Cow Ark walk
3 mile Cow Ark walk on a hot, sunny Bank Holiday weekend.
Nearby walk
Route info
| Starting postcode | BB7 3DF |
| Nearest pub | Inn at Whitewell |
| Stay over | Inn at Whitewell |
| Distance | 3.69 miles |
| Low point | 226 metres |
| High point | 131 metres |
| Total ascent | 115 metres |
| Calories estimate | 600 – 1,000 |
| Steps | 6,000 |
| Cows | Not today but possible |
| OK for dogs | On leads |
| Bogs | Can be muddy |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Map
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Route description
The plan today was to park up at the Inn at Whitewell and then to walk around Bowland Wild Boar Park. But being a sunny bank holiday weekend, the Inn at Whitewell was packed and there were no parking spaces. So we changed plan and parked up near the disused quarries towards Cow Ark.
There is space for a few cars near the quarries so we parked up and headed off towards a farm marked as ‘Higher Top Barn’. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea as the ground is a mixture of long grass and muddy sections, although the dry weather made it easy today.
The route then took us down to to Radholme Laund farm where the Queen visited in 2006.
After the farm, the tack passes a wooded area and meanders down toward ‘Middle Lees Farm’ and ‘Higher Lees’. It was a little tricky to navigate but we eventually found our way there.
The idea here was to pick up the planned route and head up toward Bowland Wild Boar Park, but one of the party didn’t feel very well, so we diverted and walked back along the Roman Road towards Cow Ark. This was the quickest way back to the parking spot.
It’s a bit of a slog back up to the car, especially on a very hot day, but it is still a fairly nice walk, and being close to the Inn at Whitewell, you can reward yourself with a drink. However, we still couldn’t park, so went up to the Wellsprings on Pendle Hill for a relaxing shandy.