The first section of the walk follows the disused Lancashire Union Railway from Abbey Village to Brinscall which is now a nature reserve. After Brincall the route follows Goit watercourse before leaving the valley and gradually ascends via Brinscall Hall and Windy Harbour to Snape Heights offering good views over the Ribble Valley, The final section descends back to railtrack offering good open views of Darwen Moor.
Calculated time: 2h55[?] 
Distance : 5.82mi
Vertical gain : 230ft
Vertical drop : 230ft
Highest point : 689ft
Lowest point : 502ft 
Difficulty : Moderate
Back to starting point : Yes
Walking
Location : Withnell
Starting point : N 53.700638° / W 2.547211° 
(D/A) Take path West signposted Withnell Nature Reserve and follow course of old rail track.
(1) Turn briefly South down School Lane. Take path South via playground and close to South side of pond.
(2) Leave footpath taking Trigg Lane West.
(3) Cross bridge and turn North past farm buildings. Path passes on the West side of stables then NE along East side of field boundary to pair of stiles by pond. Use pair of stiles to cross farm track and follow footpath North along West side of hedgerow. Briefly take track West away from hall.
(4) Leave hall track on North via gate and head NW up slope. Cross stile and follow footpath NW to road.
(5) Carefully take Harbour lane East as there is no footpath. Cross School Lane to take Sandy Lane NE. Follow Old Lane North onto footpath. Follow footpath North along western field boundary then pass around North side of Cross Fields farm buildings.
(6) Take gate on North side of large barn onto footpath heading East along south side field boundary. OS footpath has been redirected here it no longer passes through buildings and now passes along the fence surrounding the compound. Turn South along Bury lane.
(7) Turn East along track by church yard. Path bears briefly SE. Briefly take path East.
(8) Turn sharply SW on track which runs along top of railway cutting. Take steps South down to disused railtrack. Turn NE along track back to start.(D/A)
Waypoints :
D/A : mi 0 - alt. 515ft - Bolton Road
1 : mi 1.18 - alt. 551ft - School Lane
2 : mi 2.2 - alt. 528ft - Trigg Lane
3 : mi 2.53 - alt. 502ft - Rail Bridge
4 : mi 3.12 - alt. 591ft - Gate
5 : mi 3.44 - alt. 676ft - Harbour Lane
6 : mi 4.31 - alt. 653ft - Gate
7 : mi 4.81 - alt. 676ft - Church yard
8 : mi 5.16 - alt. 554ft - Sharp turn
D/A : mi 5.82 - alt. 515ft - Bolton Road
Parking at start.
Refreshments in Abbey Village and Brinscall.
More detailed route info
http://www.graemelinford.com/walks/withn...
Visorando and this author cannot be held responsible in the case of accidents or problems occuring on this walk.
Withnell Nature Reserve.
Goit waterway
Ribble Valley views
Global average : 4.33/5
Number of opinions : 1
Description quality : 5/5
Routemap quality : 3/5
Walk interest : 5/5
Global average : 4.33 / 5
Date of walk
: 18/06/21
Description quality
: Very good
Easiness to follow the route
: Average
Walk interest
: Very good
A nice afternoon walk. Circular route with varied scenary and interest. The map is a bit 'general' and as the signs on the walk are often missing and pathways not clear I did stray off the route at times. Maybe a more experienced walker would have managed better than me though. I perhaps ought to have taken an ordnance survey map with me for more detail. None the less I made it round and enjoyed it. Definitely would recommend it. The dog enjoyed it too.
6.29mi
+427ft
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3h15
Moderate
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2.46mi
+180ft
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1h15
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+427ft
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+541ft
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7.47mi
+958ft
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5.89mi
+538ft
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3h10
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4.89mi
+246ft
-249ft
2h30
Easy
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6.48mi
+367ft
-374ft
3h20
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