The perfect winter warmer

Stride into the new year with this glorious walk on Longridge Fell and enjoy the spectacular views

- John Lenehan

With its summit standing at 1,148 ft/350 metres, Longridge Fell presents walkers with a long gradual climb from its namesake town of Longridge or shorter but very steep climbs from Chipping or the Hodder Valley. I worked out an in-between route from Hurst Green, that is not overly long and not overly steep but has plenty of magnificent views.

1 Leave the car park and turn right towards Stonyhurst College then just before the gatepost of the drive of the college turn left at the footpath sign into a track then at the fork keep right. Carry on and then go left and cross a stone bridge over the stream. Keep left and go uphill then as the track joins a wider track keep right and follow the track up to the buildings of Greengore.

Note: Greengore was once a shooting lodge for the Shireburn family.

2 The track turns left into Greengore but don’t follow it, just keep straight on to a wooden gate. Go through the gate and carry on along the track to another gate with a stile to the right, cross the stile and keep straight on. Do not be tempted by the wooden footbridge on the left. Keep on to another gate with a stile on the left, cross this and keep on the track to a metal gate and go through this.

Once through the gate, look diagonally left uphill and there is a ladder stile crossing a wall. Head directly for the stile, there is hardly a sign of a path up to it. Cross the stile and bear diagonally right uphill and pass a large patch of gorse bushes then keeping these on the left carry on until down to the left the buildings of Huntingdon Hall can be seen. Keep straight on and pick up a wire fence on the left then follow this until it reaches a stile and steel gate into Huntington Hall Road.