Walking in Lancashire. Mary Welsh

right and climb the hill to a signposted footpath leading left into a wood. Descend a slope to step across a tiny stream and go on, keeping to the left of the fence that forms the boundary between the wood and the farm. Follow the narrow path, which keeps well above the River Hindburn, as it leads to a waymarked stile. (Here, if you can see a bull in the field, ignore the stile and keep going along the path to the far end of the wood.)

      Beyond the stile continue in the same general direction (northwest) to cross to a stile in a hedge. (If, because of the bull, you have arrived at the end of the wood, go through a gate, head up beside the hedge and then descend the slope.) Go ahead and then drop down the slope to a ladderstile to the right of a reinforced track. Continue ahead along the track, passing to the right of Mashiters, and walk the lengthy access track to Long Lane, which you cross.

      Walk a few metres left to go through a signposted gate and continue ahead to a stile in the left corner of the pasture. Stride on ahead over a rough pasture to a rather awkward stile in the far corner. Beyond, descend an old sunken way to a clapper bridge over Clear Beck. Walk to the end of the fence on your left and climb the stile in the corner.

      Press on to climb a small stile over a fence to the right of a barn, then go on to take a stile in the hedge on the right. Once over, walk the sunken track ahead and follow it as it swings slightly left and uphill to a stile on the right beneath an oak. Head on across the pasture to another stile and then take a little stile immediately on your left. Halfway along this large pasture follow a sunken track that leads slightly right to a gate to a lane.

      Turn right and pass a farmhouse called Russells (dated 1682). Turn left, just beyond, into another lane in the direction of Meggs farm, with extensive views over Lancashire. Once past the access track to the farmhouse on your left, climb a stile over the wire on your right and walk on to a stile in the left corner of the hedge. Then go ahead over another stile over a fence, and on ahead to a stone stepped stile to the access track to a dwelling. Turn left and pass through a wicket gate at the left end of the barn of School Hill farmhouse. Continue ahead for a few steps and climb a stile in a hawthorn hedge. Head diagonally down, right, to a large tree in the middle of the pasture and then go straight down to a stile in the hedge. Beyond, walk ahead to cross two more stiles to reach a narrow lane.

      Walk right and after 20 metres take the signposted footpath on the left, the second of two tracks, to Higher Perries farm. Turn right beyond a barn to reach a waymarked stile under an oak and go diagonally across the pasture to the far left corner. Walk ahead to a waymarked stile in the hedge opposite, and continue slightly right to wind round a pasture to a gate to Greenfold farm. Go ahead in front of the house, cross the access track and take the arrowed gate in front of you into a pasture.