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Home , Dunsop Bridge, Gisburn, Slaidburn, Tosside

Welcome Walking in Forest Cycling in Gisburn Forest to Gisburn Forest. A brilliant way to explore the forest and the The forest is a great place to try best way to spot wildlife. There off-road cycling. There are are three way-marked walks three waymarked loops, May the for an easy introduction following a mixture of forest sunshine rest to the forest. These road and single track, which walks start from have been specially designed on you… hey, United Utilities’ car for cycling. Cocklet Hill is a good and the rain park at Vicarage Garden. place to start the cycle routes. The adventurous visitor may need a and snow and more detailed map to help find their way round the 9 kilometres wind. Truly a forest numerous other tracks and paths that wind through Allow 1 hour - moderate grade for all seasons. the forest. 12.5 kilometres Allow 1.5 hours - moderate grade 2.1 kilometres - allow 40 minutes Located in the North East corner of and These two routes pass through mixed coniferous A gently undulating walk through mixed coniferous within the Area of Outstanding and broadleaved woodland with many fine views and broadleaved woodland, with fine views of Natural Beauty. All year round, Gisburn Forest offers of the forest and the upper Hodder Valley. The . different experiences for different people. Explore gradients are mostly gentle, though a couple of short climbs may make you puff or push! on foot, on horseback, by bike. Find popular trails 3.5 kilometres - allow 1 hour and quiet glades. Passing through mixed woodland this route follows, 15.7 kilometres in part, an old farmstead track known as Eggberry Allow 2 hours - difficult grade In a country that imports some 80% of the timber Road. There are views over Bottoms Beck to the products it uses, Gisburn Forest is still an important ancient broadleaved woodland of Park Wood. Essentially an exciting extension to the green route. provider of timber and rural employment. But that’s You can climb up towards the highest part of the forest at Whelpstone Crag before dropping steeply just a part of the scene. The forest plays host to a 5.3 kilometres - allow 1.5 hours diverse range of habitats and wildlife. There are to cross Dob Dale Beck and pass the wet weather This is the longest route combining many of the shelter at Martin’s Laithe. In very wet weather the newly created “native woods”, hidden ancient best qualities of the two shorter walks. From Birch ford at Dob Dale Beck may be impassable. woods and there is farmland. There are woodland Hills the route passes over Swinshaw Top before glades, bogs and becks; there are flowers, dropping down to Bottoms Beck. The beck is Horse riding birds and bugs. There’s space to followed downstream, for a while via the course of breathe and time to lose…so an old rail track that was used for the transport of Gee up! Although there are no routes in the forest come explore. stone during the dam construction at Stocks that are specially designed for horse riding, you are Reservoir, then onto Eggberry Road. welcome to explore the forest road network. GISBURN FOREST

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Waymarked Cycle Trails

Waymarked Walking Trails

01 km

Slaidburn Local Communities and Facilities How to get to Gisburn Forest

You may like to support On foot: the rural communities From it is about a 2 1/2 mile walk. From Catlow within the Forest of GISBURN Road, follow public footpath to the Southern corner of the Bowland by visiting forest. other sites of interest, From follow the gravel track that starts adjacent to FOREST using local facilities and the Dog and Partridge public house to reach the south west staying in local corner of the forest. accommodation. By bike or horse: Tosside: shop and public house. Slaidburn: shop, On the B6478 road between Slaidburn and Long Preston is a café, public house, youth hostel, public toilets. Walks crossroad junction near to Lower Stoney Bank farm. From around Stocks Reservoir: leaflets are available from here a quiet road heads North through the forest and on to local outlets or United Utilities. Tel: 01200 454400 Clapham Station.

Tourist Information Centres By Public Transport: There are railway stations at Long Preston (about 5 1/2 14 Market Place, . otts -P miles) and Clitheroe (about 12 miles). Various bus services Tel: (01200) 425566 link the villages of Slaidburn and Tosside to the wider world. Email: [email protected] Town Hall, Cheapside, Settle Tel: (01729) 825192 Clapham

Useful websites A65(T)

Gisburn www.forestry.gov.uk/northwestengland Settle Vicarage Forest www.forestofbowland.com/visiting/ Garden Car Park www.slaidburn.org.uk Trough of P Cocklet Hill Bowland P Car Park Stocks Long Preston The Forestry Commission manages the public forest Reservoir Tosside estate for the benefit of you and the environment. For further information you can contact the Forestry Newton Slaidburn A682 Commission at: B6478 Gisburn

North West Forest District Forestry Commission Bowland A59(T) Grizedale The Old Sawmill Ambleside Dunsop Bridge Clitheroe Cumbria Clitheroe LA22 0QJ BB7 3AZ Tel: 01229 860373 Tel: 01200 448256 Produced by - Forestry Commission, Forest District - September 2004 / Photography by Forestry Commission 0131 334 0303 / Printed by