Towneley
5
Walks
Beautiful walks in the magnificent Towneley Park grounds
KEY Vehicle entrance Pedestrian entrance
Walk 1 2
Walk 2
Walk 3
Car park entrance P
General Car park
P
Sport Car park
P
Coach parking Cafe Toilets Playground Viewpoint Shelter Bench Picnic bench
Bridleway Steep incline 6
Heritage plaque Cycle paths Bridleways
In recent years the network of footpaths in Towneley has been extended to allow visitors to enjoy more of Towneley’s historical landscape.
Burnley Council... providing a great day out
Š Crown Copyright. Burnley Borough Council. Licence No. 100021714
Cycleway
Walk 1 SMALLHOLDINGS TRAIL 1.1 km (0.7 miles) Easy walk. One short climb (blue dashed route). Starting at the entrance to the Riverside car park, cross Park Bridge Road, go through the gate and turn left. Follow the marker posts, carved by the Lancashire and Cheshire Woodcarvers, (1-10) around the Smallholdings Trail (see map). For the Towneley family, this area was Lodge Farm and a deer park, and deer can still occasionally be seen here, especially at twilight. In 1909 Burnley Corporation bought the land which, until 1973 provided smallholdings, each with a house and 1 ½ acres of land, where local people grew vegetables and reared chickens. Before Carving no.5 you can take the longer route round Wilson’s Wood by continuing straight ahead, up the hill. and turn right just below the Applecross estate. When you reach Deer Park road, turn right down the hill to return to the Riverside car park.
WILSON’S WOOD 2.1 km (1.3 miles) Partial significant climb (light blue route). Both walks provide an opportunity to observe the wildlife, identify the trees, and enjoy a woodland wander. In 1999 the Forest of Burnley Project, under the direction of Keith Wilson, planted almost 7 hectares of woodland with over 10,000 trees. In this area you can see the variety of native trees, grown since 2000, including Ash, Oak, Hazel, Silver Birch, Rowan, Holly, Scots Pine, Willow, Wild Cherry, Larch, Alder, Sweet Chestnut, and Alder Buckthorn. In May or early June look out for the Southern Marsh Orchid in the glades on the Smallholdings Trail, and in Spring and Summer, watch out for the butterflies, including the Ringlet Orange-tip, Brimstone, and Speckled Wood as they feed on the nectar rich flowers. Bird species to look out for include the Jay, Sparrowhawk, Goldfinch, Wood Pigeon, Robin and Tawny Owl.
Walk 2 RIVERSIDE to UNITY COLLEGE and back 0.8 km (0.5 mile) Easy. All level.
RIVERSIDE TO HANBRIG and back 1.6km (1 mile) Easy. All level.
Starting at the Riverside car park stay on the car park side of the river. Walk on the path alongside the playground and, at the end, cross Park Bridge Road. Continue along the footpath straight ahead, passing the swale (large pond) on your right, till you arrive at the black footbridge.
Or alternatively, you may turn right, to take you downstream towards HANBRIG park entrance. Walk along the pavement a few yards, before crossing back over the river on the Unity College drive. In 20 metres, look for a path on the left. Follow this, as it passes a natural wetland which is an excellent haven for birds and insects, with a reed bed used to purify water drained from the playing fields, before it flows into the River Calder. As there are two further footbridges that will allow you to cross the river, you can continue as far as suits you, before returning to the Riverside car park along the footpath next to the river and the road.
The swale is better known as Lower Towneley Scrape, and is an important wintering area for Lapwings, Snipe and teal. In summer/autumn it attracts migrating birds such as Green Sandpiper and Yellow Wagtail. Cross the river and then either turn left to take you back along the tarmac path by the riverside, to return upstream to where you started. In summer the invasive Himalayan Balsam is prevalent on this walk. Please feel free to pull it out and stamp on it to crush it, bag it up and leave it near a litter bin. Along the riverbank, look out for Kingfisher perched on a riverside branch waiting to dive down on any passing fish. Grey wagtails are often seen feeding along the river’s edge. Dippers can be seen perched on the
This walk gives the opportunity to exercise on the Fit4All equipment on the opposite side of the road. rocks or searching underwater for aquatic insects. In the evening Daubenton’s bats fly low over the water, plucking insects from the water surface with their feet. Water quality in the River has been improved and now has an increasing number of species. With money from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the River Ribble Trust has modified weirs on the River Calder to allow salmon and brown trout to swim upstream and spawn near here.
