TPW 5 – PINHAW to HARE HILL
1. Return to Pennine Way and turn left on a good track with wall, then swings away from it at a corner for the very short rise between the heathery knolls of Elslack Moor to the waiting Ordnance Survey column on Pinhaw.
2. Resume eastward on the broad path, descending this delectable heather moorland.
3. The main path drops down to a wall, which it follows left along to a corner of the moor.
4. At the stile at the bottom the moorland is left and a field-side leads straight down to a short-lived enclosed green way, emerging onto the farm drive of Hewitts.
5. This leads down to a back road.
6. From the stile opposite descend the field to a stile and gate at the bottom, then turn sharp right with the wall.
7. This leads an infallible course down to Lothersdale, with a wooded side-stream over to the left.
8. At the bottom a firm track becomes enclosed to debouch via a farmyard onto the village street.
9. The Way turns left for a few yards and heads down into the former mill yard opposite.
10. Head straight on past numerous attractive cottages.
11. Faced with Peel Terrace in front, turn sharp right on a short little way immediately after the mill building.
12. This leads to the tall, square stone chimney that is such a Lothersdale landmark.
13. From a little gate beneath it an inviting footpath runs downstream with Lothersdale Beck amid much greenery.
14. This lovely section leads to a footbridge and ford by the small sewage works opposite.
15. Don’t cross, but continue a little further downstream, then before a gate veer right to a simple footbridge on a side stream.
16. From a wall stile behind, a stiff pull to the right quickly eases out, climbing the field and remaining with the wall which runs left to the far corner.
17. Here a leafy, enclosed snicket runs on to emerge onto a narrow back road (Mire Close Lane) alongside a house.
18. Go left just a few yards and take a stile by a gate on the right.
19. Rise the few yards to a stile in the wall just above, and then climb the fieldside.
20. From the stile at the top continue up a much larger field, but before he top take a gap in the adjacent fence leading to a stone slab over a parallel trickle.
21. Now slant up the field to the lone house of Greenburn Laithe, above.
22. Pass to its right to find a stile in the top corner, just past the house.
23. Joining its drive, this quickly leads out onto the road at Cowling Hill.
24. Turn left, and at the junction take the narrow lane (Shop Lane) on the right. [Detour?? Bridge at 31 missing]
25. Descending, watch for a wall-stile on the left.
26. From it descend two fields to the farm at Dairy House directly below.
27. From a gate to its right descend a fieldside to a corner stile, and down again.
28. When the colourful boundary hedge bends left, follow it down to a gate near the bottom.
29. Here a track runs left to join an enclosed access track.
30. Turn right here, descending past a house at Gamsgill after which the rougher green way emerges into a sloping pasture above Gill Beck.
31. The old way slants left down to along, tall footbridge (Ridge Mill Bridge) over the beck.
32. Across the bridge a good path turns upstream, but quickly finds itself tracing a different stream, Ickornshaw Beck, on the left. Quickly reaching isolated Wood House.
33. Fork left on a flagged path down to a footbridge on this beck.
34. Across, a path climbs leafily away to join the bottom of a rough road alongside some houses on the edge of Cowling.
35. Rise up here to meet the A6068 Keighley-Colne road.
36. Turn right and cross the main road to Collinge Road opposite.
37. Head up this suburban street to the very end, where a snicket at the top left corner returns us to fields.
38. A part-flagged path climbs away, and the fainter path then slants left to a gap-stile at the top corner.
39. This admits to the drive of Crag Side: go left onto Dick Lane.
40. Rise a short way to a sharp bend, then take an old gate just above onto the foot of the moorland.
41. A clear path rises away, bound unerringly for the monument.
42. Though numerous old sunken ways are encountered this same path slants straight up to the base of the rocks beneath the monument, the final section being a well engineered, abandoned green way.
43. Simply clamber up through the modest rocks to gain the edge path, and advance the last few yards to Wainman’s Pinnacle.
44. Resume by heading directly away from the edge, on a wallside path running from the wall corner to a parking area on Piper Lane at Stake Hill.
45. Cross straight over to a gate from where a rougher path heads off, wallside again onto more rough moorland.
46. The mighty landmark of the Hitching Stone beckons on the skyline just ahead.
47. Beyond an intervening fence-stile the path drops down towards a sluggish stream.
48. The route now crosses a makeshift stile where the wall gives way to a fence, rather nearer the Hitching Stone than the map suggests.
49. From here quickly cross the stream of Hitching Stone Slack where it flows more decisively, and head off between marshy flats on the left and the base of a minor slope on the right. (The Hitching Stone and wall are further up).
50. When the stream bears off left (towards farm buildings further ahead), swing right to quickly an old grassy trackway slanting down from the right.
51. Merge into this and resume, remaining clear as it runs along the moor, now with the flat marshy basin of Quicken Hole on the right.
52. The path runs on to the end where a solid wall-stile awaits.
53. A thin path contours directly away through denser heather, and the stream on the right forms the deep-cut little valley of Slatesden Clough.
54. Though the path fades, the way is obvious as the clough opens out: drop down to the end where a clearer path heads away through the mixed moorland vegetation of the New Allotment.
55. With the stream to the right, the trod runs on to reach a sturdy wall at the moor edge.
56. The best route turns right with the wall, crossing the stream and rising with the wall to the corner where a stile awaits.
57. A substantial shooting cabin on the edge of Keighley Moor is just ahead now, so continue on the vestiges of a grassy wallside trackway, crossing a marshy stream en route.
58. Just round the corner from the cabin a stile by a gate sees us off the moor, and a grassy track heads down the pastures to become enclosed by walls before emerging onto a back road (Slippery Ford Lane) at Far Slippery Ford.
59. Turn right past Slitheroford Farm (Near Slippery Ford on maps) and down to Morkin Bridge.
60. At the parking. area turn right on a surfaced drive climbing to the house at Higher Intake.
61. Above the house the road continues, back onto heather moorland with the bracken-flanked clough of Morkin Beck on the left.
62. The heathery embankment of Keighley Moor Reservoir appears just a few minutes in front, and is quickly reached.
63. Surrounded by rolling heather, cross the embankment to a fork just beyond the end.
64. Take the left branch, gliding gently down through the heather of Oakworth Moor and quickly becoming a firm trackway, now with a wider, Bronte skyline in front.
65. An old wall comes in for company, and at a gateway in it a fork goes left.
66. Keep on the thinner wallside way, however, soon reaching a wall junction as it swings left.
67. Cross to the left side of the wall and resume along the moor edge, passing a small plantation and now earning big views ahead beyond Keighley to Rombalds Moor.
68. A thin path leads to a stile in the far corner.
69. Though the wall has temporarily vanished, maintain the line on a clearer path which runs to the next facing wall.
70. Turn right on a broad track, rising over the brow and down through the heather.
71. Descend past an attractive little wood on the right, the track becoming firmer as it winds down through the heather colonised quarry site of Blue Stone Delph, drop down onto a road at Hare Hill Edge.
72. Go left for two minutes to the Grouse Inn at Hare Hill.