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Clougha Pike

4.97 miles (8 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap This circular walk takes you to Clougha Pike in the Forest of Bowland. The hill is located a few miles east of Lancaster, reaching a height of 413 m (1,355 ft). Clougha Pike commands wonderful views over Morecambe Bay, Snowdonia and the Lake District Fells. It's a great area for wildlife too so keep your eyes peeled for grouse and hares on the way.
You can park at the Rigg Lane car park (postcode below) just to the west of the hill. You then head towards Ottergear Bridge near Cragg Wood and the River Conder. The path then takes you towards Wisp Hill and Black Fell before coming to the Clougha Pike summit. Take a while to soak in the wonderful views. On a clear day you should be able to see the coast and beyond to the Isle of Man.
The route then descends back to the car park via Windy Clough with views of Trough Brook on the way.
An alternative, shorter route is to start from Rigg Farm and follow the Rowton Brook to the summit. The walk can be extended by continuing east along the path to Grit Fell and Ward's Stone, the highest hill in the Forest of Bowland. It can be quite a difficult walk though as it is a boggy area.
Cyclists can reach the hill on regional route 90 which runs through Quernmore.

Postcode

LA2 9EP - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Clougha Pike OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Clougha Pike Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Dog Walking

Unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the Clougha Access Land.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just to the south you'll find the noteworthy Jubilee Tower. There's another car park here giving access to this Historic stone tower. From the observation deck there are more wonderful views to enjoy.
Head north from the hill and you can visit the popular beauty spot at the Crook of Lune. There's some lovely trails along the River Lune to enjoy here.
There's more nice waterside walks to the south around the pretty Abbeystead Reservoir too.
To the east there's Wolfhole Crag which you can reach from Abbeystead on a footpath along the Tarnbrook Wyre. There's a series of pretty waterfalls and weirs on this waterway leading up to Tarnbrook Fell and the 527 metre high Wolfhole Crag.
For more walking ideas in the AONB see the Forest of Bowland Walks page.

Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby

Photos

Trig Pillar Clougha Pike - geograph.org.uk - 91306

Trig Pillar at the summit. Coniston has the Old Man, Zermat has the Matterhorn and Lancaster has Clougha Pike. Lune estuary and Heysham Nuclear Power stations on the horizon

Looking North from Clougha Pike - geograph.org.uk - 91310

Looking North from Clougha Pike. You can keep to the high ground here for almost 17 miles along ridges before you come to a metalled road near Wray.

Cairn on Clougha Pike - geograph.org.uk - 1355779

Cairn on the hill top. Ingleborough is seen on the skyline.

Descending Clougha Pike - geograph.org.uk - 770946

Descending the Pike

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

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

Memory Map Route

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