Walk 3 THE HISTORIC WOODLANDS WITH SCULPTURED CARVINGS 3 km (1.8 miles) or 4km (2½ miles) Via Causeway end wood, past High Royd and Boggart Bridge, to Barwise, the old Oak tree, and Thanet Lee Wood. Includes several short climbs. Starting at the Riverside car park, cross over the river and follow the Avenue towards Towneley Hall. At the Hall take the path on the right signposted Causeway and the Pitch and Putt. Look out for the Ice House on the right. Continue to the stone shelter where you turn left, to pass the Pitch and Putt. As you continue up and then downhill you approach another stone shelter. Bluebells and Ramson (wild garlic) provide a wonderful backdrop to the shelter in spring, filling the air with fragrance. A short deviation down the path on your left will take you to two carvings, a treble clef and a violin, with an information board about the Music Pavilion which used to be located in this area. Return to the stone shelter, and turn left to cross Boggart Bridge, and proceed uphill towards Barwise car park, picnic and play area, depicted by the carving of Mr Barwise and the information board about this world renowned dahlia grower and how the Towneleys rescued Foldys Cross. You may want to pause for a picnic or for children to play on the climbing equipment. Return to the main path, turning towards the right, (not towards the Hall), you will eventually pass the four hundred year old oak tree in the field on your right. Admire the wicker sculptures and read why pigs and cows once grazed in the woods here.
The fenced off area on the left is the Bird Reserve. In the late 1960’s it was set aside solely for wildlife, with no public access, but with the stone bird box sculpture set among the shrubs in the 2000s. During the winter months this area becomes a photographer’s haven for spotting Jay, Robin, Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Great Tit, and Blue Tit. Occasionally Sparrowhawks can be seen flying low through the woodland in search of any unwary birds. Head to the bottom of the hill, and take the right hand fork, (the left hand fork takes you back to the Hall). Pass under the Tunnel and into Thanet Lee Woods. At the next tarmac road you can turn left, back to the hall car park and the Avenue, to return to your starting point. OR Turn right and then a quick left to turn back into Thanet Lee for a circular walk. Simply follow the path round the wood until you return to the hall car park and the Avenue, to return to your starting point. En route you can read about the Silver Birch amazingly growing from the fallen tree, and add your spare cash to this “money tree”. At the wooden fairy bench look for Monks Well and the two carved fairies hidden in the trees. You can proceed over the bridge and turn left, or simply follow the main path round the edge of the wood.
Walk 4 PLAYING FIELDS AND THE SPORTS PAVILION (with benches to rest on) 2.1 km (1.3 miles) Mainly flat, slight incline
PLAYING FIELDS TO THE EVENT AREA TRIANGLE (with benches to rest on) 2.4km (1.5 miles) Mainly flat, slight incline.
Starting at the Riverside car park cross the wooden footbridge (leading from the Rotunda café to the playground) and immediately turn left to follow the River Calder upstream. Cross the road and continue along the stone path by the river, leading to the edge of the playing fields. Following this path all around the field, you will find five benches, if required, and it will eventually lead to a stone bridge.
Or for the longer walk: Continue towards the Hall car park (two benches). Pass the Avenue, and proceed to the footpath alongside Hall Road. Follow this tarmac path, (two benches) to the shelter at the end of the triangle, before turning sharp right, back towards the Riverside car park.
For the shorter walk: Cross the bridge and turn right to walk along the stone path by Everidge Clough, towards the games pavilion., and return to the Riverside car park. There are 3 more seats along this path.
Look out for Pied Wagtails – small, long tailed black and white birds, which wag their tails as they dash about searching for insects; Brown Hawker Dragonflies - which only live for about a month, in order to mate and lay eggs; Goldfinch - with bright red faces, and a yellow patch on their wings, they make a loud twittering song; and Moles - making mounds of earth above ground, but which mainly feed on worms as they burrow tunnels underground.
