Walking in the Forest of Bowland and Pendle. Terry Marsh

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      You begin from the Crook o’ Lune car park. This is a popular spot that serves a number of walks, so don’t arrive late in the day expecting to find parking space – come early.

      Go to the back of the car park, towards some picnic tables and a painting tableau. The tableau represents Turner’s painting of the view up the Lune – a view into which you are about to walk. Follow the path to the right, but as you reach a fence go to the left of it, to descend steps and so gain the true right bank of the Lune at a gate.

      Now simply follow the bank of the Lune, keeping your eyes open for the birdlife that populates the river, and indeed the salmon and sea trout that now find their way upstream (see Walk 1 for more information).

      Continue beyond a low weir – often a good place to spot fish leaping. A short way on and the riverbank narrows, the route running on to cross a stile at the foot of a wooded slope and then go on into woodland. You leave the woodland at a gate and press on across a large pasture, crossing a stream by a footbridge, and then keeping on towards the Thirlmere Aqueduct, piping water from the Lake District to Manchester.

      Pass beneath the aqueduct and continue along the riverbank to locate another step-stile, entering Lawson’s Wood and immediately crossing another footbridge. Lawson’s Wood is one of a number – Cole, Shire Oaks, Burton, Lawson’s and Walks Woods – forming Aughton Woods, a reserve owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust. Note A short stretch of the Lune Valley Ramble through Aughton Nature Reserve has been affected by landslip, and is closed.

      Aughton Woods is one of the finest areas of ancient woodland in Lancashire, and largely made up of sessile oak and ash, but with alder, elm, birch, holly, hazel and small-leaved lime also present. The lime, which has survived in the ravines and along the western and southern edges of the wood, is a relic of the woodlands that covered much of this landscape centuries ago, and, like the bluebells you find in the wood, an indicator of ancient woodland. There are some sycamores, too, but these are gradually being intentionally replaced with oak because they are not normally found in this area.

      In winter there are some fine spreads of snowdrops, but in spring bluebells carpet the woodland floor. The woodland, technically described as ‘ancient semi-natural’, has at least 30 abandoned charcoal hearths – circular platforms levelled out of the hillside. The clue to the wood’s previous usage as a provider of charcoal is in the many examples of multi-stemmed trees. Trees don’t grow like that naturally, and these have come up from stools (the base of the plant from which shoots grow) last coppiced 70–100 years ago to provide wood to make charcoal, and bark for tanning leather.

      Plant life also includes primrose, opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage, wood speedwell, foxglove and many ferns. Pied flycatchers breed here regularly, and nuthatches and wood warblers have also been found in the woods. You may even hear the call of the woodcock at dusk.

      Frosty morning on the Lune

      Immediately over the footbridge, turn left, at a signpost, onto a concessionary path climbing into the woodland. This is clear enough throughout, and climbs free of the woodland to cross a high pasture before returning to the shade of trees, Burton Wood, and later descending to a riverside pasture. Here, the river makes a great loop southward, and this is the way to go, with the river eventually swinging back to a northerly direction. Note This great riverside loop is prone to flooding, and if this occurs you have no choice but to retrace your steps and come back another day.

      As the route heads northwards, so you encounter a wide farm track that will guide you towards a small wooden hut. Keep to the left of the hut, and go through a gate to follow the broad track to Afton Barn Cottage, beside which you reach the end of a surfaced lane. Now simply follow the lane, rather steeply, up into the village of Aughton (pronounced ‘Afton’).

      Aughton cottage

      Go through the village, following the road for Halton, still climbing, but only for a further 150m, as far as a footpath sign on the left. Here, leave the road by climbing a metal ladder-stile, and from the stile follow a grassy path to a step-stile beside a gate. From this, strike up the ensuing field, aiming roughly at the right-hand edge of a thin strip of woodland in the distance. There is no path here, but as you climb, gradually move a little more to the right to locate another stile in a fence corner.

      Walk across to a footbridge ahead, and then up towards the left-hand edge of Far Highfield farm, where you will find a step-stile. From the stile start off half-left and then gradually drift towards a fence on the right, following this to a step-stile in a corner and an obsolete ladder-stile a short way further on. The route now continues alongside an established hawthorn and holly hedgerow, heading for Middle Highfield farm. Cross an intermediate stile, and then continue towards the farm buildings, a number of which have been converted to residential use.

      Luneside pastures

      Pass through a gate and walk on between the first buildings, and then turn left through a metal gate and immediately right to a stone gap-stile (waymark). Go through the gap and a wooden gate, and then on across cobbles between converted barns to reach a surfaced road. Bear left for a short distance, but keep an eye open for a low step-stile in a fence on the right. Cross to this, go over it, bear right alongside the fence, and go down to walk beside a wall, passing through a gate en route.

      Beyond the end of the wall another fence takes you on to a gate and ladder-stile, beyond which you cross the corner of a field and pass through an old field gate. Cross to a signpost in a fence. Now bear left alongside the fence and follow a waymarked route to a metal gate giving access to Lower Highfield farm.

      Keep to a waymarked route through the farm. Go through a dip to enter a sloping pasture. Bear across this to a corner of woodland to locate a metal kissing-gate giving into the woodland. Follow a path along the upper (right-hand) boundary of the woodland, which later pushes on through the woodland, finally emerging at another metal kissing-gate.

      Go forward, keeping above and to the right of two isolated trees, to reach a fence corner. Now keep on beside the fence, which guides you to a gap-stile at the end of a wall and, a few strides further on, a step-stile. Walk along a grassy path across a field slope to a waymark post, from which you bear left around the edge of a farm building (beware sudden drop) to a step-stile giving onto a farm access track at Hawkshead.

      Turn right along the access track and follow it out to meet a surfaced lane, and there turn left. Taking care against approaching traffic, and follow the lane for about 1km, until it reaches a main road. Just before a cattle-grid at the road junction, turn left onto a footpath parallel with the road and follow it back to the Crook o’ Lune car park.

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