Rossendale Way: Clough Head to Burnt Hill Farm ruins

Sat 3 May 2014

First to Clough Head cafe to deliver six copies of my Guidebook. The lady there has kindly offered to display them. I had a good mug of tea before setting off along the RW. In the wood leading down to the reservoirs some trees were almost completely coated in moss and looked very interesting in the sunlight filtering through the trees.

Path near Rothwell Fold

New way-mark arrows have been put on the post below Musbury Heights but they indicate the RW follows the lower path which leads to Calf Hey! I reported this to the Lancashire Countryside Service over five years ago and although some changes were made they were still incorrect. The arrows I saw today were quite new but still pointing in the wrong directions! I have written again about it and sent some photos and a copy of the OS map to prove my point. It's amazing that those responsible for installing these way marks seem unable to read an Ordnance Survey map where the route is quite clearly shown. Click the photos below to obtain a clearer view.

The correct path is the upper one in the photo

The sign is wrong!

Looking back from the upper path

As can be seen in the above photo, looking back from the upper path there is a footpath sign pointing obliquely upwards to the right, instead of downwards. Taking the direction indicated, which is pathless, would lead directly into the reservoir!

On then up to Musbury Heights. As one enters the quarry at the top of the hill - which way next? Straight on, left, or right? It's left, but there is no way marker to help those without a map. The next indicator is by the stile over a wall leading out from the quarry into Musbury valley.

Turn left just before the chimney

On past Rushy Leach and then the ruin of Nettle Hall. It was just past there that I met some girls from a Haslingden School with their young  male teacher who, being intelligent and forward planning, had bought my guide book, and wanted to shake my hand!

Nettle Hall ruins

The track then curves round to the left at the head of Musbury valley past the site of Musden Head farm.

Musden Head

From here much of the wall that accompanied the track down to Long Grain Water has been replaced by a fence and many young saplings planted. The stream that ran over the eroded track at the corner has been directed back to its former course, entering a tunnel just above the track and reappearing later down on the left. I noted in my guidebook that this appeared to be the the route of the stream and I wonder if my comments were seen by the authorities and acted upon. The road is now much improved and dry, but the area seems lacking in character somehow now that the wall has been replaced by a wire fence.

The emergence of the stream

Unfortunately the improvements to the track surface have not been repeated further on, where the road is now one large water-cut and the hillside above it is sliding down. I went as far as the top of the slope beyond the ruins of Burnt Hill Farm from where the remains of the fourteenth century deer park boundary can be seen crossing the valley to Nettle Hall.

Line of deer park boundary, centre of  picture

Back to the café and another  mug of lovely tea! Today's walk about seven miles.Tomorrow, part of the Pennine Way with Andrew, visiting Stoodley Pike.