Downham Circular Walk

Leaflets of this walk and many more are always available for your use in the visitor lounge. This walk and map are reproduced from the Lancashire Countryside service.

This map is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Lancashire County Council 100023320 2004

DOWNHAM CIRCULAR WALKS III (Allow 4-5 Hours, Approximately 7 miles / 11Km)

1. Leave the car park through the small gate near to the public toilets and head towards the stone road bridge, passing through two more small gates. Do not cross the bridge but follow the road straight ahead and then bear left to follow Downham Brook upstream. Pass the cottages to the end of the lane and then cross into the field through a narrow stone 'squeeze ' stile or adjacent kissing gate.

2.Follow the brook upstream for about 100 metres before bearing right at the wooden waymarker post. Following the direction of the arrow, cross this field to where the fence line meets the brook and then cross the timber stile. Keeping the beck on your left, cross a stone stile and then follow the waymarkers to a wooden footbridge.(N.B. This section of path has been officially diverted in recent years and the route here differs to that shown on older maps).

3. Follow this path through the trees and cross the farm track by way of a stone and then timber stile. Continue uphill keeping to the edge of the meadow and after crossing two further stone stiles you will reach the small stone outbarn known as 'Jubilee' Barn. Turn left here and cross a gully before taking a stile on your right and heading up to the kissing gate at the road side.

4. Cross the road (take care!) and follow the path opposite to pass through another kissing gate and onto the concessionary path up to Pendle. This first section of the climb (up to the next stone stile) is the steepest of the walk so pace yourself and it will get easier! Follow the well defined route over Downham Moor to cross a timber stile and head for the 'zig-zag' path up the main flank of Pendle. (Please keep to the waymarked route here in order to help prevent soil erosion).

5. Follow this path up to the plateau and head for the stile and gate in the boundary wall en route to the summit. To reach the summit triangulation pillar and to enjoy the best views from Pendle Hill, cross this stile and follow the well worn path for approximately 400 metres. After a well earned rest retrace your steps to the stile in the boundary wall and then bear left along a well defined old trackway. This is good level walking and after about 1 km another boundary wall is crossed by a stile from where there are magnificent views over Clitheroe and the Ribble valley.

6. Continue along the northern ridge of Pendle, passing a stone shelter on your left ( a good place for a break on a wet and windy day) , until you reach a tall stone Cairn built by the local Scouts. To the right of the Cairn take the path which descends to the edge of Mearley Clough and then bear right again to follow the old track which descends at an angle downhill. Head down towards the wall corner on your right and then turn left to follow the wall down towards Brast Clough. Do not descend this Clough but follow the stone waymarker posts across the first gully and then descend steeply down the left hand side of the second to cross a stile in the field corner to your right.

7. Follow the old Drove Lane down to where it becomes metalled, and follow it to the road junction, follow the sign towards Downham. Being careful of traffic, follow the road for 150 metres, past a sharp right hand turn, and then turn left up the farm track towards Worsaw Hill End farm.

8. Walk up the farm track for approximately 120 metres and, on crossing the small stone bridge, leave the track and carry straight on across the narrow meadow and then through a gate in the wall at the foot of Worsaw Hill. Turn immediately right and follow the wall for approximately 150 metres before leaving it to go through another squeeze stile then bear left and follow this field path, aiming to the right side of Langland Hall Wood up ahead. Squeeze through another stile and follow the path down the right hand side of the wood before following the waymarked route back to the village.

DOWNHAM CIRCULAR WALK III
This circular walk takes you from the intimacy of Downham's village, fields and woodlands to the wild and windswept summit of Pendle, and back again via a network of public footpaths and additional "concessionary" routes agreed with the landowners and farmers along the way. The walk involves a steady climb and a descent that is relatively steep in parts and a reasonable level of fitness will be required to enjoy the walk in safety. At 557 metres above sea level Pendle does not quite qualify for 'mountain' status but nevertheless deserves to be treated with respect and normal sensible precautions should be taken before attempting the walk. The summit of Pendle is a very exposed place and is invariably much colder (and often wetter!) than the starting point for the walk.

