A circular walk - Tosside
- Gisburn Forest - Whelp Stone Crag
distance 7.37 miles : 4 hours
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A circular
walk from Tosside around Gisburn Forest
Please read the Introduction above before starting this walk.
The
walk starts at the lane to the left of the Dog & Partridge.
This forestry track is followed to shortly before Clough Hall a derelict barn/shelter/picnic spot. 200 yds before Clough Hall look for the waymarker post on the left where walking sign appear to have been removed. (45 min)
Turn right up the forest road. Whelp Stone Crag soon comes into view over the ridge. Carry on up the road to the left hand curve where the road start to descend. Turn right up the cycle track to find the old wall at the top. Turn left following this wall to where the wood on the right ends and a very old wall branches off to the right. (The other end of this wall will serve as a marker later.) Carry on following the wall and wood edge keeping to the high ground. Cross the beck and again follow the wall until there are no more reeds on the right. The ground can now be crossed without much problem; head out due east over the moor towards the crags seen ahead. Keep the crags on the left and look for the end of the stone wall mentioned earlier especially two upright stone gate posts. Carry on towards (due east) the stone stile in the next beautiful stone wall. With the crags now behind head down to Owlshaw. Go over the stone stile (chicken shed) into the grounds and turn right at the gate. (60 min)
After the right turn at the house look for the stone stile in
the wall just after the end of the front garden. Follow the wall
on the right to the stone stile in far corner of the field. After this stile carry straight on
down, over the beck, and then up the steep bank to meet the farm track to Whelpstone
Lodge. Turn right at the house and follow the track. At H. Brayshaw
go through the farm yard and take the small gate into the field.
Follow the wall on the right to the corner; a squeezer stile
leads on to M. Brayshaw. Keep the wall on the left. At the house
turn left into the yard and take the small gate on the right
to descend down to the footbridge over the beck and then up to
L. Brayshaw. Go straight through the yard and carry on to Brayshaw
House. After the house keep on a straight line on the grass to
meet the track which leads on to the main road. (60 min)
(To shorten the walk turn right along the road back to Tosside). Turn
right at the road and then left after 100 yd and follow the bridleway
to Studford Gill. At the farm yard carry straight on through
the gate and head for the gate at the far left hand corner of
the field. The path now leads to the footbridge at Snape House.
The path goes around the front of the house and leads on to the
track which leads on to the road. Turn right at the road for
Tosside. (40 min)
Dog and PartridgeClosed : unfortunately no longer a pub
The O.S. map would suggest there are a number of walks
through Gisburn Forest, however, a great many of these have disappeared among
maturing conifers making progress well nigh impossible. In the first version of the walk (2003) the path along Dob Dale Beck was described. However, this path has now disappeared in the marsh so an alternative route is given where the path turns to the right at Clough Hall.
On reaching the top of this ascent the path follows the edge of the wood northwards until there is a right turn towards Owlshaw across the open moorland. The path alongside the wood is not well defined and some walkers might find this a little rough going.
Once Owlshaw has been found the path descends through pasture land back down to Tosside.
The effort of the walk offers a reward with a great variety of landscapes (Stocks Reservoir to the west, Ingleborough to the north, and Pendle to the south). Unfortunately the Dog and Partridge is now closed.
On reaching the top of this ascent the path follows the edge of the wood northwards until there is a right turn towards Owlshaw across the open moorland. The path alongside the wood is not well defined and some walkers might find this a little rough going.
Once Owlshaw has been found the path descends through pasture land back down to Tosside.
The effort of the walk offers a reward with a great variety of landscapes (Stocks Reservoir to the west, Ingleborough to the north, and Pendle to the south). Unfortunately the Dog and Partridge is now closed.
