Lancashire Way Day 4

Slaidburn to Chipping
Distance 21.5 miles
Ascent 900m
Weather: warm and sunny
Hare, curlews, oystercatchers, meadow pipits, snipe, male hen harrier, kestrels, mountain bikers
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We made our way out of the village by a quiet lane then up a steep path leading up to fields of long grass. We crossed several fields by stone steps over high walls.

There was a choice here, either go over the bridge now and then along the side of the beck on boggy and indistinct path or follow a clear path up the brook but there be not bridge. We chose bridge. The other side was open access land, so we just headed up, following a route that someone on a quad bike had used. This led up to a gate and out on to Hornby Road, which is an old t
Roman Road. At Hard Hill Top we took a narrow grassy path down into Whittendale, following the beck (Whitendale River, which becomes Dunsop River) into the valley. It was quite boggy in places, especially where they'd put duck boards in and the bog had expanded around it. The valley was beautiful, wooded with sheep fields and streams.

We had lunch sitting on a bench looking down the valley and then followed the lane (almost) into Dunsop Bridge. We skirted around the town, going through some large wrought-iron gates and into cow fields.

After a bit of road walking we turned off at Hareden and followed a path through fields (and bog) to join a track that follows Langden Beck up to Fiendsdale Head. Thankfuly we didn't meet any fiends.

The path leads up to Fairsnape Fell from here, necessitating crossing quite a wide, deep stream so we rolled our trouser legs up and waded across. Then a narrow rocky path led up the hillside, emerging into peat bogs and groughs.

We followed a grassy path down over Blindhurst Fell and back up onto Parlick, where there were lots of paragliders and runners.

A steep grassy slope took us down to Fell Foot, where we joined the lane into Chipping. Here we called a taxi, as it was getting late by now, and we are staying at Ferrari's Country House Hotel a couple of miles away. We have been very well looked after and our room is like something from a period drama, with a massive canopy bed.