WALKING | 8km Circular Walk Route – Brinscall to Great Hill, Walking in the Lancashire Moors

October 8, 2017 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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A circular walk from Brinscall to Great Hill

Start & End Point: Brinscall Swimming pool, PR6 8QU
Distance: approximately 5 miles / 8 km
Time: approximately 2 – 4 hours*
Elevation: 321 metres
Uphill: 1.5/5
Technicality: 0/5
Scenery rating: 4/5

*From Brinscall swimming baths, you can get up to Great Hill and back down in 2 hours. We extended our walk with a meander through the woods and took a lot of time out for mushroom photographing and foraging, hence the distance below showing at 8.82km and a duration of 3 hours and 53 minutes.

Walk Summary

This is a superb gentle uphill walk, that provides incredible views in return for very little effort and is a walk I’ve done a couple of times now. Photos in this blog are were taken on the first walk in early October 2017 and other taken more recently on a walk in late October 2020.

Walking Brinscall via White Coppice to Great Hill — ***The single-track road leading from Brincsall car park up towards Anglezarke Moor***

The Walk

Great Hill is in the West Pennine Moors, situated a few miles outside of Chorley and on a clear day it’s possible to see all the way to Welsh hills and the Lake District. It’s rare to get such far-reaching views from such a meagre climb, yet even on a dull overcast day, I found the views impressive.

Woodland on the way up

Parking up beside Brinscall swimming pool, I headed off up a single track road with beautiful woodland to one side, and sheep grazing in open fields on the other, heading up towards Great Hill.

Navigation is an absolute cinch on this walk, with clear paths that are easy to spot and follow, along with clear signage courtesy of the Ramblers Association.

***The path up to Great Hill is clear and easy to follow all the way***

Although the walk is uphill, it’s gentle rather than steep, making it an ideal introduction for those wishing to start hill walking. For a lazy Sunday afternoon, at just 5 miles the walk was ideal, with enough uphill bits to require a little effort, but not enough to make the walk at all challenging.

If you fancy a longer walk, you could take the same route, but continue up to Winter Hill, which at 456 metres marks the highest point in the area.

Brinscall to Great Hill Lancashire Moors walk

From the top of Great Hill the views, even on a dull day were stunning. When you reach to the top there are stone benches too, making it the ideal place to sit for a while and take a breather and enjoy the beautiful views.

This is a walk that I’m keen to do again, and is one that could readily be enjoyed numerous times. I’d love to return in the depths of winter with the moors covered in snow, all foggy and freezing. This was a great little walk I thoroughly enjoyed!

Find out more

Ordance Survey – Walks around Anglesarke Moor, Chorley, Lancashire

DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that our route descriptions and ratings are based on our personal thoughts and experiences as new hill walkers with moderate fitness levels. A difficult walk for us might be a cinch for someone else, so we’d encourage you to always look at a number of different route descriptions and ratings to get a true reflection of a walk you’re planning to do. Never attempt a fell, hill or mountain walk without appropriate footwear, clothing, navigational equipment and hydration. UK Mountain rescue teams do an incredible job and it’s up to us to ensure we are taking all precautions necessary to complete a walk safely!