Always :

* Inform somebody of your route and approximate return time

* Wear good, well fitting and supportive walking boots

* Carry spare warm clothing, waterproofs, food and drink, torch and whistle.

* Carry a map and compass and know how to use them.

Conditions on Pendle can change very quickly and visibility can become very poor, especially on the summit, so always be prepared to turn back if necessary.

On some sections of the walk you will come across waymarker arrows carved in stone and set in the path-side walls. These were carved by local people during workshop sessions held in Downham village and these carvings are now becoming quite a feature of the local area.

GEOLOGY
The route of the walk is something of a journey through time in a geological sense with, generally, the higher you climb the younger the underlying rock. The village of Downham is built on ancient limestone formed approximately 300 million years ago from the remains of sea creatures at the bed of what was once a tropical ocean. As you climb onto the slopes of pendle, however, you are walking over successive layers of sediments deposited from rivers which flowed into this sea forming an enormous delta. Thus on the lower slopes of Pendle you can see exposed the soft shaley layers of sediment which give rise to the characteristic 'fluted' topography especially around the eastern end of the hill. Periodically these softer shale deposits are washed out by enormous outpourings of water , the prime example being at 'Brast Clough' above Worston. Higher up towards the summit you will come across outcrops of the hard gritstone cap which has protected Pendle (as well as Pen-y-ghent and Ingleborough over in Yorkshire) and left these statuesque hills as islands above the eroded valleys.

LOCAL HISTORY
As you near the top of the long incline path to Pendle's summit you pass just above a natural spring known as Fox's Well which can be reached via a narrow sheep track to the left of the main path. This is reputedly where, in 1652 , George Fox had his vision which led to the founding of the Quaker movement. Today the water is as crystal clear as ever. (many a grateful walker has been rejuvenated by a drink here). The Trig. Point on Pendle's summit is situated on the mound of an ancient beacon site, one of a chain across the country which would have been lit in days gone by to announce major local and national events. The last large scale beacon fire on Pendle was for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 18 . The high limestone outcrop of Worsaw hill dominates much of the return leg of the walk, the hill being named after one of the early Anglo Saxon settlers, Worsa, who has also given his name to the little village of Worston (Worsa's Tun). Indeed this area abounds with evidence of man's activities through the ages, from the line of the Roman road to the north of Worsaw to the outlines of the Warrens on the side of the hill where from mediaeval times rabbits were bred for food. On a more modern note, Worsaw End farm and the hill behind were the location for the famous 1961 film, Whistle Down the Wind, starring Hayley Mills, Alan Bates and a host of local residents.

NATURAL HISTORY
The majority of this walk passes over agricultural land and in this area that means the production of lamb, beef, milk and wool. However, much of this land is also being actively managed for the benefit of wildlife, largely through Countryside Stewardship and Woodland Grant Schemes. During the walk you will pass through and alongside a number of woodlands both old and new and you will notice that many of the hedgerows have been fenced and replanted. Once you climb onto the moorland expanses of Downham moor and Pendle hill itself, you are crossing land that is being managed for specialist plants such as Cotton grasses and mosses which in turn support many birds which are in national decline such as Skylark, Curlew and Snipe. Brown hares also abound on these large areas of rough grazing, again in stark contrast to much of the rest of the country. The summit of Pendle still has some remnant Heathland vegetation of Heathers and Bilberry, particularly on Barley moor, and here we find the specialist moorland birds such as Red Grouse and Golden Plover. Pendle also draws relatively rare birds from time to time and in the springtime it will be worth keeping an eye open for the visiting Dotterel and in winter for flocks of the striking Snow Bunting. Worsaw hill has national recognition for its limestone geology and associated wildflowers and as you walk along its foot during the summer months, you may be rewarded by the heady bouquet of wild Thyme.