Walk 5 HISTORY TRAIL 6 km (3.7miles) All aspects of the park including some inclines. Throughout the park there are 12 information boards that will tell you about the history of Towneley. This trail is marked on the map by numbers, as a suggested route, following the existing paths, but you may wish to take your own route and visit just some of the history plaques. If you visit The Ice House you will need to retrace your steps back towards the Hall, the rest of the trail is a circular route from the Riverside Car Park. 1
The Deer Park
2
The Woodland
3
Monks Well
4
The Medieval Forest
5
Barwise to Brewery
6
The Music Pavilion
7
Around the Hall
8
The Gardens
9
The War Memorial
10
The Landscape (2 boards)
11
The Ice House
12
The Park Entrance
If you would like to know more detail about the history of Towneley look out for our leaflet Towneley Park- The Changing Landscape or visit towneleypark.wordpress. com
Photo by Mick Warn mick.warn@gmail.com
Location
Toilets
Opening Times
Towneley Hall
By Car
An historic house, art gallery and museum located in 400 acres of beautiful parkland providing all the ingredients for a fun, educational and adventurous day out.
Towneley Hall lies In Towneley Park 1.5 miles south east of Burnley town centre. The Hall ls approximately I mlle from the park entrance at Hanbrigg on Todmorden Road (A671).
Towneley Park Is open all year - Towneley Hall seasonally.
From the west leave the M65 at Junction 9 and follow the slgns for Halifax (A646), then Towneley Hall. From the east Towneley Hall ls signposted from Junctions 10 and II. Towneley Hail ls also clearly signposted from Burnley town centre.
Toilets are situated at Towneley Hall, Riverside car park, eighteen hole golf course, and at the bowllng green near Offshoots.
Enquire at Towneley Hall, 01282 477130, about becoming a volunteer inside the Hall.
Wild About Burnley
Please be aware, using Towneley Sat Nav (BB11 3RQ) will lead you to Cliviger, not Towneley. If you use BB11 3JT that will lead you to the Hanbrig entrance off Todmorden Road.
The gallery,. opened in 2014, focusses on the natural world around Burnley and gives adults and children alike the opportunity to get up close and personal with Burnley’s wildlife. The collection of educational and interactive resources includes: Life Underground, Natural habitat displays from Parkland to Moorland and the Calder Life artwork.
By Bus
Burnley Park Rangers
Four pay and display car parks are available at Woodgrove, Riverside, Barwise and the Hall.
Burnley to Todmorden, Bus 592 leaves Burnley bus station, stand 3 or stand 6 and stops near the Hanbrig park entrance. Causeway End or Barwise bus stops give shorter access to Towneley Hall.
Refreshments
The Cafe near the Hall serves indoor and outdoor meals and light refreshments. The Rotunda cafe on the Riverside car park serves take away light refreshments. Ice cream vans are located (weather permitting) on the Hall car park and near the children’s Riverside play area.
towneley@burnley.gov.uk
member
Friends Of Towneley Park
The Friends of Towneley Park work In many ways to maintain and improve the park and hold regular meetings. For more information visit www.fotp.btck.co.uk Contact fotp1902@gmail.com to discover how to become a volunteer in Towneley Park.
Volunteer In Parks
Maintaining Burnley’s seven Parks, to Green Flag standard, is a challenge at a time when the council’s budgets are being cut and we need your help! Contact greenspaces@burnley.gov.uk to discover how to become a volunteer in other parks across the town.
The Council is particularly grateful to Pennine Prospects and the Friends of Towneley Park who have been involved in the installation of the new sculptures in the Park and the production of this leaflet.
make the most of Towneley visit towneley.org.uk or find us on facebook
© Burnley Council 2020. Job_16833. creative-council.net
Towneley Hall Museum, Towneley Park, Burnley BB11 3RQ
Burnley Council employ a team of dedicated park rangers, who work 365 days a year to supervise all of Burnley’s parks. They support parks’ Friends and other community groups to organise the many park events and strive to keep Burnley’s green spaces clean and safe, as places that everyone can enjoy. Contact: 01282 831053.