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Abbey Village Reservoir Walk

5 miles (8 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap This walk visits the Abbey Village Reservoir near Abbey Village in Lancashire. The area is very popular with walkers able to enjoy waterside trails, open moorland and peaceful woodland.
The walk starts in the village and heads north east to first visit Close House Reservoir which is also known as Abbey Village Reservoir. The reservoir is fed by the River Roddlesworth and is a good place for bird watching with herons and buzzards to look out for. On the eastern side of the water you can then pick up the Witton Weavers Way and follow the waymarked trail south to the visit Roddlesworth Reservoir and Rake Brook Reservoir. The route then passes through the woodland around Tockholes before returning to the village.

Postcode

PR6 8DT - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Abbey Village Reservoir OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Abbey Village Reservoir Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Walks near Abbey Village

  • Witton Weavers Way - This circular walk starts and finishes in Witton Park near Blackburn
  • Roddlesworth Reservoir - Enjoy a circular walk around these pretty reservoirs near Darwen in Lancashire
  • Tockholes - This area in the West Pennine Moors is a popular place for walkers with woodland trails, reservoirs and a fantastic hill climbs to try.
  • Darwen Tower - This circular walk takes you up Darwen Hill to Jubilee Tower from Tockholes in Lancashire
  • Bold Venture Park Darwen - This large park in Darwen is great for an easy afternoon stroll
  • Blackburn - This Lancashire town has some nice canal trails, a local country park, several reservoirs and a significant hill to visit.
  • Sunnyhurst Woods - Explores 85 acres of woodland on this circular walk through Sunnyhurst Woods in Darwen
  • Brinscall - This pretty village is located near Chorley in the county of Lancashire
  • Anglezarke Reservoir - This circular cycle and walk loop takes you around the pretty Anglezarke Reservoir near Chorley
  • White Coppice - This delightful walk takes you along a series of reservoirs near the little hamlet of White Coppice in Lancashire
  • Fishmoor Reservoir - This reservoir in Blackburn is a nice place for an easy stroll in the town.
  • Withnell Nature Reserve - This walk visits the Withnell Nature Reserve in Brinscall, Lancashire.

Pubs/Cafes

Back in the village head to the Hare and Hounds for some post walk refreshment. They serve a varied range of delicious German and English food and are very walker friendly. There's outdoor seating for warmer days too. You can find them at 125 Bolton Rd, PR6 8DP.

Dog Walking

The woods and country trails are ideal for dog walking. There's quite a lot of sheep and cattle in the surrounding fields so it's best to keep them under control in these areas. The Hare and Hounds mentioned above is also very dog friendly with water bowls available.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just to the south east there's the Withnell Nature Reserve where there's lots of interesting flora and fauna to see. You can find them less than a mile from the village by following a trail along part of the old railway line from Blackburn to Chorley.
Head south and you could enjoy a climb to Darwen Tower where there are some excellent views to enjoy.
To the south west there's the Brinscall Walk where you can follow the Goit Canal to White Coppice and the nearby Anglezarke Reservoir.
For more walking ideas in the area see the West Pennine Moors Walks page.

Photos

Stone terraced houses in Abbey Village - geograph.org.uk - 2040366

Stone terraced houses in Abbey Village

Close House Reservoir (geograph 5388159)

Close House or Abbey Village Reservoir

Footbridge on Reelers Trail - geograph.org.uk - 2434095

Footbridge on Reelers Trail

Roddlesworth reservoir Autumn 2004 - geograph.org.uk - 725188

Roddlesworth reservoir Autumn 2004

Rake Brook Reservoir (geograph 5388163)

Rake Brook Reservoir

Reservoir, cottage and tower (geograph 2434108)

Reservoir, cottage and tower

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Abbey Village Reservoir.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Abbey Village Reservoir.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)