Starting in the free car park in the very attractive old village turn right, passing the pub and the church and turn right down a tree lined drive towards King Henry Mews.
Don't go through the entrance gates but turn right besides a copse down to a new footbridge over the Skirden Beck. Cross, follow the track through trees until a kissing gate appears on the right. Go through, over a stile by the woodside, diagonally left to a stile in a fence and over Holden beck by a footbridge.
Climb up the bank to the public road and before turning right admire the preaching/boundary cross in front of Bolton Peel farm. Go along the road for approximately 300 yards to find a hidden stile on the left which leads to Holden village, passing a noisy waterfall on the way.
Go through the facing gate, sharp left and walk up a narrow path to the right of a converted farmhouse to enter the field by a snicket gate. Keep the field boundary on your right and as that veers away continue ahead to climb a stone wall stile onto a dirt track. Cross over to the stile ahead into a field with a metalled track on your right to walk up to Fat Hill. Just before reaching Fat Hill outbuildings turn right through a gate, bear left with Fat Hill on your left to ascend to a snicket gate. Continue the ascent climbing a stone stile to reach Priest Biggins on your right and still climbing, go over the field boundary ahead via a wooden stile. Still ascending keeping the field boundary on your right, climb over a stone wall stile until the metalled private road, but public bridle-way, is achieved. Admire the outstanding 360 degree view, including the Dales' peaks.
Turn right down this road, descend to the public road, turn left, more or less straight away turn right off the road over a stone stile and walk up to the left of Lower Heights. Continue ahead through a stone wall gap and drop down to a stone slab footbridge in a hidden valley, cross, turn right, walking between an old barn and a wooden chalet and cross yet another footbridge. Climb out of the small valley and cross a large pasture making for the left of the roof of a barn which comes into view ahead.
Keep the barn to your right and look for a stile in a wire fence ahead. Take it and make diagonally for Greaves, ivy covered cottages by the roadside which are clearly seen. There is a small wooden stile and a farm gate to access before the road by Greaves is achieved. Cross the road, turn right off it to walk behind the cottages, through a small gate and take a roughly 30 degree route left to stride over a hurdle in the field boundary ahead crossing a farm vehicle bridge as you do so. Continue at about a 45 degree angle left to access a wooden step stile in a wire fence and keeping a similar angle forward with a barn over to the right into the corner of the field to cross a stone wall stile with a small stream at the far side.
Go through, following the hedge on the right and over a wooden stile. Walk alongside the field boundary on the left until a small stream and following stile are crossed. Varleys farm is on the left, head to the junction of Varley's drive with the road where there are 2 FP direction signs by a stile. Do not climb the stile but having arrived by the path on the left, turn back leaving by the one on the right, walking ahead facing Pendle, to a gate in the fence. Continue down a long narrow field through another gate ahead until an slightly angled gate on the right is seen, behind which are the few remaining stones of a demolished barn and water trough. Go through the gate and down the middle of this field to a gate from which a path leads ahead downhill to a crossing farm track with Wycongill farm on the right and Hungrill farm on the left. Turn left, past the farm with the unusual roof line on your right, towards a large new dwelling, but turn right along a track before reaching this. After a gate with a right hand stone wall buttress, at a concreted over cattle grid, keep a very sharp lookout left for a very small delapidated single step stile in approx 50 yards, from which a path goes over to cross a wide bridge, continue ahead past Chadwick's farm on the left to join the Settle road.
Turn left and then after about 200 yds, sharp right at Oak Trees Nursery and walk south parallel to Skirden Beck until the bridge in Bolton by Bowland is reached and also the end of the walk. The teashop, and pub, in the village are recommended. |
