Lothersdale is a hidden valley tucked in between Airedale and the Lancashire mill towns. The walk exploring Lothersdale is a mix of fields, moorland and a trig point with good views of the area.
I spent ten years working in Earby but never made it over to walk in Lothersdale. Very remiss of me! I had driven through a few times and found the village attractive but I had never left the car to explore further. However the area for walking looked interesting both on viewing and also from my O/S map. In addition Lothersdale is on the route of the Pennine Way. It was time to discover more.
I headed out in early 2018 to explore the area of moorland between Lothersdale and Earby. In particular I was after the trig point on Elslack Moor. The weather was superb and the walking good as I climbed steeply north up the Pennine Way. Before long I had passed through the sheep fields and entered the moors. The trig point arrived soon after. I always enjoy moorland walking and the views towards the Yorkshire Dales and out west from near the beacon were excellent. From the beacon I headed north for a while to explore the moors overlooking Earby. However I ended up returning to the beacon and a pleasant walk return via some farmland above Lothersdale.
Spend some time exploring the village. Take in a drink in the Hare and Hounds to understand better this very pleasant and largely ignored part of the world.
In any areas of farming land following a footpath can be tricky. It is often not obvious on the ground and is a problem with farm tracks often adding to the confusion. To follow the path look for the stiles in the dry stone walls, these are always on the line of footpaths.
Did this walk today in gorgeous spring weather – absolutely beautiful all round. Could hear curlew, lapwing and oyster catcher. Ticked the trig off my list.
The footpaths through farmland on the way back down are marked at each stile by some amusing, yet nevertheless passive aggressive signs – never before have I encountered OS map segments printed on metal signs with navigational instructions. And I have walked a lot of miles. I understand that they don’t want people wandering aimlessly over their land (particularly if they put livestock in there) but they were somewhat extreme! But it gave me and my husband a good giggle.
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