| Walk: | Pain Hill, Parrock Head, Myttons, Shay House, Stocks Reservoir, Hammerton Hall, Slaidburn and Newton | ||
| Start Point: | Newton Car Park | Grid Reference: | SD 697 507 |
| Distance: | 7.5 mls | Ascent: | 890 feet |
| Time: | 4.5 hours | ||
| Weather: | Glorious sunshine all day with temperatures reaching 25 centigrade with an occasional cooling breeze. | ||
| Comments: | What a day! Bright, hot, wall to wall sunshine with grass in the fields being mown for hay and silage. Is this June you may ask! In fact it was almost the end of September. Nineteen people and the leader departed the car park and started a gradual climb towards Pain Hill and Parrock Head. It was on this first leg of the journey that a young deer was seen making a graceful getaway from the invading crowd. In the distance Burn Fell and Dunsop Fell could be seen in changing autumnal colours. Emerging on to House Lane near Laneshaw the group were treated to the sight of an agricultural implement graveyard where old silage chutes stood sentinel like, peering over hedges taking in the glorious views that Lancashire has to offer. Leaving the lane a muddy path was followed to a stile surrounded by water. Ascending over fields to Shay House the route then crossed over Croasdale Brook, and continued along a farm track to emerge near to the entrance to Stocks Reservoir treatment plant. The main avenue leading to the reservoir dam is lined with trees planted by children from a nearby school and staff from United Utilities (who own the reservoir) to commemorate the Millennium. Lunch was taken on the reservoir dam. Water discharged from the reservoir becomes the River Hodder. Leaving the reservoir the leader took the group via Hammerton Hall to follow the River Hodder to its confluence with the River Croasdale at Slaidburn. After an ice cream and comfort stop at Slaidburn the leader then led the way down the River Hodder towards Newton and the car park. Although farmers were making hay whilst the sun shone it was evident from the changing colour of the trees to russet that autumn is not far away. The exceptional weather and of course the great leader, made this a day to remember. | ||
Scroll down to see photos of the walk
About to leave Newton
Off into the unknown
A deer escapes from the invading horde
This won't be clean for long
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Implement graveyard (recce day)
Grazing cattle at Gold Hill
Lunch break on the dam of Stocks Reservoir
Refreshed after lunch
Billy the bull inspects the passing ramblers
Billy isn't camera shy
a sun lit Hammerton Hall
Barn Gill on it's way to join the River Hodder
The memorial at Slaidburn
A reminder of Queen Victoria at Slaidburn
Returning to Newton along the River Hodder
Changing seasons