THE good news for walkers is that this month a new long distance walk is launched. The West Pennine Way is a 46-and-a-half mile circular route around the West Pennine Moors from Anglezarke in the west to Peel Tower in the east along existing rights of way.

It also provides a 15-mile walk route which links the West Pennine Way to the Pennine Way on the moors above Todmorden.

Well done to the Greenmount Village Community Hiking Group for devising the excellent route. Part of the West Pennine Way follows the popular paths around Rivington and Anglezarke and this week’s walk follows a section of it to provide a circular route around the western shores of Bolton’s reservoir country.

1. Walk to the rear of the Lower Barn car park past the Go Ape facility on the left. At the path running left to right above the reservoir turn right and follow it through woodland to pass the village primary school on the right and emerge on Horrobin Lane.

Turn left and follow the pavement downhill, crossing over to join the first signed bridleway on the right hand side behind the social club.

Follow the access drive straight ahead with the Upper Rivington Reservoir on the left. It soon bends right and then the track forks into two.

Keep to the left track, the waymarked bridleway, which continues straight ahead for another mile below Yarrow Reservoir on the right. The track crosses an outlet of the reservoir and meets a lane.

2. Turn right along the lane to the corner where it turns sharp right. Ignore the track straight ahead but leave the lane on the left at the bend following the signed path crossing a stile.

The path runs steeply uphill as a track between fields. Ignore the path soon forking left but continue straight ahead to the brow of the hill. It then swings left and right alongside a stream crossing further stiles to reach a higher track.

Turn right along this track which runs along the hillside then drops steeply to Lead Mines Clough. Before descending to the bridge in the valley below you may like to turn left through a gate to visit the stone memorial to the 1943 Wellington Bomber plane crash memorial.

3. Cross the bridge over the stream and turn right along the track heading downstream with the water on the right.

The track crosses the stream again and leads back to a gate on the lane corner. Turn left here crossing Alance Bridge over the inlet to Yarrow Reservoir.

The route now follows a section of the West Pennine Way back to Rivington. Follow the lane uphill for a short distance until the first signed footpath on the right is reached at a gate.

4. Join this path, entering the field and walking straight ahead gradually downhill to turn left and enter the next waterside pasture in a patch of rough gorse. The path now follows several pastures, just follow the waymarkers.

Keep going straight ahead through the gorse and head downhill to the bottom right corner of the pasture. Cross into the next pasture keeping the reservoir on the right. Climb again slightly to follow a wall side on the right and pass through a gate to enter woodland below Dean Wood House.

5. Bear right and follow the driveway downhill through the woodland. By a junction of tracks turn right and leave the main drive by joining a footpath which runs along the left hand side of a drain. This path crosses into the next field and climbs a set of steps.

Continue straight ahead through the field at the top of the steps to reach a stile onto the lane by Rivington village green. Be very careful crossing the stile here as the path comes out abruptly onto the lane.

Walk straight along the lane past the chapel and green on the left. Pick up a path on the right of the lane to avoid following the road back to the barn.

The West Pennine Way will be officially launched on Sunday, September 25 at 10am at Peel Tower. A guided six-and-a-half mile guided walk will lead from here to Turton Tower where activities will be taking place. For more information on the route check out www.westpennineway.org

START: Rivington Lower Barn car park

DISTANCE: Five miles (allow two to three hours)

MAP: OS Explorer 287 West Pennine Moors