Earcro one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Earcro here.

Leaving Earby uphill, the road lost its pavement, but it was quiet, and good views back started to appear. After I left the road there was a section that seemed to go through a private garden/drive area - something which happened several times on this route - but it is still a public right of way.
There were a variety of stiles along the way - sometimes squeeze stiles, often stone steps over a drystone wall. The views just got better and better, including Pendle Hill, Ingleborough, and at the end the “Salt and Pepper Pots” above Cowling. The initial route uphill was a bit of a shallow river at times though! I imagine it could be worse in wet weather.
Bent Laithe Farm was another place where I felt as if I was trespassing, but wasn’t. Raygill Farm had an unmarked but well-used short diversion, but the landowner (currently doing some renovation) said the original route will be restored in the next few weeks. Soon after that, there was a Temporary Closure notice for the little field bridge at OS Grid Ref: SD 9495 4590. It was still open for me to cross, and the notice said that access would be kept available for any diversions during repairs, which would be signposted. For this Slow Way, at worst this would be to use the quiet road into Lothersdale village. This would actually avoid a climb up through fields and back down!
The pub at Lothersdale was excellent, and the walk alongside the little river afterwards (accessed by another bit of what appeared like trespassing but wasn’t) was very pretty, and there were a couple of benches along here. There was also an irresponsible dogwalker with a dog off the lead! With lambs and pregnant ewes around!
The footpath turnoff at OS Grid Ref: SD 96602 45168 was slightly further south than the map indicated, and was a gap in the wall type stile, and the well-trodden field path back downhill heading towards Stone Gappe Farm was a bit further west, but clear to follow.
From here there was a long series of fields to cross, following the contours next to walls. It was generally still sheep pasture (as the earlier sections) but some of the grass was longer. It all looked fairly well used though. There was another appeared-to-be-private path at West Closes Farm!
From here there was a section of quiet tarmacked road, Binns Lane, before the final looked-private path led down into Cross Hills.
I really enjoyed this walk, it was beautiful. The weather may have biased my opinion slightly!.

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