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| Head to Luddenden Foot |
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Date : 04th January 2009
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Leader : Trevor Whittaker |
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Report by : Phil Bedson |
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Photos © : Phil Bedson |
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| The carved head of Jerusalem | |
Seven people joined Hyndburn Chairman Trevor Whittaker on the Groups first walk of the New Year. Luddenden Foot is hardly a destination that rolls off the tongue. Indeed, if you didn’t know it existed you’d probably miss it. Parking up at a small car park just below the oldest part of Luddenden, we struck out southwards along the road for a short distance before turning up a footpath to ascend straight up a field path onto the village of Midgley. Passing the Old Post Office (we know this because it was carved into the building - twice!!) we turned right up Pin Hill Lane and followed tracks and field paths up to Brownhill and the edge of the Access Land. Turning right we followed a wall around to the High House reservoirs.
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left:
View to Luddenden Dean |
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right: Passing the reservoirs in single file |
Just after passing these, at Nell Nook, we headed west to a meeting of paths at Crow Hill Nook where there was a standing stone. From here we followed the clear track slightly uphill across Midgely Moor before taking a slight detour off to the right to visit ‘Millers Grave’. The date 1775 carved into it was the only visible sign of any significance. We started our descent from the moor at Dimmin Dale Edge where, before dropping totally off the edge, we stopped for lunch overlooking the valley of Luddenden Dean.
After food and drinks we continued downhill by way of some very steep steps to emerge onto a lane where we were confronted by the Lower Gatehouse of Castle Carr. An extremely grand looking building and one had to wonder how the main house looked if this was the Gatehouse! Just behind here, languishing in a field, was a strange looking vehicle that looked as if it was hand made. Half sports car, half box car. If anyone can help with the identification please do!
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left:
The Lower Gatehouse |
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right: Sporty Boxcar!! |
Crossing the bridge and following the lane up, after half a km we took a stile off to the left to ascend fields past Upper Heys Wood and eventually emerging onto the road at the edge of Warley Moor. After a short distance we took a lane off downhill to Lower Green Edge before striking out above Upper Saltonstall towards Wainstalls. Upon reaching a converted Mill we ‘doubled back’ down an enclosed lane which led us to Caty Well Bridge - and the Cat I’ Th’ Well public house. Which bit derived from which is probably lost in the midst of time.
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left:
Above Upper Saltonstall |
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right: View from Caty Well Bridge |
A pint of local ale was just the job as we headed through Lower Saltonstall, south west across fields to enter the woods known as Jerusalem. Just before leaving we came across a wooden sculpture of a face with no visible means of identification as to whether it was art or very good vandalism. Reaching the road and following it southwards we soon joined a track off to the left. Running virtually parallel to the modern road it soon became clear that this was an old lane from the early part of the Industrial era with its small cottages, occasional cobbles and the stream with adjoining mill race. As we continued we emerged at St Mary’s Church, Luddenden and were afforded a brief look around the interior. From here it was a short distance, through a hideous modern estate, back to the car park from where we had begun our day.
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| St Mary's Church, Luddenden | |
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