Wyresdale Abbey

Abbeystead is a small hamlet located in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in Lancashire, England. Abbeystead lies close to the Trough of Bowland but even in medieval times, was considered part of Wyresdale rather than within the domain of that powerful local magnate, the Lord of Bowland, so-called Lord of the Fells. Abbeystead is located in the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Over Wyresdale.

Over Wyresdale is a civil parish and a parish of the Church of England in the City of Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. It has a population of 348, decreasing to 316 at the 2011 Census. The parish includes the hamlets of Abbeystead, Lee, Lower Green Bank, Ortner, Marshaw and Tarnbrook. The parish church, Christ Church is located about a mile to the west of Abbeystead. The vast majority (around 16,000 acres (6,500 ha)) of the land in the parish lies within the Abbeystead Estate, which is the property of the Duke of Westminster, and which extends into neighbouring parishes to a total extent of approximately 23,000 acres (9,300 ha). Of the hamlets, only Lower Green Bank does not form a part of the Abbeystead Estate. The only other significant landowner is the Leigh family.

The Abbeystead disaster occurred on the evening of 23 May 1984 when a methane gas explosion destroyed a waterworks' valve house at Abbeystead, Lancashire, England, killing 16 people. A group of 44 visitors were inside the underground building at the time, attending a public presentation by North West Water Authority (NWWA) to demonstrate the operations of the station. Eight were killed instantly by the explosion, and the others were severely injured. The explosion also caused the concrete roof to fall down onto the group, destroying the steel-mesh floor and throwing some of the victims into the water chambers below, which rapidly filled with river water. Another eight people subsequently died of their injuries in hospital; an 11-year-old boy and his mother were among the dead. The official inquiry into the disaster concluded that the methane had seeped from coal deposits 4,000 feet (1,200 m) below ground and had built up in an empty pipeline. The gas was then ejected into the valve house by the sudden pressure of water as the pumps were switched on. The cause of ignition has never been determined.

Abbeystead House is a large country house to the east of the village of Abbeystead, Lancashire, England, some 12 km (7 miles) south-east of Lancaster. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

William Philip Molyneux, 4th Earl of Sefton, (14 October 1835 – 27 June 1897) was a British peer.

Christ Church, Over Wyresdale, stands in an isolated position to the west of the village of Abbeystead, Lancashire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Blackburn, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the deanery of Lancaster. Its benefice is combined with those of St Mark, Dolphinholme, and St Peter, Quernmore.The church dates from 1733, replacing a chapel dating back to the 15th century, and it was restored in 1894 by the Chester architect John Douglas who added a spire to the tower, buttresses for the tower, a new south porch, a new vestry, and also built a new sanctuary. It is built in sandstone rubble with slate roofs and consists of a west tower, a nave with a chancel, a south porch, and a north vestry. The pulpit is dated 1684.

Grizedale Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge in the English parish of Over Wyresdale, Lancashire. The structure, which dates to the 19th century, carries Rakehouse Brow (part of the road between the Trough of Bowland and Lancaster) over the River Grizedale. A Grade II listed structure, it is in sandstone and consists of a single elliptical arch and has a solid parapet with a rounded top.

The River Grizedale, also known as Grizedale Beck, is a river in Lancashire, England. The river rises at Grizedale Head between Abbeystead Fell, Cabin Flat and Dunkenshaw Fell and flows southwards, picking up several small streams on its way. Grizedale Beck is used as a nursery for juvenile salmon and trout. It flows through the Grizedale Reservoir, continuing southward and joining the river Wyre north east of Garstang.

Hawthornthwaite Fell is one of the larger hills in the Forest of Bowland in the north west of England. Hawthornthwaite Fell marks the extreme western limit of the West Riding of the historic county of York. Since 1974 it has fallen within the boundaries of the administrative county of Lancashire. However, most of the hill is on the Duke of Westminster's land. It occupies a north-facing position on the south-western range, close to Bleasdale and Fair Snape Fell. The only path to the summit comes over the hills from the south. The summit is boggy and flanked to the north by steep heather slopes. Grouse are farmed in the area and hen harriers can be seen frequently. The trig point and the remains of its foundations are no longer upright, lying horizontally pointing westward.

Grit Fell is a lonely hill between Clougha Pike and Ward's Stone in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, England. Covered by heather and large bogs, it is difficult walking country. The path from Jubilee Tower car park in the south is difficult and treacherous, with sheer-sided bogs 6 feet (1.83 m) deep. The path from Clougha Pike in the west is better, but still contains bogs crossed by the odd plank of wood. The path from Ward's Stone is the most treacherous of all. Crossing Cabin Flat, it weaves its way across hidden pools of stagnant water, the presence of which is betrayed by a form of red grass. The summit is fairly inconspicuous, with only cairns and a wall.

National nature reserves in Lancashire in England are established by Natural England. There are two national nature reserves in Lancashire, both of which are managed by Natural England, as opposed to some counties where some nature reserves are managed by non-governmental organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds or the National Trust.

Clougha Pike ( KLUUF-ə) is a hill in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, England. From the west it looms over the Conder Valley, the city of Lancaster and Lancaster University. It is visible from as far away as Barrow-in-Furness, South Lakeland mountains such as the Old Man of Coniston, and Blackpool Tower. From the west, it appears to be a large dome shape, with a cliff-like section at the very top. From the south-west, a series of notches or cloughs are visible in its flanks, giving the hill its distinctive name. The notches vary in size and run across the side of the hillside, but not down it. The largest notch has had part of its floor filled in by a small lake and swamp and is a dramatic gritstone boulder-strewn feature. These notches are thought to have been cut by meltwater flowing south-west from the area of Littledale, along the side of a glacier which occupied the Quernmore valley. They are known as marginal notch channels and are among the best examples of these features in Britain. Clougha can be reached from the west, by a pleasant path that travels up its slopes by Rowton (spelt variously) Brook and then diagonally up the final steep broken rock section. It can also be reached from the east from Grit Fell, over boggy land along a muddy path that is sometimes difficult to distinguish. An approach from the north, from the direction of Caton, is also possible. A small car park is also available close to Clougha Pike, just off Rigg Lane. Another starting point to ascend Clougha is from the Victorian folly of Jubilee Tower, where there is also a car park. Its summit furniture includes an Ordnance Survey trig point and a wind shelter. The view west from the top is over Morecambe Bay. On a clear day views from Clougha Pike extend to Snowdonia, the Ribble estuary, the Isle of Man (directly behind Barrow-in-Furness), the fells of the Lake District and many of the Pennine hills. Very rarely, the Mountains of Mourne can be seen to the left of the Isle of Man. Clougha Pike was one of the lowest of the 100 hills included in Trail magazine's 2007 list of "Britain's Greatest Mountains".