Wednesday 17th July 2024

Wednesday 17th July 2024

The Eighth Section of the West Pennine Way: Cough Head, through to Pickup Bank.

On a bright and sunny morning, twelve regular walkers set out from Clough Head Café & Information Centre to complete the eighth section of the West Pennine Way (WPW). We made our way across Grane Road and headed along the Optional Route, of the WPW down to the embankment of Calf Hey Reservoir where we were pleased to see that the recent rain had started to fill the reservoirs. Calf Hey was the second of the three reservoirs to be constructed, in 1860, and it supplied the population of Rossendale with drinking water.

Calf Hey Reservoir

Once across the embankment we turned right and followed the WPW through to Hog Lowe Clough climbing steeply onto Bentley Moss from where we had good views over to Winter Hill, Darwen Tower and Hog Lowe Pike.

Climbing out of the valley

After spending time admiring the view, we descended to Broadhead Road where we were concerned that on this section of the route most of our way markers had been removed. The WPW then crosses Broadhead Road and follows a path through the fields down to a small footbridge in a shady dell, where we made use of a picnic table, to stop for our morning coffee.

Coffee stop

After climbing out of the dell we were greeted by a large bull with its cows and calves, the same ones our leaders had to avoid on the recce.

Once we had made a detour around the cows, we continued along the optional route of the WPW and soon joined the original section of the WPW where we started our return journey by heading down to Longshoot Farm. We had not walk far when we had to contend with a herd of frisky young heifers that were blocking the path.

More cattle

This section of the route runs parallel with Broadhead Road, first passing through Pastures Farm and then Lower Pastures before reaching Pickup Bank. The most striking building in the village is the Chapel which was first built as an Independent Sunday School in 1834 and consecrated as a chapel in 1860. After passing through the village the route goes by a picnic area with excellent views over to Darwen, where we stopped for lunch in the warm sunshine.

Lunch stop

Oswaldtwistle Moor

Back to Clough Head

After lunch we crossed both, Broadhead Road and the Grane Road to get onto Oswaldtwistle Moor and followed the WPW over to Haslingden Moor where we left the route and descended to Clough Head Café having covered 9.5 stimulating miles.