AND LITTLE PRESTON RAMBLE

A 4 Mile easy going walk, can be muddy in places, 1 stile

Start point – “The Lines Way” car park, Station Road, Kippax/Great Preston (on the left by a road bridge, ½ mile past Kippax Leisure Centre, coming from Kippax)

From the car park, walk up to Station Road and turn left. Continue up the road and turn right at the main junction on to Whitehouse Lane, then first left into Whitehouse Crescent. Continue until you reach the footpath sign by the side of house number 11 and turn left. Follow this wide track all the way down with a wood on your right. The track eventually opens out into farmland with the spire of Church coming into view across the fields. Almost at the end of the lane, you will see steps to your left leading up to Astley Road and on your right, a Millennium 2000 Great Preston stone. At this point, turn right to follow another footpath with a small stream on the left and a thin wood on the right. Your way is now straight ahead to follow this path all the way up to Little Preston. On reaching two industrial buildings on your left, continue forward on the track ahead where eventually there will be a park home site coming up on your right. At the end of this track, turn right with Little Preston Hall on your right.

Here, we turn left and follow Hall Road all the way up to meet Goody Cross Lane. On reaching the lane, turn right and continue to follow it straightforward to meet Whitehouse Lane. From this point, bear slight right across the road and over a stile by a gate to pick up a wide farm track. From here there are fine views of , Kippax and Billy Wood (Townclose Hill Nature Reserve). Your route now follows this wide track which eventually bears sharp left at the junction with another farm track. After a while, you will come up to another farm track and at this point turn right down the hill and over a beck. After crossing the bridge over the beck, continue straight up the hill and soon after, you will come up to a horse stile and metal barrier and here, turn right. You are now back on the “Lines Way” and your route back to the start point is now straightforward. Follow the “Line Way” for about 1.5 miles skirting the edge of Kippax and Billy Wood back to Great Preston

Kippax - The village's historical roots are survived by the presence of an originally Anglo-Saxon church undergoing significant modification in Norman times. Despite being an administrative centre for hundreds of years, the population remained small and mostly agricultural until the late 1700s when coal mining began on a relatively small scale in local bell pits. The advent of deeper mining and the discovery of coal seams in saw Kippax undergo a rapid expansion in the 19th century into a typical northern mining community.

Townclose Hills Local Nature Reserve (or Billy Wood as it is known locally) sits upon a knoll of magnesian limestone. From the plateau at the top of the hill there are beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. The mosaic of habitats found here – including limestone grassland, woodlands, meadows, scrub and a woodland glade support a wide variety of plant and animal life, and much of the site has been designated a “site of special scientific interest” by Natural in recognition of its national importance for conservation.

Except where explicitly stated, all rights are reserved, and content should not be copied, adapted, redistributed, or otherwise used without the prior written permission of Harry Bratley the author. The author permits the use of this document for the purpose of following the walk.