This route didn’t take much devising as when I studied my map of the area, I noticed that a section of the Wyre Way long distance walk provided a perfect circular route that starts and finishes in Abbeystead. This section of the Wyre Way doesn’t seem to be especially popular as the paths looked hardly worn and this is a shame as it is a beautiful route, reports Lancashire Life. The name of the hamlet derives from a small Cistercian abbey that stood here around 1200, although nothing now remains.
The building that dominates in the area is Abbeystead House, a huge Elizabethan structure built in 1886 but the architectural style makes it look a lot older. Stoops Bridge spans the Tarnbrook Wyre, and this joins the Marshaw Wyre just to the south of the hamlet. These two then become the river Wyre that eventually flows into the Irish Sea 28 miles away at Fleetwood.
Open countryside on Bowland Fell. (Image: John Lenehan) 1. The car park is on the right of the narrow road leading from the main road at Stoops Bridge.
There is a footpath sign and path to the left of the car park at the end of a wall, follow the path then cross a track and then cross a metal stile into field. There is a footpath marker post pointing straight on. Follow the path with a metal fence on the right to reach and cross a footbridge and then keep slightly left and follow the path to reach another footbridge over a stream.
Cross this and keep straight on, with the river on your left. Carry straight on to anoth.