Gisburn Common

From the Millstone Grit south of the Craven fault to the Carboniferous Limestone to the north. Fell Beck can just be made out terminating in Gaping Gill.

Long distance views up Ribblesdale can be had from here.

The Crags are a welcome surprise after you have struggled through thick plantations of Gisburn Forest

Not the first abandoned millstone I have encountered in Bowland. Looks like it fell off the natural Trig Point shaped rock behind it. Perhaps it's a message saying 'Finding vacant squares to photo is becoming a bit of a millstone....'

Dob Dale runs along Gisburn Forest Edge at this point before cutting into the Forest on the right. Typical Bank Holiday cloud overhead.

From Giggleswick to Bowland forest edge and Whelpstone crags.

Lonely narrow lane leading to isolated, and I believe, deserted Whelpstone Lodge from Rathmwll.

At the end of a long lane from Rathmell, these buildings look deserted when I passed through here.

Rocky outcrop near the eastern edge of Gisburn Forest.

Following a footpath along the southern base of Whelp Stone Crag towards Gisburn Forest.

Part of the eastern edge of Gisburn Forest - it is very large by English standards. This looks north beside Holden Moor to the small summit of Whelp Stone Crag.

Penygent on the horizon.

The farm house of Whelpstone Lodge seen through the fang rake of an old farm machine.

The old farm house of Whelpstone Lodge. The track in the foreground leads to Owlshaw farm which is the white building in the distance to the left of the tree trunk. The farm track in the picture is officially in Yorkshire but on its short journey to Owlshaw briefly enters back into Lancashire officially. The county boundary being marked by a dry stone wall which the track passes through then after a short distance enters back into Yorkshire through the same wall line. There are no border guards or customs bureaucrats to hassle the free thinking, free roaming poets of the free wild fells. The border line here is part of the 'new'1974 boundary between the Red Rose county of Lancashire and the White Rose of Yorkshire, these being the dictates of control bureaucracies. The old boundary bit deep into the 'Red Rose' making Lancashire geographically resemble a wasps body! The extremity of the 'White Rose' bite was on the high fells of Bowland over looking the Irish sea which was just 9 miles west along SD51 grid line to the coast at Morecambe Bay. This old county boundary area was near 'Greave Clough Head' and 'White Moss' at 1520ft (464M) both being in SD5750. The western extremity of this former boundary is marked on the map as a mound at SD574509 just south of 'Johnny Pye's Clough Top'. Johnny Pye's Clough Top is in SD5751 which also lies on the old county boundary line marked by another mound a short distance towards the north east. A little further on still (NE) the trig point of 'Hawthornthwaite Fell Top' 1567ft (476M) SD579515 was on the former Lancashire/Yorkshire border. Many of us free spirits do not recognise these 'new' 1974 border lines and still refer to villages and places as being in the Red Rose or White rose counties of former times pre 74, even if it does make old Lancashire take the form of a wasps body. Also don't forget we Lancastrians had the south peninsulas of the Lake District dipping into the north of Morecambe Bay. But Yorkshire men and women are wary of us Lancashire folk because they know we have a damned good sting !

Old rusting farm machine and part of Whelpstone Lodge farm house, to the left the track leads to Owlshaw farm.

Mind the step it's a long way down and the wire fence at the bottom could slice you like cheese! Millstone grit Crags on the edge and overlooking Gisburn forest.