**There's a picture of Princess Kate on the noticeboard at the summit of Longridge Fell, but this is the closest she's been to it. That said, in June she climbed the National Three Peaks in 24 hours so Longridge would just be child's play. The photo at the summit of this walk is a local jest which will no doubt someday morph into fact so long as enough people come to believe it.** **Our walk starts in Hurst Green, gateway to Stonyhurst College and popular due to the Tolkien Trail, which capitalises on the belief J.R.R. Tolkien wrote parts of 'Lord of the Rings' while visiting the college. Our walk does not take in the trail but starts and ends in Shire country and travelling from Clitheroe or Longridge you'll likely pass local influences like Shire Lane or Cromwell's Bridge.** **This circular walk includes quiet bridleways, pasture, wooded and moorland paths, and commercial farm and forestry tracks, with minimal road walking, all within the south west corner of the Forest of Bowland.** ***More info:*** This is quiet walking territory with easy access from the the east via Clitheroe, west via Longridge, or south (from Blackburn). The walk climbs north from the village of Hurst Green before traversing and descending west and parallel with Longridge Fell through pasture and woodland. The following steady climb of the fell is across moorland and through forest with views over our shoulder to Pendle. Breaking through the forest we reach the trig point at the summit with views to the north over the village of Chipping and to the Forest of Bowland fells including Parlick to the west, Staple Oak to the north and Waddington Fell to the east. Our route continues to the east where we re-enter the forest and emerge on to forest tracks with more views of Pendle with the Ribble Valley in the foreground, before descending to pasture and making our way back to Hurst Green. The walk is 10 miles maximum and I may amend it on the day depending on the weather and group size. ***Meet-up

Description supplied by the event organiser.