lay to our right, along the road and into Great Mitton. We quickly walked into Great Mitton along the road, across the Lower Hodder Bridge, admiring the old bridge as we passed it. In the village we quickly walked around All Hallows church and then re-met and crossed the ribble near a pub and rejoined the Ribble at a stile just after the pub.



Confluence of the River Hodder with the River ribble		The old Lower hodder Bridge

We were now beside the Ribble again and climbed a grassy bank and walked around the hedgerow of the next field until crossing a wooden footbridge to another field where we cut diagonally across towards a water board monitoring station and Ribble Way sign and then proceeded along the river bank and past an aqueduct carrying 4 large pipes across.

Just beyond was a wide gravel track which we followed round to Shutleworth Farm, entering its yard via a stile and leaving via kissing gates which led over a grassy track to a road and some dwellings. We followed the road left, along meandering bends displaying profuse flowering wayside herbage.

The road passed a household waste site and the road traffic suddenly increased substantially. After passing this we followed it round as it bent to the right, up a hill and then found a stile on the left with a bridge across a stream. We took the road towards Siddows Farm but turned off before reaching it at a fork in the road. We took the right fork and then turned immediately left through a kissing gate and walked across the field. We passed through a gate onto a narrow path along the river bank. This was very pleasant with a raised bank on our right and the river on our left. Both banks had a smattering of hawthorn and other such small trees, and the bank on our right soon disappeared.



Riverbank by siddows's Farm		Clitheroe Castle in the distance

The path and its surrounds continued to become more attractive with the most beautiful displays of wild flowers and eventually we came upon Edisford Park, which fronted the Ribble. It seemed to be very thoughtfully designed and looked magnificent. We passed through the park to Edisford Bridge and the road beyond. We walked right to a set of traffic lights, crossed and walked through the grounds of a leisure centre, passing between the baths and tennis hall to reach a field at the rear. We skirted the left boundary of this and emerged in a gap between housing at the side of a retirement home. this was Low Moor Village, part of Clitheroe.

Over the hill we were once again on the banks of the Ribble and made our way down some steps near a weir to find a grassy track along the river bank to Brungerley Bridge, the end of the walk for today.



ribble at Brungerley Bridge		Brungerley Bridge

Day 2

Day 4

Author - Roy McKee