Longridge Fell Walk – An Epic Sunrise: The Complete Guide

The Longridge Fell Walk is an awesome short walk in the southern part of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Better yet, the walk is easy to do as a sunrise walk. Watching a spectacular sunrise from Longridge Fell is one of the best ways to enjoy the walk. In this guide, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about doing the Longridge Fell Walk. For those with an appetite for a sunrise adventure, you can certainly follow in our footsteps.

About Longridge Fell

​​​​​​​Longridge Fell is actually the most southerly fell in England. As the name suggests, the fell stretches over a wide and long-length ridge. The ridge stretches from the town of Longridge to its sudden end, in the Forest of Bowland, dropping into Hodder Valley.

The fell is an excellent example of a cuesta, which is a ridge that has a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other. Indeed, Longridge Fell has a steep escarpment on its northern side and a gentler slope on its southern side.

So, where exactly is Longridge Fell located?

Read our guides about Pendle Hill, Parlick Fell and Fair Snape Fell, the Tolkien Trail and Beacon Fell

Where Is Longridge Fell?

Longridge Fell is located on the southern side of the Forest of Bowland AONB, near the town of Longridge in Lancashire. It’s also located in a beautiful area known as the Ribble Valley, which is northeast of Preston. To help get your bearings, please click on the image below to access an interactive map of the area on Google Maps.

So, now you know where the fell is located, let’s look at some trail specs for the walk. As mentioned, we visited Longridge Fell for sunrise. The easiest way to get to the summit of Longridge Fell for sunrise was to do the shortest walk option. You’ll find the details of this walk below. Otherwise, it’s possible to do a longer Longridge Fell circular walk if you want to explore more of the fell.

Longridge Fell Walk: Route Information and Map

• Type: Out & Back
• Distance: 4.5km
• Time: 1.5–2 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 110m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Longridge Fell Car Park
• Map: AllTrails

FYI – feel free to use the map, linked above, for trail navigation.

Longridge Fell Walk: Route Description

Below, we’ll briefly talk about the short Longridge Fell Walk in the Forest of Bowland.

From the roadside parking at Jeffrey Hill, you’ll cross a gate to first step foot onto Longridge Fell. The defined trail gently ascends and weaves through the moorlands. You’ll soon meet a vague intersection. Stick to the trail to the left to avoid needing to walk through boggy moorland terrain.

Eventually, you’ll arrive at a stone wall with an adjacent trail. You won’t cross the stone wall. You’ll simply follow the trail, next to the wall, towards the summit. Before you know it, you’ll arrive at the fell’s trig point. If you’ve come for sunrise, it’s time to wait for the natural spectacle.

Longridge Fell Sunrise

From the summit of Longridge Fell, if the weather allows, you’ll enjoy a mesmerising sunrise. We watched the sunrise, in the distance, over the Yorkshire Dales to the northeast, with Pen-y-ghent standing out like a sore thumb. To the west, you’ll enjoy views of the Fylde Coast and views of Pendle Hill to the east. To the southeast, you’ll see the West Pennine Moors.

If you’re lucky, on a very clear day, you might just make out some of the mountain peaks in the Lake District and Snowdonia.

With the likely early morning mist about, you’ll also enjoy an array of interesting colours and hues in the sky if you visit for sunrise.

After enjoying sunrise and throwing down some breakfast, it’s time to retrace your steps. Of course, if you’re doing the longer circular walk, you’ll continue along the stone wall, heading in a northeast direction. Otherwise, you’ll simply head back the same way you came, retracing your steps in a southwest direction.

If you’re walking early in the day, you’ll enjoy a gorgeous hue settling over some of the Forest of Bowland fells in the distance, such as Parlick Fell, Fair Snape Fell and Beacon Fell.

How to Get to Longridge Fell

The simplest and quickest way to get to the Forest of Bowland to do the Longridge Fell Walk is to drive there yourself. If you don’t have your own set of wheels, we recommend hiring a car.

To find out more about renting a car with Discover Cars, read our Discover Cars review and Discover Cars Insurance review.

It’s possible to get to this part of the Forest of Bowland using public transport. You can get a bus to Clitheroe and then another bus to Hall Cottage. From there, you’re looking at an approx. 1.5km walk to get to Jeffrey Hill to start the Longridge Fell Walk described above. Feel free to check the train times and prices here. We recommend using Trainline and Google Maps to help plan your journey.

Despite public transport being an option, we recommend driving (if that’s possible) as it’s much less time-consuming. If you’re planning a visit for sunrise, you’ll need to drive, as public transport is unlikely to be running that early.

Longridge Fell Car Park

The Longridge Fell Car Park is located on Forty Acre Lane on Jeffrey Hill. This is where you’ll start the walk. It’s free to park there. You’ll find enough space for around a dozen cars or so.

FAQs

Below, you’ll find the most frequently asked questions about the Longridge Fell Walk.

How High Is Longridge Fell?

The fell reaches a height of 350 metres above sea level.

Where to Park For Longridge Fell?

See the Longridge Fell Car Park section.

Other Walks in the Forest of Bowland

Other than the Longridge Fell Walk, there are many other wonderful walks to do in the Forest of Bowland. Below, you’ll find a list of the best walks in the Forest of Bowland.

• Pendle Hill Walk: by far, this is the most popular walk in the Forest of Bowland.
• Pendle Hill Sculpture Trail: you’ll do this short sculpture trail with Pendle Hill looming large in the background.
• Trough of Bowland Walk: experience the tremendous Trough of Bowland by doing this circular walk.
• Stocks Reservoir Walk: located near Gisburn Forest, Stocks Reservoir is a gorgeous reservoir worth walking around.
• Bowland Knotts: another superb place we recommend visiting for sunrise.
• Clougha Pike Walk: one of our favourite walks in the Forest of Bowland with great coastal views.
• Parlick Fell Circular Walk: a great walk that visits both Parlick Fell and Fair Snape Fell.
• Beacon Fell Walk: another popular Bowland fell to visit.
• Wolfhole Crag and Wards Stone Walk: summit the third highest fell and also the highest point in the Forest of Bowland.

For information about other great walks in the area, read our 29 Best Walks in Lancashire guide.

Hiking Essentials

These are some of our hiking gear essentials for the Longridge Fell Walk.

To find out more about all of the gear that we use and recommend, read our guides about our favourite hiking gear, travel gear and camera gear. Otherwise, read our comprehensive travel packing checklist.

Bonus Tips

• Longridge Fell MTB trails: for sure, mountain biking enthusiasts explore this same trail on two wheels instead of two feet.
• Dog walking: this is a very popular walk for dog walkers.
• Visit early and you might see deer: because Beck and I visited at sunrise, we visited during dawn, which is a great time to see wildlife.
• Visit Longridge: after doing the walk, you should visit the lovely town of Longridge.
• See other national parks in the northwest of England: don’t just explore the Forest of Bowland and Lancashire. Make sure to also check out the Lake District, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales national parks.

Read our Forest of Bowland Walking Guide and our Forest of Bowland Visitor’s Guide.