Lund's Tower and Cowling Pinacle

Starting point  and OS Grid reference: St Thomas’s Church, Sutton-in-Craven (SE 007442)		Ordnance Survey Map  OL 21 - South Pennines. Buy this map from List of OS Maps Commission from map sales is used to fund the website, so keeping it free to use.
Distance: 7.2 miles
Traffic light rating: (For explanation see My Walks page)
For advice on .gpx files see         My Walks page	Click the PDF logo above to give a printable version of this walk without the photos.

To view route as a dynamic Ordnance Survey map click here.

Introduction: This walk is an easy half day stroll but one which rewards with fabulous views of the Aire Valley, Simons Seat, Pen-y-Ghent and Pendle Hill to name but a few. It takes in Lund’s Tower which you can climb to maximise the 360° view. Lund’s Tower was built by James Lund of Malsis Hall thought to have been built for his daughter or possibly for Queen Victoria's Jubilee. Cowling Pinacle which is signposted as such is actually shown on the Ordnance Survey map as Wainman’s Pinacle. This is a more appropriate name as it was built by Richard Wainman of Carr Head Hall to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in 1815.

Start: The walk starts in Sutton-in-Craven which is to the west of the B6265 between Keighley and Skipton. There is only street parking available. For a common point of reference, the walk starts St Thomas’s Church opposite the park on Main Street (SE 007442). With your back to the church, turn left and walk to the end of Main Street.

At the end of Main Street, cross straight over the road and walk down the left hand side of the Black Bull pub along Ash Grove. Turn right at the end (Bent Lane).  Follow Bent Lane which becomes a farm track. As the tarmac ends, you can see the castellated tower of Lund’s Tower on the skyline which is your first goal. As the track forks (the left hand fork going into The Grange) fork right.

Pass through the hamlet of Bent (SD 996442) and continue to follow the track as it swings left by a barn. Remain on the track and cross the stile you come to at the left of a gate. Walk along the footpath between the trees and cross another stile. Keep to the right hand side of the field to the top right hand corner where there is a small gate. Turn right in front of the cottage (SD 993434).

Follow this track which becomes concrete after the cobbles and when it forks right to a derelict burned out farm, fork left. The track exits into a road where you turn left (SD 989432). If you look behind you at this point, Pendle Hill peeps over the horizon.

The road climbs and as you pass beneath the tower, look out for a footpath on the right (SD 992432), indicated by a finger post indicating Cowling Pinacle half a mile. Some concrete steps climb up to the tower but if you happen to be looking for a good lunch spot, a few yards left at the bottom of the steps leads to a couple of picnic tables.

The tower which can be climbed offers a great vantage point from its top but take great care. It is very dark inside after the brilliance of the daylight and there is no handrail. The stairs are also open at the top with no guard rail. There are good views along the ridge to Cowling Pinacle and Pendle Hill beyond.

Stay on the main track heading for the Pinacle (SD 985429) and continue straight ahead beyond it (ignoring the left turn at the corer of the wall) to the farmhouse at is obviously also a working stoneyard. Pass to the right of the buildings. Head across the field beyond and through the kissing gate. The path descends a small hill and at a stone wall, go left through a small gate and immediately right through a narrow stile.

Once through the stile descend to a track and turn right (SD 975427). It looks as though there was a sunken lane at this point but it is now impassable. The path skirts round this over a raised hump in the ground.

After passing an old concrete water tank now housing a green plastic one, walk down to the cottages going between them to the lane (Fold Lane). The cottage to the left has a Victorian stile lamppost.

At the main road, turn left. As you leave the village, turn right down Winkholme Lane (leading to Gill Lane) (SD 970431).

Walk down through the hamlet, over the river bridge and up the other side. As you get to the church turn right through the little gateway to the right of the churchyard (SD 968431) and follow the broad bridle path past the radio mast. As you pass a barn, look out for the unusual ‘V’ shaped stile to the right of a gate ahead of you and follow the path through it.

The route now becomes a narrower footpath following the course of the river below. At a fork, go left passing a bench dedicated to a Brian Garside (“A very special man!”).

Turn left over a new bridge painted green then immediately right to follow the stream. The area here can get quite well visited and what look like paths get trampled all over. The best advice is to follow the course of the river until you reach some stone steps to the right going to the river. Bear left here away from the river (although if you want a restful sit next to the river, if you descend the stone steps, there is a bench by the water).

The path exits through a small stone stile into the road (SD 981445). Turn right and after a few yards, look out for a finger  post on the left. Go through a narrow stile and  descend the field to the road below.

Turn left at the road, cross over a brook then turn right where a finger post indicates the path (SD 982445). Cross a stone step stile then after going through a squeeze stile and crossing a footbridge, the stile in the next field is difficult to spot. It is in the far left hand corner under the trees.

After the next two gates, the footpath opens into a farm lane. Turn right. Continue on this lane past Scott House Farm before turning right on to a footpath marked with a yellow arrow immediately past the gate to Green House Farm (SD 995450). The footpath has been diverted and circles around the farm going through another gate. Walk down the next field and after passing through two gates, go under the arch between the houses.

Turn left after the arch and walk through to the main road and turn right. Immediately after crossing the river (SD 995446) (and this means immediately!), cross the road and go through a small gate by the left hand  cottage. At first glance, it looks like a gate into the property but there is a finger post which is easy to miss.

The path initially follows the river. Until at a newish gateway, it swings to the right. Through a kissing gate, stick to the path on the right and look out for a stile on the right to some stone steps. This is your route heading away from the river. Cross a field and pass between two houses into a suburban street (Hazel grove). Turn right and continue to Bent Lane (which was on your outward route). Turn left and left again on Ash Grove back to your start point.

If you need to buy any hiking equipment/clothing before your trip see the Hiking Store

All information on this site is given in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of any damage, loss or injury which might result from acting on it.