6th April 2018 - Darwen Moor
Walk Details
Distance walked: 5.0 miles
Total ascent: 824 ft
OS map used: 287 - West Pennine Moors
Time taken: 3 hrs
Route description: Roddlesworth Information Centre, Tockholes Road-Stepback Brook-Darwen Hill-Witton Weavers Way-Duckshaw Clough-Darwen Moor-Cartridge Hill-Stepback Brook-Roddlesworth Information Centre, Tockholes Road
The first day of a four day weekend and I decided to have a walk on Darwen Moor this afternoon. The weather was bright rather than sunny, and windy, with most of the sunshine hazy because of all the high cloud around. It was a good leg-stretcher for the much longer walk that I have planned for Sunday.
I started the walk from the car park of the Roddlesworth Information Centre on the Tockholes Road. From the front of the car park I took the bridleway onto Darwen Moor, and across Stepback Brook before leaving it for the path up Darwen Hill to Jubilee Tower. After having my lunch by the tower the Witton Weavers Way trail was then followed down the eastern side of the moor until I reached Duckshaw Clough, here I left the trail for a track that goes up and over the moor. I did a there and back to the top of Cartridge Hill and after returning to the track retraced my steps to take a path down by Stepback Brook. This met up with my outbound route for a return to the car park.
Total ascent: 824 ft
OS map used: 287 - West Pennine Moors
Time taken: 3 hrs
Route description: Roddlesworth Information Centre, Tockholes Road-Stepback Brook-Darwen Hill-Witton Weavers Way-Duckshaw Clough-Darwen Moor-Cartridge Hill-Stepback Brook-Roddlesworth Information Centre, Tockholes Road
The first day of a four day weekend and I decided to have a walk on Darwen Moor this afternoon. The weather was bright rather than sunny, and windy, with most of the sunshine hazy because of all the high cloud around. It was a good leg-stretcher for the much longer walk that I have planned for Sunday.
I started the walk from the car park of the Roddlesworth Information Centre on the Tockholes Road. From the front of the car park I took the bridleway onto Darwen Moor, and across Stepback Brook before leaving it for the path up Darwen Hill to Jubilee Tower. After having my lunch by the tower the Witton Weavers Way trail was then followed down the eastern side of the moor until I reached Duckshaw Clough, here I left the trail for a track that goes up and over the moor. I did a there and back to the top of Cartridge Hill and after returning to the track retraced my steps to take a path down by Stepback Brook. This met up with my outbound route for a return to the car park.
Route map
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From the Roddlesworth car park I take the bridleway onto Darwen Moor
Earnsdale Reservoir with the countryside around the River Ribble beyond
A small patch of woodland as the bridleway heads down to cross Stepback Brook
The view to the west..
..and southwest, with Great Hill in the distance beyond the neighbouring hillside..
..as I near Jubilee Tower
The view to the northwest from the trig point on Darwen Moor. The outline of hills in the distance on the right are those in the Forest of Bowland.
Pendle Hill in the distance behind Blackburn
More of the West Pennine Moors behind Darwen
Darwen Moor
Jubilee Tower
Looking back to Jubilee Tower as I take the trail of the Witton Weavers Way south down the east side of the moor
The town of Darwen below
Following the trail south
Looking back with Holcombe Moor in the distance as I take the path across the moor
Cartridge Hill on the right, the high point of Darwen Moor. There's a cairn on it which I'll be visiting.
The moors look great in the spring sunshine..
Jubilee Tower is back in view now that I've crossed the top
At the cairn on Cartridge Hill with Holcombe Moor in the distance
More of Darwen Moor with Pendle Hill in the distance next to Jubilee Tower
Winter Hill
Spitlers Edge and Great Hill
Heading back to the path across the moor with the Forest of Bowland in the distance on the left and Pendle Hill on the right
I retraced my steps to pick up this path by Stepback Brook. It's the first time that I've used it so it's also the first time that I've seen the waterfall below on the brook.
I had to clamber down into the bed of the brook to take these photos..
Another photo of Earnsdale Reservoir with the countryside around the River Ribble beyond from..
..the bridleway back to the car park