Moscow, Egypt & Worlds End
4.5 miles – 2.5 hours – grade 2*
We start our walk on Hill Top Road, Thornton, near to the Ring O’ Bells PH, there is plenty of on-road parking.
Walk along Hill Top Road, passing The Ring O’ Bells pub, on your left you will find a wrought iron gate taking you through the houses along a stone path, you will go through another gate and out into a field.
Follow the path through the field with the stone wall to your right, climb a style at the bottom right-hand corner into a short narrow section of fenced path. Climb a second style and down a short incline to a third style. Climb the style to walk along another short section of narrow fenced path, you will come to another two styles and cross another footpath, which crosses from left to right, you will eventually enter another field. The buildings over to the left are Moscow.
In the field the footpath bears slightly to the right along the top edge of a deep gully, which is on your right, you will then join a grassy track to walk a short distance downhill to a field gate, passing the ruined building on your left.
Go through the gap at the right-hand side and out onto Upper Heights Road, turn left diagonally across the road and over the wooden style, next to the field gate opposite. In the field keep close to the dry-stone wall on your left and continue down to the style in the bottom left-hand corner of the field. Climb the style out onto Lower Heights Road, turn left and walk along the road towards the Rock and Heifer Inn.
Turn right and walk down Egypt Road, there is a blind bend at the bottom, so you can either walk down the left-hand side of the road or take the path on your right with the sign post for World’s End & Egypt, if you take this path, which goes around the houses, keep to the left and down to the houses – ‘Egypt’. Take the footpath on the right, after the houses, which takes you up some steps. Follow this track for 800 meters, you will pass Upper Pikeley and then you will come out onto Long Lane. About halfway along on the right, at the other side of Bell Dean, are the buildings called World’s End.
Turn left up Long Lane for about 175 meters, the walled track on your right is often very over-grown, you can either walk in the field and along the top, at the end of the field you will see on your left the style into the field, which will take you up to Allerton Road or continue up Long Lane passing Mustard Pot Farm onto Allerton Road.
Turn right along Allerton Road for about 240 meters and take the track on your left to Shay House Farm. Just before you reach the buildings on your right you will see a stone gap, walk down the track with the dry-stone wall on your left and a farm building on your right, you will come to a style leading you into the field. Keep close to the wall and hedge on your left and cross the field, you will come to a style leading you into the gardens of the white painted house.
Once over the style follow the obvious paved and fenced path around the garden, turning right and then left before going up the path at the side of the building out onto a rough surfaced road in front of several other houses. Follow the rough road to just beyond the last house on the left, the road will turn sharp right, on your left you will see a gate leading you into the field down a small grassy embankment and under a tree.
Continue along keeping the stone wall on your right and straight ahead crossing two fields onto a grass walled track. Follow the track uphill to its junction with another track, turn right and follow the well-worn track to the main Allerton Road.
Turn left along Allerton Road for about 450 meters and turn right down Cote Lane, after about 160 meters turn right onto a track leading to Bailey Fold. Continue down this steep hill for 500 meters, you will see the field gate, once through turn right and follow the path near the wall, the path will go along two field and to a stone style, take the path which goes straight forward to another stone style and into the field, turn left and follow the path down and to the right around the bottom of the field, you will reach the back of Aldersley Farm, follow the track to your left around the buildings, on your right is a hedged track which will lead you to a row of cottages. Once past the cottages keep right up the access road until Long Lane turns right. Turn left and walk along Yew Trees Lane, you will come to a way marker and gate, follow the hedged path downhill, on you right there is a gap in the hedging and you will see a way marker leading you to a path, you will cross over the footbridge taking you over Putty Beck.
Continue up the hill keeping the wall on the left, you will go through a gate and the wall will now be on your right as you continue uphill. You will come to Spring Holes Lane, continue down and go around to the right and into Wicken Lane. Take the path up the steps on your right, keeping to the right follow the wall around, you will see in front of you a metal fence, to the right is a style, follow this old stone path until you reach a crossroad of paths, turn left and follow the path you came on from the start, back through the houses onto Hill Top Road and back to where you parked.
