| Downham and Twiston |
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Date : 18th October 2009
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Leader : Sue Larder |
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Report by : Sue Larder |
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Photos © : Sue Larder |
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| Waymarker for Barley, Downham, Twiston and Pendle | |
For a change Downham was relatively quiet which could have been due to a certain local derby football match due to kick off at 1.00pm. We set out from the main car park in Downham turning right before the bridge and with Downham Beck on our left followed the footpaths out of the village and up through several fields. We negotiated 7 stiles, and a footbridge the last being two wall stiles which brought us in front of a well maintained field barn. At this point, and because there was seating available (1 bench), we decided to have a lunch break.
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| Taking a break | |
The weather was fine although the clouds were quite low. The only sounds apart from our chatter were the rustle of falling leaves, birdsong and the occasional car passing on the road behind us. After a brief refreshment break we turned left at the barn and followed the way-markers across the field past Hollins Farm and Hecklin Farm. We crossed the farm track noting the well marked milestone and followed the directions for Ravens Holme going through a gate which brought us in front of the farm itself. We turned right up the farm track until we came upon a waymarker on the left and followed the subsequent markers down the field towards the autumnal woods in the bottom, negotiated the tricky tree roots and crossed over Twiston Beck via a footbridge for the first time. Climbing up through the newly planted saplings, and through a gate we skirted the edge of the field keeping to the left of the field barn we came to a footbridge crossing Twiston Beck for the second time.
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left:
Hecklin Farm |
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right: Negotiating yet another footbridge |
We then made our way up towards the “derelict cottage” and keeping to the left of the cottage climbed the stile and followed the line of the field boundary on the right negotiating various stiles which wove us from one side of the hedge to the other until we came to the bottom of the hill. On a small rise to our right was the hamlet of Twiston C1140 with its cottages and farmsteads. We turned left away from the hamlet through 2 wall stiles and walked diagonally across a large field following a fence and through a gate which eventually brought us to another deserted barn and alongside Twiston Beck. Following the line of the beck and through a stile in the far corner of the field we followed a narrow footpath with the beck on our left and the old mill pond on our right.
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left:
Not bad for a derelict cottage! |
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right: Twiston Beck |
This brought us out onto a lane, we turned right at this point and followed the lane round to Twiston Mill Farm. The farm was once a cotton mill employing 20 men, 7 women and 22 children. The mill was closed following a fire in 1882. We took the stile to the left of the farm gate and followed the path alongside Twiston Beck until we arrived at a footbridge across Ings Beck and crossing it a couple more times until we came to Downham Mill complete with millpond. Ings Beck was once the boundary between Lancashire and Yorkshire until reorganisation in 1974. There is an old millstone propped against a tree on the footpath giving a brief history of the mill. The footpath actually goes through the mill yard but the notice kindly asks, in the interest of privacy, for walkers to take the alternative path which skirts the mill.
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left:
Twiston Mill Farm |
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right: Downham Mill with millpond on right |
At the top of the alternative path we came to a large field where a limestone wooded knoll dominated the vista. Keeping to the right of the knoll we made our way steadily up the field towards a stand of trees at the top. This brought us onto what is known as Downham Green. Unfortunately the weather had deteriorated to a steady fine drizzle and the usually resplendent views were very limited. There is said to be an old Roman road on the green somewhere but little evidence can be seen now.
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| The wooded limestone knoll | |
We followed the markers through a couple of gate-stiles and around the front of some cottages coming out onto the main road by the Assheton Arms Pub in Downham. From there we walked down the main road turning right at the end of Downham Hall grounds arriving back at the main car park where we started our walk. All agreed it had been a lovely peaceful walk in spite of the weather .
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| The way back into Downham | |
