H T Fell Walking Club: November 2008

Friday, 14 November 2008

New Year Walk and Festive Meal at Chipping

Our next walk will be our New Year walk and festive meal at the 'Dog and Partridge near Chipping on Saturday January 10th.

There will be two walks;

led by George Mann

Just Less than 5 Miles.
Total ascent: 610ft

Our walk today is mainly over farm roads and tracks as the underfoot conditions in the fields have been impossible with mud over the boot-tops.

We leave the car park passing through the town joining the road to Legram Mill and turn off this to a farm road leading to Chipping Lawn Farm. We continue on to Park Gate then over fields to join a bridle path leading along to High Barn. This takes us on to the road leading to Burnslack which we follow down to another farm track to Windy Hill Farm, Birchen Lee Farm then back to Chipping Lawn Farm and retrace our route to the town car park with a healthy appetite for a sumptuous festive meal at the Dog and Partridge.

C Walk led by Marion Young

to follow the same route as in previous years

If you have not already booked, contact Shirley ASAP.

Welcome to Chipping

Chipping is situated in the Ribble Valley on the edge of The Trough Of Bowland.

Laund lambs going to the annual sheep sale

A well kept secret to many, This picturesque Lancashire village has won a number of best kept village competitions over the years. The village is known to be at least 1,000 years old and is named in the Domesday book as 'Chippenden' the name coming from the medieval 'Chepyn' meaning market place. Chipping really thrived during the Industrial Revolution when there were seven mills located along Chipping Brook. Today only one survives the famous chairmaking factory of H.J.Berry where furniture has been designed and made since the 1890’s.

The Trough Of Bowland is both a delight and a pleasure with its rolling pastures, working farmland and dense forestry. The area is classed as “an area of outstanding natural beauty” and it certainly lives up to expectation. The Forest of Bowland occupies most of the north east of Lancashire. It consists of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland. It's an attractive alternative to the overcrowded Lake District, and today this grouse moorland is also used for walking and cycling. The name 'forest' is used in its traditional sense of 'a royal hunting ground', and much of the land still belongs to the Crown. In the past wild boar, deer, wolves, wild cats and game roamed the forest. The origins of the name Bowland most likely came from the long-standing connection of the region with archery - the 'land of the bow'.

The twin peaks of Parlick and Fairsnape viewed from Beacon Fell Just to the North of the village the access areas of Clougha, Fair Snape, Wolf Fell and Saddle Fell have been opened up to the public by access agreements negotiated between Lancashire County Council and the owners. This means that over 3,260 acres of open country is now open to walkers.

For more details about Chipping, click here

Monday, 10 November 2008

What a Surprise!

Non of us expected good walking weather when we set off with rain on the windscreen and dull clouds, but a surprise was awaiting us. Granted it was still drizzling when we started our walks, both along the canal path, but before long it dried up and the sun kept on appearing, giving us good views and pleasant walking conditions except for one patch where the C party had to wade through mud.

A really pleasant day was had by all with some excellent refreshment stops back in Llangollen and an earlier start home at 4pm as everyone was ready by then.

Photographs of the walks will be posted soon.

Our next walk will be our New Year walk and festive meal at the 'Dog andPartridge in near Chipping on Saturday January 10th. If you have not already booked, contact Shirley ASAP as spaces are nearly gone.