Shockingly many people have no awareness of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Induct yourself into the cognoscenti with this wild tour of the area’s highest height and its next-door neighbour Grit Fell, a worthy contender for England’s Most Northern Sounding Hill.
These are wild moors with huge expanses of heather. You’ll likely be reminded of the Dark Peak, but these hills are quieter and the gritstone outcrops have a pleasing cleanliness, retaining a pale sparkle, unlike the carboniferous blacks and mossy greens that characterise much Pennine gritstone. Crossing open country in Bowland is tough going but, whatever you think of the game-shooting industry, it has bequeathed some fine Land Rover tracks for easy mile-munching.
As well as their own merits, these hills have excellent views across to the Yorkshire Three Peaks, Lakeland and North Wales if you’re lucky. In theory, it is possible to see Corndon Hill in Shropshire from Ward’s Stone, at a range of 164 kilometres, or just over a hundred miles. I haven’t managed yet, but live in hope.
