Burnley Way - Part 6: Hapton to Weaver's Triangle

Walk Waypoints

1. 1 Between Hapton Station and the school, a minor road will take you to the motorway by Hapton Rec. Over the bridge turn left along the path to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to begin the walk. Leave the canal towpath turning up a bank to a stile and cross a long, boggy field to the far corner. Leave the field via another stile, and turn right into a lane. Just past Shuttleworth House, turn right again. 200m on you will cross the iron canal bridge into a lane. Turn right onto the towpath and pass under the bridge.
2. 2 Go long the towpath under the new bridge carrying the A6068 to an old stone bridge. Go up the steps before the bridge onto the lane to Shuttleworth Hall.
3. 3 Beside the Hall, turn right to a stone stile and very carefully cross the busy A6068 (please take care). Go over a wooden stile and proceed with the wall and then a hedge on your left. Cross a wooden stile beside a gate, and turn left down the field side. After the next stile, veer right across the field looking to the industrial units/pylon, and go over another stile beside a small stream.
4. 4 Cross the field to another stile in the corner, and pass to the right of Eaves Barn Farm, before descending to another stile in the far right corner by a lane and a Forest of Burnley new planting site. Go right over the bridge, and then left onto the path towards the River Calder weir, with Shuttleworth Mead Industrial Estate on the opposite bank. Follow the path above the River Calder to the allotments past the Forest of Burnley Fennyfold copse. Then take the track sharply left to Park Road beyond a metal barrier. Go along the road to an old railway bridge.
5. 5 Under the bridge, turn left before the youth shelter and cross the footbridge over the river, before climbing steps up to Memorial Park. Turn right and descend the big steps to follow the river, before rising through woodland to the terraced streets of Padiham. Carefully proceed through this small town, down Church Street and Mill Street to rejoin the River Calder path behind Padiham Town Hall.
6. 6 Follow the Padiham Riverside Walk from behind the Town Hall car park under the road bridge, and along Lune Street to beyond the built up area. (BEWARE: if the river is high, use the car park behind the White Horse pub, and carefully cross to Lune Street near the Burnley Road roundabout.)
7. 7 Follow the concrete path past the river footbridge, and veer left on it beside the wetland fields to enter Grove Lane Plantation on the right by the small car park and Forest of Burnley sign. After about 500m, the woodland path crosses and easy access old ginny track to join Grove Lane Greenway.
8. 8 Gawthorpe Hall will be visible in places across the riverside and Burnley Football Club's training pitches. Turn right at Grove Lane, passing over Brookfoot Bridge and past the Hollins Farm Forest of Burnley plantings to the new bridge about 1km on, just past the turn to Pendle Hall. The Burnley Way continues to the footbridge where you meet the Pendle Way.
9. 9 Cross the bridge, and follow the stone greenway up past a barn conversion to Ightenhill Park Lane, past the turn to Hagg Wood on the right as the metalled road begins.
10. 10 Fork left off the lane to a stile and path beneath the overhead power lines about 150m up the lane, heading towards the corner of the copse. Follow along with the trees on your right, before crossing a horse paddock and several stiles across boggy fields to the edge of urban Burnley.
11. 11 Behind the housing estate, turn left to take the footpath down to the small pumping station at Calder Park by the river. Follow the river path past the new bridge (do not use it), through Calder Park and alongside the path by the M65 for about 1km. At the metalled path to the motorway underpass, turn right to walk up to Pendle Way.
12. 12 Carefully turn left at Pendle Way, using the pavement and carefully turning left onto the canal towpath before the bridge.
13. 13 Cross the aqueduct and follow the towpath (past the Clifton Heights Forest of Burnley sign) for 1km to the Weavers' Triangle Visitor Centre and the end of the Burnley Way. From the Weavers' Triangle Visitor Centre, you can either: turn left down Manchester Road to the bottom of the hill, then right along Red Lion Street to Burnley Bus Station; or, turn right and go up to the roundabout, carefully cross Trafalgar Street, and follow the signs to Manchester Road Railway Station.