Dunsop Bridge Walks

A challenging circular walk around the village of Dunsop Bridge in the Forest of Bowland. The pretty village lies very close to the geographic centre of Great Britain at the confluence of the River Dunsop and the River Hodder. It makes an excellent base for exploring some of the finest parts of the Forest of Bowland AONB.
This walk includes a number of lovely waterside sections and several climbs to the fells in the surrounding area. The scenery is stunning with bubbling brooks, gorgeous valleys and wonderful views of the Bowland Hills for the duration of the route.
The walk starts at the parking area in the village and follows country lanes and footpaths north west to the Langdon Brook. A lovely waterside section takes you through the Langden Valley and along the pretty brook to Langdon Castle.
At the castle you turn south and follow the equally attractive Bleasdale Water past Brown Berry Plain to Beasley's Steady. The route then turns east, passing Fair Oak Fell and Whitmore Fell before coming to Totridge Fell. The fell is the high point of the walk standing at a height of 496 m (1,627 ft). You'll find a trig point and splendid views over the area from the summit.
The route then descends back to the country lane near the village before returning to the car park.
The walk can be extended by heading south east from Bleadale Water to Parlick and Fair Snape Fell. This area is considered on the loveliest of the Forest of Bowland with fine views to Longridge Fell and Beacon Fell.
The Trough of Bowland is another great walk you can do from Dunsop Bridge. There's riverside trails, woodland paths and lots of wildlife to look out for in this beautiful area.
The long distance Hodder Way and Forest of Bowland Walk also pass through the village. You could pick them up and head north to visit the pretty Stocks Reservoir.
The nearby Inn at Whitewell is a great place to use as a base to explore the area.

Dunsop Bridge Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map

Dunsop Bridge Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Dunsop Bridge OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Dunsop Bridge Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

The Inn At Whitewell is a great place for refreshments after your walk. The beautiful inn sits in a wonderful location high on the banks of the River Hodder. It's a place of some note with a history stretching back hundreds of years. In the 1300’s the inn was just a small manor house, lived in by the keepers of the Royal forest. It was not until the 1700’s, that the building was transformed into a resting place where travellers en route to or from Lancaster could safely stay before continuing their perilous journey.
The inn has got a delightful interior and a nice outdoor seating area with views over the river. It's the ideal spot to rest your legs on a summer day. After your meal you can enjoy a stroll along the river where there are stepping stones and a waterfall nearby. You can find the inn a couple of miles south of Dunsop Bridge at postcode BB7 3AT.

Picture above: the Inn at Whitewell and the River Hodder stepping stones just below the inn.

Dog Walking

The country trails and hill climbs are ideal for fit dogs. The Inn at Whitewell mentioned above is also dog friendly.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

If you have some time pay a visit to the nearby Bowland Wild Boar Park. The park is a highglight of the area with animal feeding, tractor rides, plays areas and a cafe. There's also some nice riverside walks along the River Hodder here too.
There's lots of different animals in the park including Red Deer, Peacock, Ostriches, Emu and of course Wild Boar. You can explore the site on 7 different waymarked nature trails. It's a lovely place for a stroll with bluebell woods, sculptures and plenty of wildlife to look out for on the way.
The park is located in the heart of the Trough of Bowland situated about 2 miles from the picturesque village of Chipping, on the Chipping to Dunsop Bridge road. They are signposted clearly from Chipping and have a postcode of PR3 2QT for your sat navs.

Above: Views of the park with the River Hodder and a wooden sculpture on the right.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Forest of Bowland Walks page.

GPX File

Dunsop Bridge.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Dunsop Bridge.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)