19th December 2014 - Longridge Fell
Walk Details
Distance walked: 8.3 miles
Total ascent: 1106 ft
OS map used: OL41 - Forest of Bowland & Ribblesdale
Time taken: 4.5 hrs
Route description: Kemple End-Spire Hill-Jeffrey Hill-Walker Fold-Chaigley Hall Wood-Turner Fold-Kemple End
A local walk today, high winds and some rain are forecast for the weekend. It was very blowy on the top of Longridge Fell but going any higher would have made it uncomfortable. I did get caught by a couple of showers though.
From the layby at Kemple End I walked up the Birdy Brow road to the track that heads up into the plantations on Longridge Fell. After following this uphill then around to the left I reached a signposted public footpath that heads into the trees. This comes out at a viewpoint on the northeastern corner of the fell. A path then track heads west across the fell, I followed this until it turned left, where I went straight ahead into the trees. Another path goes up by a wall to emerge onto the top of the fell, I then crossed a wall to reach the trig point. My walk continued by following the wall west down the fell to the road over Jeffrey Hill. I then walked up the road and over the brow to reach the Sun Catcher landmark. There was then a lot of road walking to do, right at the T-junction below Sun Catcher, downhill, right at the next T-junction, then along the road through Walker Fold. I then took the field path across to Turner Fold where I had short walk up the road to where I was parked.
Post-walk note: The field path across to Turner Fold was a quagmire, not surprising after two days of nearly incessant rain.
Total ascent: 1106 ft
OS map used: OL41 - Forest of Bowland & Ribblesdale
Time taken: 4.5 hrs
Route description: Kemple End-Spire Hill-Jeffrey Hill-Walker Fold-Chaigley Hall Wood-Turner Fold-Kemple End
A local walk today, high winds and some rain are forecast for the weekend. It was very blowy on the top of Longridge Fell but going any higher would have made it uncomfortable. I did get caught by a couple of showers though.
From the layby at Kemple End I walked up the Birdy Brow road to the track that heads up into the plantations on Longridge Fell. After following this uphill then around to the left I reached a signposted public footpath that heads into the trees. This comes out at a viewpoint on the northeastern corner of the fell. A path then track heads west across the fell, I followed this until it turned left, where I went straight ahead into the trees. Another path goes up by a wall to emerge onto the top of the fell, I then crossed a wall to reach the trig point. My walk continued by following the wall west down the fell to the road over Jeffrey Hill. I then walked up the road and over the brow to reach the Sun Catcher landmark. There was then a lot of road walking to do, right at the T-junction below Sun Catcher, downhill, right at the next T-junction, then along the road through Walker Fold. I then took the field path across to Turner Fold where I had short walk up the road to where I was parked.
Post-walk note: The field path across to Turner Fold was a quagmire, not surprising after two days of nearly incessant rain.
Route map
© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. License number PU 100034184.
Looking across the Ribble valley to Pendle Hill from Kemple End
After following a track then a footpath through the plantations I've arrived at a viewpoint on the northeastern corner of the fell. Parlick, Fair Snape Fell and Totridge. That conifer has grown a bit since I was last here a couple of years ago.
Looking up the Hodder valley towards the fells around Dunsop Bridge
Easington Fell rises to the northeast
The trig point on Spire Hill, the summit of Longridge Fell
Parlick, Fair Snape Fell and Totridge
Totridge, Mellor Knoll and the Hodder valley up towards Dunsop Bridge
Easington Fell
Following the path by the wall down to the road across Jeffrey Hill
Landmarks. Four art installations celebrating 50 years of the Forest of Bowland AONB.
Landmark number one is Sun Catcher..
Beacon Fell on the other side of a soggy Loud valley
Fair Snape Fell, Totridge and the Hodder valley
Every cloud has a silver lining. A heavy shower clears away.
Pendle Hill as I cross very soggy fields back to Kemple End