Highwayman Hike: Leck Circular via Collinghome with Robin Ree - Kirkby Lonsdale Visitor and Local Information

A lovely low-level ramble through farmland, lanes and down the side of Leck Beck. A good stretch to the legs but an easy route. A few surprising twists and turns along this walk which makes it a great circular from the pub.

Please remember these walks go through working farms, keep to the paths and shut the gates after you.

With Robin Ree’s photography throughout.

Distance: 5.5 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 2 hours

Starting Point: The Highwayman Car Park (feel free to use)

Leave the Highwayman car park walking past the bench under the trees. You will see a small hole in the wall you can step through. Turn right up Woodman Lane passing the houses. On your right you will pass Rest Harrow Equestrian. Shortly after Rest Harrow the road will bend to the left. Do not follow the road, instead you will have a track ahead of you with a footpath sign and a track to your right. Take the track straight ahead.

You will now continue all the way up the lane crossing over cattle grids until you reach the barn. Straight ahead you will see two metal gates, go through both of these into the next field.

Once in the field you are going to head straight with the wall on your left, once the wall finishes head into the left-hand corner of the field where you will see a wooden gate. Go through this gate into the next field. You will have a stream running in front of you.

Looking to your right you will see a metal gate with a stile in the gate, this is where you are aiming for. You will need to cross over the stream, there are some steppingstones or there is a plank of wood to help you across near to the stile and the wall. If wearing wellies, you should easily be able to splash through.

Once over this stile look to your left and you should see another stile in the wall. Head towards here and climb over. In this next field you are going to walk diagonally up to the right-hand corner of the field. To help you in the distance you will see the top of a farmhouse, aim towards there. Eventually you will reach a stile with a blue tube across the top. Climb over the stile and to the left you will see a wooden gate. Walk through this wooden gate and into the next field.

Once in the final field look to your right and you will see a metal gate to head through. Now head towards the house, you will see the path to take to the right of the house towards the farm buildings, follow this path and you will see a metal gate a head with a small green arrow directing you right. Turn right in front of the barn.

Directly after the barn you will see some blue metal fencing with a gate and some red steps. You are now going to head up these steps demonstrated by myself (right). Now this will feel strange walking directly through the farm but it is path of a public footpath and the farmers are lovely just remember to stick to the route.

You will pass a barn on the right (which on the days we walked had some lovely cows in.) Take a right directly after the barn. Look to your left and you will a metal gate at the top of the hill. Go right past the barn and follow the path up to here. At the gate take a left and follow the lane for just under a mile until you reach the main road.

When you get to the main road you will see a footpath sign opposite, head across and up the steps crossing over the style (again so elegantly demonstrated by myself). In the field head straight following the wall the runs along side Hipping Hall.

Past the wall running along Hipping Hall you will see two trees in the field, head towards the one on the left and just after there you should see a gap in the wall. Head across two more fields crossing over stiles. In the last field you will see a metal gate in the top left-hand corner that will lead you on to the road. I have added a close up of the OS map to help.

Once you get on to the road turn left heading towards the church. On your right you will see Jubilee Cottage. Keep going down the road passing St Peters Church until you reach the signpost at the end. Turn left here towards Cowan Bridge.

Jubilee Cottage

The cottage was originally the girls school formed in 1845 which later would become the infants and junior school in 1931. There is an engraving above the door of the cottage. Eventually in the 1970s it was made into a private residence.

Once you have turned down the road you will see a footpath sign on the right, go through the hole in the wall and head straight towards the farm buildings. Keeping the buildings on your left go pass these, round the front and then follow the path onto the road. Over the road to your right, you will see another footpath sign and a hole in the wall. Go through here and follow the path down to the gap. Turn left and follow the path all the way following Leck Beck, you will head under the bridge and eventually back to Cowan Bridge

Back at Cowan Bridge you will need to cross the road. There is a hole in the wall opposite or turn right and cross a little further down. On the right-hand side of the bridge you will see a path behind with a footpath sign, go down here and follow the path along Leck Beck.

The track will lead to a lane, turn left and carry on straight ahead passing two footbridges on your left. Just after the second footbridge you will see a gate and stile on your right ( Do not go over the cattle grid that is too far and private land) . Go through the gate or over the stile here.

Once in this field turn left (with the stile and gate behind you), go through the field and you will see a gate with a track to the left ( The track is private). Go through the gate (on the day we walked the gate was shut but it is usually left open so don’t be alarmed if it open. If it is closed then shut it behind you). You will see a wooden stile on the other side of the field. Go over here and over the small stone foot bridge.

When you are over the small footbridge take a left and follow the fence line up the hill. When this has ended bear left between the trees and go down the hill towards the hall in the distance. At the bottom of the hill you will reach another stile to go over.

Keeping the steep hill on your right and the dry-stone wall surrounding the grounds of Burrow Hall to your left follow the track all the way until you meet the final metal gate (You may see a stile or two in the wall but all this land is private and belongs to the estate so please keep on the footpath). Through here you will see a large pool of water but if you look to your left there is a small path that has been built to keep you dry. Continue straight on.

Burrow Hall

Burrow Hall is an 18^th century country house built in 1740. This beautiful house was originally built for Robert Fenwick who was the MP for Lancaster, over the centuries it was handed down throughout the family and eventually sold in 2014.

The Fenwicks were a prominent family in the area for a long time in Tunstall at St Johns The Baptist Church you will find a number of memorials to The Fenwick family and The Highwayman was originally called The Fenwick Arms.

Keep following the track. You will pass Johnson house on your right and the track will go slightly left and downhill until you reach the road. At the road turn left and work your way back through the village to The Highwayman. The road to begin with can be a little tricky as no footpath exists so be careful. Once you are past the gates to Burrow Hall you will be able to walk on the grass verge all the way to Burrow Bridge. After the bridge cross over to the other side of the road as this will be easier.