Charming woodland trails to scenic moorland views, crammed full with nature, what’s not to love about our Great Hill walk!
Great Hill via Brinscall
Location; Chorley, Lancashire
Distance; 6+ miles
Difficulty; Easy / Medium
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Great Hill Walk
We start our 6 mile hike from the lovely little village of Brinscall on the outskirts of Chorley, Lancashire.
Park up on Lodge Bank, Brinscall… either on the swimming baths car park or simply anywhere on the right, further down Lodge Bank.
Proceed down Lodge Bank until we meet a crossroads.
Look out for birdlife by the road… big and small!
Turn left, cross through the gate and begin climbing up the cobbled path weaving up through the woods. Around April – June expect to see lots of bluebells around the woods.
Continue the climb until we meet a T junction 🙂
We will be returning from our 6 mile walk through this gate to the right. For now, turn left and follow the path round until we reach a stream on the bend in front of us.
You should also notice a warn trail going off to the right. Jump up onto this trail and proceed climbing some more through the woods.
As we approach the fork in the road, take the trail to the left. Ultimately both will lead to where we want to go, but the left path is just better / more scenic!
Proceed to the top of the woods, following the path round up to the right with the moors on our left. Expect fallen trees and part of an old rocky farm ruin along the way…
Eventually we will reach an opening, with a stile and clear path heading up on to the moors. This is where our time in Brinscall Woods comes to an end (for now).
It can be a little exposed on the moors so make sure you are well hydrated and protected from the sun.
We continue uphill, weaving up the hillside with stunning views off to the right towards White Coppice, Chorley and Rivington.
Eventually we join up with the road which effectively takes us all the way to the foot of Great Hill.
Look back for a cracking view over Brinscall.
Look out for Darwen Tower and Winter Hill along the way.
The cotton plants come through truly beautiful at certain times of the year!
Views for days looking back whilst heading for Great Hill!
Eventually we make it to the foot of Great Hill! Nothing complex here, just continue to climb 🙂
When these infamous paves come into view, we know we’re at the top! This path never gets old… love it up here!
Again, more stunning views from the top! Take a moment, have a break, take it all in 🙂
If we get lucky, we could see some nice birdlife at the top or around the area whilst walking.
Ok we’ve had enough break time, let’s now push on with the walk!
Head off down the other side of Great Hill following the paves with Winter Hill in the distance. This path does lead to Winter Hill, but that’s for another day!
We will be coming off this path shortly, turning right at the next stile.
This next stretch is like something from Africa with many beautiful wind swept trees!
Follow the path down the side of Great Hill. We will be heading for White Coppice from here.
Take the stile slightly off to the left as we descend, leading us into the trees.
Continue on the path towards a beautiful valley. Take one last look at Great Hill if needed 🙂
Continue through the valley until we reach White Coppice.
Look out for some hidden gems along the way.
Follow the path around to the right, crossing the fallen stone wall, joining back onto the descending main path.
When we reach the bottom, turn right!
We are now on the path back to Brinscall Woods.
When we make it to the edge of Brinscall Woods, rather than take the ‘easy option’ heading back to Brinscall via the goit, turn off to the right and begin climbing through the woodlands again (on the wide gravel path).
This isn’t official ‘public footpath’ on our map but it’s a great scenic finish back with more nature, avoiding sometimes thick mud on the goit with horses, dogs and people.
This alternative will also bring us back to the cobbled path from the start of our walk.
Once you reach the gate (spotted at the start of our walk), turn left back down through the woods along the cobbled track, returning to Lodge Bank and Brinscall Lodge.
Thank you for checking out our 6 mile Great Hill via Brinscall walk!
If you decided to follow along and complete this stunning woodland / moorland hike, be sure to drop us some feedback!
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NEXT WALK… Calf Hey Reservoir (5 miles)
For more of the best less known walks in Lancashire, be sure to head over to our walking blog
Did this walk yesterday and loved it. Really enjoyable
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your feedback with us Graham!