Newchurch and Ogden Reservoirs from Barley

Parking:	Parking is on the public car park in the centre of Barley - £1 / day (correct at time of publication). There are toilets on the car park and a café which is open most days of the year. See map of starting point
Directions:	Get road directions to the parking place here
Map:	Ordnance Survey – Explorer EX041 (Forrest of Bowland and Ribblesdale) See map of walk area Buy this map - in association with Aqua3
Distance:	3.6 miles (5.7 km)
Grade:	2-C

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Leave the car park and turn right along the pavement towards the centre of Barley. Over the bridge at the ‘T’ junction, cross the road and pass along the right hand side of the village hall down the lane signed "Barley Green". Follow the lane as it bends around top the left in front of some terraced cottages and on through the gate posts. Keep on past the water works, then a few yards further on, turn left off the lane over the wooden footbridge.

Over the footbridge, turn right and almost immediately pass through a wooden gate following the yellow arrow pointing diagonally left up the hill towards the wooden waymarker. Pass the waymarker and keep on in the same direction towards the wall ahead.

Pass over the stone stile built in to the wall, and turn left heading up hill initially parallel with the wall towards the farm house. Continue on to pass by a wooden waymarker, over a tumbled down wall and then to the right of Far Banks farmhouse heading towards the gate on the wall ahead at the top of the field. Pass through the gate and turn left.

Follow the wooden signpost to head diagonally left away from the wall across the next field on a line to the right of the small building in front of the trees. After a couple of hundred yards the path starts to descend into Newchurch, with the towns of Brierfield and Nelson visible ahead and Hameldon Hill behind them.

As the path begins to approach the houses, it veers to the left and passes over a wooden stile by the trees, and then on almost immediately through a wooden kissing gate before heading the few yards down to the road by the side of the public toilets.

Turn right along the pavement and then along the road past the Old Slaughterhouse, when the pavement ends. Around the next bend is the Parish church of St Mary, where a short detour can be taken. A few yards past the church, the road splits.

Here take the right hand fork, initially heading uphill signed "Sabden Fold". After the initial rise the road descends and then gently undulates passing by Faugh’s Quarry after a few hundred yards. After a further quarter of a mile the road (Well Head Road) passes a few houses, once again becomes enclosed by walls, and continues on past the Shekinah Christian Centre. Shortly after passing the Centre, pass by the entrance to a grand looking house up to the right, and continue along its frontage before turning right off the road over a stone stile immediately after the wall ends by a metal gate.

Once over the stile, keep close by the wall and start to climb the hill. Continue climbing up onto Driver Height over a series of false summits until finally the top is reached.

Keeping by the wall as the descent starts, a wonderfully expansive view of Pendle Hill appears ahead. At one stage on the descent the path pulls right in to the wall by a wooden footpath sign – here keep straight ahead descending into Ogden Clough, ignoring the path off to the right.

As the slope gets steeper, the path veers more away from the wall towards the head of Upper Ogden Reservoir below. Continue down to and over the stile, then down a few steps to arrive at the water. Here, keep straight on along the right hand side of the wall along the right hand side of the water.

Just before a wall is reached, turn right down the track heading towards the gate below. Pass over the stone stile to the right of the gate and proceed along the track. The track starts climbs and then descends to and past Lower Ogden Reservoir.

Keep on the track past a few houses, and then on back past the wooden footbridge used at the start of the walk. Keep on the lane past the water works and the houses to arrive back at the ‘T’ junction by the village hall. Cross over the road and head along the pavement for the short distance back to the car park.

 

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