Walk Leader:                   Peter Lomax

Number on walk:               18  no dogs

Distance:                         15.5 miles

Weather:                         Overcast with sunny intervals and occasional drizzle.

Sue was scheduled to lead this walk but was called away to Sussex on family matters so, as I had recced the walk with her, I took up the post of second in command. As several newcomers and others hadn’t done any part or only some parts of the walk, there follows a description which may be a little more detailed than is usually submitted. I know from experience that it’s often difficult to remember where you have been on a new walk (or in my case even if I’ve done it before).

The walk started in Yarrow Valley Visitor Centre car park in Birkacre which has an interesting industrial past. Richard Arkwright (a Preston born industrialist and inventor). leased  a cotton spinning mill from Edward Chadwick and installed his best known invention, the water spinning frame. This mill was on the site of the present, much improved, car park. Collieries, calico printing works, bleaching and dyeing works and iron forges were also sited nearby. Nothing remains of these industrial workings (apart from the present water lodges). Chorley Council restored he lodges and created the Yarrow Valley Country Park in the late 1980’s.

We continued past the lodges to the weir and the fish ladder, a facility built in 2002 to allow fish to migrate upstream. Following tracks around Drybones Woods we arrived at the A5106 (Wigan Lane) near the timber mills. Crossing this road another track took us to Rawlinson Lane and the canal which I and many others have always called the Leeds/Liverpool Canal but which some on the group said it was the Lancaster Canal ??

We continued along the canal to Adlington and joined the Rotary Way at which point we had our first “nuisance” drizzle. This followed us over the Horwich Road and to the top of Shawes Lane where we had a short refreshment stop, accompanied by the roar of the M61 nearby. A footbridge over the latter gave us a splendid view of the traffic and access to New Road and Horrobin Lane which we took to the end of the dam, the drizzle having stopped by then  We turned left and followed the tracks up to Dean Wood, Wilcocks Farm, Allance Bridge, Jepson’Gate, Manor House Farm, and High Bullough Reservoir upon whose fair banks we took our lunch.

Tracks and lanes then to Anglezarke/Rivington Dam, Lane Ends, Hut Lane, over the M61 again, past Chorley Golf Club, over the splendid new railway bridge to the canal with Fredericks tempting us just a lick away  (no detour for ice creams, though). It was a short way to bridge 74 and a left up to the A6 which we crossed to enter Duxbury Park and followed the River Yarrow, After being subjected to a second “nuisance” drizzle we retraced ours steps back to the car park.

Photos can be seen 'here'

Thanks to all who came.