Slaidburn Loop
A hike for a dry day not a wet one!
The Hike
As you might have guessed, it was quite boggy and wet when we attempted the hike and we may have made a slight misjudgement with our choice in gear! Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable hike out in the elements!
We parked at the bottom of Cross of Greet Bridge, which has a little, free of charge car park. The first part of the hike has a gradual gradient following up Lythe Fell road to the summit of Cross Greets. As we made our ascent, many cyclists passed by with morning greetings as I encouraged them up the hill shouting “Allez Allez Allez!” It definitely put a smile on their face, as well as mine. This is the only part of the hike where you will find a smooth surface with it being on the road, before heading up into the boggy, undulating and uneven moorlands. Over the cattle grid at the summit, we headed to the right, following the drystone wall up to the stile where, if you are lucky like we were, views of the three peaks can be seen. It was cold, very windy and rather dull, but the incredible views made the experience a lot more bearable and rewarding.
On the tops, the terrain is on rolling hills with 360 views of Yorkshire and Lancashire but you have to be careful on foot, especially if it is wet, as it can be quite marshy! It was like this for the majority of the hike before descending back down into the valley from Bowland Knotts. There is a lonely bench here, looking out over into Yorkshire and all we could hear from this point was the wind blowing through the valleys as we watched the grass lazily sway in the breeze. We didn’t see anybody for almost the entire walk and it was nice to get away from the world for a bit.
I always find that there is something almost spiritual about being high up in the hills with nobody about - it heals and cleanses the soul, making me feel a better, more balanced person whilst brushing away life’s troubles. By the end, I felt wind swept and weather beaten, and although it wasn’t as I had expected, I enjoyed every challenging minute of it! I will surely be back to try other walks around the area.