Bowland Bus Walks | Spring 2025
In March, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape is hosting two guided car-free walks to showcase the car-free walking opportunities offered by the Service 11 route.
Start and finish times will line up with the Number 11 bus service from Clitheroe.
The Service 11 Bus connects villages across the Ribble Valley, Forest of Bowland and Yorkshire Dales, providing a welcome boost to public transport to the rural communities on both sides of the Lancashire-Yorkshire Border.
Service 11 buses operate Monday to Saturday, running every two hours between Clitheroe Interchange and Horton in Ribblesdale – connecting with rail services at either end of the route.
As well as providing vital links to villages along the route, the new service delivers a boost for sustainable tourism, opening up car-free access to some of the most popular visitor attractions and walking routes in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Dunsop Bridge
Thursday, March 13 | 9am – 1.30pm
A pleasant 8-mile ramble up into the foothills of the Bowland Fells between Dunsop Bridge and Slaidburn, returning via Newton.
From Dunsop Bridge, we’ll climb steadily up to the ‘Queen’s View’ above the village before traversing the base of Beatrix Fell, then descending to the village of Newton. From here, we’ll follow the River Hodder downstream through fields alive with spring lambs back to our starting point in Dunsop Bridge.
Stocks Reservoir
Saturday, March 29 | 11am – 3.30pm
A challenging 11-mile circular route from Slaidburn climbing above Stocks Reservoir and returning via Gisburn Forest.
From Slaidburn, we’ll head up the secluded valley of Croasdale and onwards to Stocks Reservoir. We follow the shoreline path around the reservoir, looking out for early spring migrant birds like sand martins and upland waders like the curlew as they start re-establishing their nesting territories. We’ll return via the dense conifer woodlands of Gisburn Forest, where the resident crossbills will already be nesting in the top of the pine trees and early migrant warblers like the chiff-chaff may be calling from the understory.
- Both these guided walks are FREE thanks to support from the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, but booking is ESSENTIAL. Voluntary donations to Champion Bowland – either in cash on the day or via the Champion Bowland fundraising website – would be most welcome.
Posted
24th February 2025
in News