Countrygoer Walks in the Forest of Bowland

Slaidburn to Dunsop Bridge

Summary Information

Start point:

Finish point:

Drivers: Park at Slaidburn car park and use the B10/B11 Bowland Transit bus to return to Slaidburn.

Distance/Time

Terrain

OS Explorer

Walk Description

  1. From Slaidburn car park and bus stop, turn right onto the riverbank and follow the river to join a riverside path. The path follows the river, before diverting round a small sewage works. Continue along the river, past the bridge and through the edge of a wood.
  2. After the wood, take the path marked by a gate ahead. Continue to Newton village, and take the road up the hill into the village.
  3. Past the pub, take the right fork which leads to another junction. By the phone box take a signposted (for footpath) track, up the slope. Take the path straight ahead over the stile, and continue uphill. Go through the gate which is slightly to the left and then the footpath is signed by the barn ahead.
  4. Continue straight ahead as a fine view of the fells opens up. On the brow of the hill, bend left to follow a line of trees (ignore the footpath signs on the stiles on the right and straight ahead!). A waymarked post appears on the bend, follow this round and cross the stream which appears in front. Heading for the electricity pylon in front, the (ill-defined) path emerges on a narrow road to the left of a gate.
  5. Cross the road to take the path over the stone stile, and follow the wall along; follow the field boundary which becomes a fence then trees and keep the same direction when descending the hill down to a stile (the trees bend to the right). Cross the track and follow the stream to a gate and stile. Cross a second track and go straight ahead to the road.
  6. Turn right on the road and take the next signposted footpath on the left. The path then goes the left of the hillock (with a small disused quarry at its base) and diagonally left through a metal gate. Continue to the footbridge over the River Hodder.
  7. Over the bridge and bend right to meet the track. Turn right and follow this track, which soon bends and splits - take the branch over the bridge, passing the Concessionary Footpath sign and continue along the track past Knowlmere Manor. Follow the track to its end, where a waymarked grassy track starts by the gate at Mossthwaite. Follow this grassy track past the metal aqueduct below, and take the next stile (right) over the wall.
  8. Turn left to head diagonally towards the riverbank. Go to the right of the wall to follow the riverside to the bridge. Cross the bridge to take the metalled lane to the main road, which leads left to the village of Dunsop Bridge.
  9. To the west of Clay House Farm you cross the farm track, stiles then a new gravel track by trees to a footbridge, then field path still flowing the stream which eventually after more stiles and gates bears gently left to emerge at a narrow lane, by a stone footbridge at the bottom of Downham village. Bear right uphill to the church, just below which, by the telephone box and bench, is the bus stop.

About this walk

This walk follows the Hodder valley downstream from Slaidburn to Dunsop Bridge. After following the river as far as Newton, the route then cuts over a hillside through field paths for fine views across the Hodder Valley towards the Newton fells and the Dunsop valley.

Slaidburn

Nestling in the upper Hodder Valley, Slaidburn is a picturesque stone built village, notable for Parish church of St. Andrew dating back to 950 AD, with a Norman period font. Stock and cattle fairs have been held in the village since 1294, and the village once had a smith, tannery, wheelright, corn mill, hat manufacturing shoe and dress making. The famous Hark to Bounty pub has a medieval courtroom with the original benches. The old grammar school, Brennand's Endowed School, is now a primary school for the village and surrounding area. Slaidburn hosts an excellent café frequented by walkers and cyclists, as well as a youth hostel.

Newton

Newton is a pretty village sited above the River Hodder floodplain and has a pub offering meals.

Dunsop Bridge

Gateway to the Trough of Bowland, the Ordnance Survey recognises Dunsop Bridge as the nearest village to the exact centre of Great Britain, with a public phone box commemorating the fact. Opposite the post office and café is the village green, frequented by ducks eager to relieve picnickers of spare food.