17th August 2024 - Widdop and Boulsworth Hill

Walk Details

Distance walked: 11.0 miles

Total ascent: 2059 ft

OS map used: OL21 - South Pennines

Time taken: 7 hrs

Route description: Lower Coldwell Reservoir-Pendle Way-Pennine Bridleway-Thursden-Pennine Bridleway-Gorple Gate-Cludders Slack-Widdop Reservoir-Pennine Bridleway-Widdop Lodge-The Scout-Grey Stone Hill-Dove Stones-Boulsworth Hill-Pennine Bridleway-Pendle Way-Lower Coldwell Reservoir

There's some fine summer weather forecast for this weekend, and with it being the time of year when the heather covered moors put on a fine display of colour as they become carpets of purple, my choice of destination and route will be made with this in mind. Today it's my local South Pennines moors, and the route is one of my favourite in the area. I last did it in September 2021, but there have been variations of it done in the intervening years. Widdop Reservoir, set in a bowl in the hills and surrounded by gritstone crags has to be one of the more dramatic locations that can be visited in the South Pennines, and the gritstone edge of The Scout is a great place to take it in from. I had a mixture of cloudy and sunny spells for this walk, with the best of the sunshine in the morning and the greyest of the skies while I was on Boulsworth Hill later in the afternoon. After being disappointed at the lack of flowering heather on Barden Fell last weekend, I was pleased to see it in bloom today. Hopefully that means I'll be treated to a fine display on the walk that I've got planned for tomorrow.

After parking on the roadside by Lower Coldwell Reservoir I took the trail of the Pendle Way and followed it east until it met the Pennine Bridleway. I then turned right and followed the Pennine Bridleway south until I reached the road down into the Thursden Valley, which I took down to a left hand bend where the Pennine Bridleway then went down through woodland to the road at the bottom of the Thursden Valley. After turning left I walked up the road to a junction where the Pennine Bridleway leaves as a track on the right, which I took and followed south across Extwistle Moor to the track of Gorple Road, where I turned left and followed this east up and over the moor to above Widdop Reservoir (stopping for lunch at Gorple Stones). I left the track here for a thin path along the top of the gritstone edge of Cludders Slack, before heading down to join the track again to cross the dam of Widdop Reservoir to reach the Widdop Road. After a short walk up the road to Widdop Lodge I left it for access land on the right and a path up to the southern end of the gritstone edge of The Scout. A path up the edge took me to the top of Grey Stone Hill. I then made my way across Widdop Moor to Dove Stones and from there up to the summit of Boulsworth Hill. From Boulsworth Hill I descended by the path past the Abbot Stone to the Pennine Bridleway below, where I turned left and followed it west across Will Moor until I reached the Pendle Way, which I took to reach the road by Lower Coldwell Reservoir and where I was parked.

Route map

Looking back to Lower Coldwell Reservoir and Pendle Hill as I set off on the Pendle Way

The top of Boulsworth Hill ahead of me

Following the Pennine Bridleway south to the Thursden Valley

To my right, Upper Coldwell Reservoir and Pendle Hill

Pendle Hill and the Thursden Valley from the Pennine Bridleway up onto Extwistle Moor..

Following the Pennine Bridleway down into the valley of Swinden Water

Swinden Reservoir and Pendle Hill

Continuing south, Hurstwood Reservoir and the moors around Cliviger come into view

I stay on the Pennine Bridleway as I join the track of Gorple Road..

Looking back down Gorple Road towards Burnley, and higher up, Pendle Hill is now in view..

I make the short diversion up to Gorple Stones and take in the view of Gorple Upper Reservoir

Thieveley Pike, Cant Clough Reservoir and Hameldon Hill to the southwest

Pendle Hill to the northwest

Back onto and following the Pennine Bridleway beneath Gorple Stones

Gorple Upper Reservoir to my right

Gorple Upper Reservoir and Black Hameldon from Shuttleworth Rocks

Looking back to the Gorple Stones from Shuttleworth Moor

and east to Gorple Lower Reservoir and the moors around the top of Hebden Dale

I leave the Pennine Bridleway and head for the gritstone crags of Cludders Slack

Looking back to Gorple Hill

and across Widdop Reservoir to Grey Stone Hill and the gritstone edge of The Scout

Widdop Reservoir from its dam, with Widdop Lodge in the trees on the right. The water level is as low as it is due to work being carried out on it, certainly not a lack of rain.

As I climb up onto the gritstone edge of The Scout the road from Heptonstall heads across the moors below

At the eastern end of The Scout

I have a great view across Widdop Reservoir

Heading up The Scout

More great views of Widdop Reservoir and its surrounding moors as I make my way up the gritstone edge.....

As I reach the top of The Scout and Grey Stone Hill the whole of Widdop Reservoir comes into view. I think its setting in a bowl in the hills is one of the most dramatic in the South Pennines..

Pendle Hill from Grey Stone Hill

Boulsworth Hill and Dove Stones

Crossing the moor from Grey Stone Hill to Dove Stones

At the southern end of Dove Stones

Looking back south along Dove Stones to the moorland of Hoof Stones Height, Gorple Hill and Grey Stone Hill

The moorland around Hebden Dale and Calderdale to the southeast

On my way from Dove Stones to Boulsworth Hill..

At the trig point on Lad Law, the summit of Boulsworth Hill, with Pendle Hill in the distance

Looking north to Weets Hill, Colne, Trawden, Kelbrook Moor and Pinhaw Beacon. The visibility is good enough to make out the Yorkshire Dales in the distance..