STRAIGHT FORWARD.

Longridge to Bolton. Three. Pleasington to Hollinshead.

Mostly on the Witton Weavers Way.

We meet again to continue our walk, as straight as possible, between our respective homes, the Rockman and I.

Back in Pleasington next to the impressive priory church. Let’s take a look at it before we leave. An imposing building, if ever there was one in a small village. The west wall of the tower has a magnificent rose window above the doorway. There are gargoyles and statues everywhere. The door is locked, so we are denied a look inside, but as we walk around, some of the stained glass windows look wonderful even from the outside. The church was built between 1816 and 1819 by the local squire, John Francis Butler, as an offering for surviving a near fatal accident on this spot. Apparently it houses the relics of a Roman martyr St Publianus, we wonder why? The cemetery is extensive with many recent Catholic burials.Across the road is the Butler’s Arms where we will have time for a pint on our return at the end of the day. We are using the two car method.

Time to start the walk. It promises to be a beautiful Autumn day.

The road goes past the railway station, (there is a worker ‘polishing’ the lines) and over the River Darwen, before we hit the busy main road; fortunately, there is a pavement for our short section along it. Moving at a pedestrian pace we have time to view from a distance the remains of Feniscowles Hall built in the early C19th by the well known Feilden family who made their money from cotton spinning and weaving. They also owned Witton Park just up the road.

Branching off onto the Witton Weavers Way, a series of waymarked loops in the area, highlighting the rural scenery and the industrial past. We walk through a cleared area obviously reflecting that time and are skirted around a well fenced derelict site. These had been the Sun and the Star paper mills which closed in the !980s, my old OS map shows them clearly.

Unexpectedly we come onto the towpath of the Leeds – Liverpool canal where a bridge takes us into fields alongside the M65. We duck under the motorway whose noise pollution stays with us for some time.

A WWW arrow sends us into some woods where the footpath, if there is one, is obscured by fallen autumn leaves. We make our own way down to a stream, up the next raise, over the abandoned Blackburn – Chorley railway line, and into the complex yards of Bradley Farm. Sharp eyed Rockman spots a waymarker to get us through.

It should be all plain sailing from now. There are a couple walking in front of us, but at the next property they veer off left while we walk on through private grounds of the two listed Red Lee Farms, only to meet them as we escape the properties. Of course they knew about the recent diversion not visible on our map. Innocent m’lord.

Dropping back down to another valley on the way to Abbey Village, still overshadowed by a massive mill building. We resist the temptation of the Horse and Hounds and head into the Roddlesworth Valley. Its reservoirs built to supply, via the Goyt, the Anglezarke and Rivington reservoirs built to supply Merseyside. I have never seen the overflow of Rake Brook reservoir bone dry before.

Lunch is taken overlooking the Lower Roddlesworth Reservoir with Darwen Tower on the skyline.

There are paths everywhere but to keep close to our straight line we stay south of the waters for a change. There are dog walkers everywhere and of course exuberant dogs bounding through the dying bracken. We just admire the autumn colours.

Eventually we hit the main track heading forever upwards to the ruins of Hollinshead Hall.

There is a bench to sit on and contemplate the ruins. An intriguing site with a long history.

We head to the Wellhouse, the only building left standing and are lucky to find the door open. A spring fed the well and water used to issue from a lions mouth, hence the name ‘fountain’ on the old map. All is damp and flooded now.