START this walk from the National Park Centre, crossing to the car park on the Sutton Bank side.
Join a firm path that crosses a side road where it leaves the main road.
A firm path runs right along the scarp to a viewing platform: Gormire Lake appears far below. A little further a steep path left will be your return route, but for now a flat stride opens out with big views.
Through woodland the path emerges on the crest of Whitestone Cliff, with a seat to your left: young children should be restrained here! Just yards further is a more airy plinth.
Beyond Whitestone Cliff drop slightly to another seat on a promontory. A huge arc commences above South Woods, this lengthy section being in clear view.
After commencing a minor rise above the forest near the far end, a junction is reached. Take the path left along a gently declining way to a bridle-gate into the forest.
The path runs on then drops to cross a forest road, continuing down the forest edge to a bridle-gate.
Slant right down Little Moor to another bridle-gate back into trees, and a path slants right down to a junction at the wood base.
Turn left through a gate, on a fenceside path along the wood bottom. Through a bridle-gate drop towards Greendale, but where the bridleway goes right through a gate, bear left, pathless above a wood.
Quickly reaching a fence-stile, a path heads away through colourful country. Gaining a little height it crosses to a wood top, then on to a knoll.
Beyond here drop to stiles through a pencil wood, and emerging into fields the way invisibly forks. Bear right past a fence corner and across to a hedge corner, then down its side to a stile onto a track.
Go left with the hedge, outside Southwoods Hall and above a pond to a junction at Midge Holm Gate.
Head directly away, and through a gate a hedgerowed track rises steadily to Southwoods Lodge. Turn left on a broad path into trees.
At a near immediate fork go right on the main path, after a slight rise quickly approaching Gormire Lake. With the lake almost hidden, bear right at the first fork: this will lead all the way round the western shore, close to the water’s edge.
Towards the end it merges into a footpath descending from the right, and a little further it bears away from the lake to gently rise through open country to meet a firm path.
Go left to rejoin the shore, quickly reaching a junction: take the path climbing steeply right.
Entering Garbutt Wood, branch right at a junction to rise less severely. It levels out to pass a massive boulder, then recommences its uphill slant, opening out from trees to rejoin the outward path. The start is just along to the right.
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