Downham 30-08-2026 Leader Gill

The majority of this walk is described thus in Walks in Lancashire Witch Country by Jack Keighley

If you only ever do one walk from this book, make sure it’s this one. You may scour the length and breadth of England, but you won’t find a prettier walk. Grander, maybe, or more spectacular, but not prettier. Walk it slowly and savour it, for this truly is Arcadia.

 

Downham is one of Lancashire’s prettiest villages, owned by the Assheton family for close on 500 years. Even the toilets are award winning, being converted from the former calf pens.

We started the walk in fine fettle, although I was fraught, heading towards the toilets (oops!) and then towards the Assheton Arms. Fleetingly following the Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail, we struck out of the village to what would be the highest point for a bit and we enjoyed the views: the Yorkshire peaks through the mist, Waddington Fell, and Pendle Hill which was very clear.

We went down towards Downham Mill, an old corn mill that now doesn’t look very mill like, and the old mill pond was just dry. We then followed Ings Beck, hopping from Lancashire to Yorkshire and back again – or at least it would have been pre 1974. Ings Beck is well used to being a border, as it marked the border between the Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria ‘back in the day’.

A little further on we came to Twiston Mill. The monks from Whalley Abbey used to grind corn here back in 1300s, but in 19C the mill was converted to cotton. After a fire in 1882, the mill was closed, and it’s now a working farm.

Twiston * derives its name from Twyssulton, which means “settlement on a boundary” and we know the boundary line was Ings Beck. (*Basil’s joke)

We followed a quiet road for a short distance before striking off and broadly following Twiston Beck, apparently one of the cleanest in the county and important as a major spawning ground for sea trout on the Ribble, until we reached our highest point at Ravens Holme (833 ft) where we had a lovely lunch stop. I think John would have been hungry at 12.25, as he’d mentioned lunch at 11.45.

We had a slightly longer lunch break than usual, but still not long enough for some. We were enjoying the sunshine, and recovering from the pre lunch ups and downs, downs and ups, and awkward stiles. However, we had to get back before the rain at 2.00

Fully (?) recovered, and being told it was more or less downhill all the way, we set off in a southwesterly direction with the much clearer panoramic view of Bowland fells and Yorkshire peaks to our right and Pendle getting ever closer to our left, until we got to Lane Head.

At this point, 3 people took the more direct route to Downham while the rest of us diverted from Jack Keighley’s arcadian walk, and joined my twiddle. After lunch we’d had a great view of Worsaw Hill, and that was where we were heading. We skirted the hill, passing Worsaw End barn where Hayley Mills met Jesus in Whistle Down the Wind, and we then crossed delightful fields, and passed the intriguingly named Cat Gallows Wood, on the way back to Downham, where some people had ice cream before the rain started.

 

I can say this as it’s my walk, but it was lovely on a day like today. A little humid and warm at times, and not as full of wild flowers as it would be in Spring, but bird song accompanied us along Ings Beck, and butterflies accompanied us for much of the rest of the time. Always, the conversation was good, and we were walking with friends and we didn’t get wet. What’s not to like?

There are always interesting place names on our walks and we very rarely think about them. On this walk: Torrid Bank Wood, Ravens Holme, Hecklin Farm, Cat Gallows Wood…..all probably deserve a Google (although neither Judy nor I have found out why Cat Gallows is so named), but John asked ‘Why Worsaw?’ According to AI – Worsaw and Worston (village) have the same roots thanks to an Anglo Saxon chieftain named Wurthe or Worsa. Records for Worston show it was once Wurtheston meaning Worsa’s farm/settlement. Folklore suggests that Worsaw Hill serves as a marker for Worsa and that he may be buried in the Bronze Age burial mound near the top. Thank you, John!

 

Arcadia – an image or idea of life in the countryside that is believed to be perfect….. (from the Cambridge English Dictionary)

 

 

A big thank you to Aly for taking the photos and to Chris and Robert who shared the back marking on what was a 6.1 mile walk.

Thank you also to Judy for putting the photos online.

Write up: Gill

Slideshow below but if you wish to see a static view of all the pics in one go, then click here.