Wood
Dog walks in Gisburn Forest
Gisburn Forest is a wood in Ribble Valley, 23 km from the middle of Nelson. 394 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 40% are under 3 km and 23% are loops.
See every dog walk near Nelson, or across Lancashire.
Three walks in Gisburn Forest
From the 394 walks that lie mostly in Gisburn Forest, those that start nearest its middle: a 9.5 km loop, a 5.0 km there and back and a 1.7 km one-way walk.
Where these go is in the app
Create an account- Rathmell loop9.5 km · 163 min · A loop
- Easington and back5.0 km · 86 min · There and back
- Gisburn Forest to Bolton-by-Bowland1.7 km · 30 min · One way
The land and what it asks of a dog
- Dogs on a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any timeThe 2 hectares that are open access landCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
- Open by permission, not by right1125 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
- Open by right44 hectares of the woodland
Ribble Valley council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Signs on the ground may say more.
What the walks in Gisburn Forest are like
Every share is of the 394 walks that lie mostly in Gisburn Forest, with Nelson as a whole marked on each bar.
How far they go
Over 12 km: 7% of the walks in Gisburn Forest, against 17% near Nelson.
Where the walks fall by length. The five bars add up to the whole, give or take the rounding.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Nelson |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 km | 40% | 35% |
| 3 to 5 km | 23% | 18% |
| 5 to 8 km | 18% | 16% |
| 8 to 12 km | 10% | 12% |
| Over 12 km | 7% | 17% |
What shape they are
There and back the same way: 52% of the walks in Gisburn Forest, against 37% near Nelson.
A loop brings you back without repeating a step. There and back retraces the way out.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Nelson |
|---|---|---|
| A loop | 23% | 36% |
| There and back the same way | 52% | 37% |
| One way, ending somewhere else | 24% | 26% |
What is beside the path
Off road for four fifths or more: 90% of the walks in Gisburn Forest, against 10% near Nelson.
Shares of walks where the ground beside the path is a given kind for the stated part of the way.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Nelson |
|---|---|---|
| Under trees for a third or more of the way | 98% | 28% |
| Beside water for a tenth or more | 77% | 73% |
| On open access land for a third or more | 11% | 7% |
| Through a park or green space for a third or more | <1% | 6% |
| Off road for four fifths or more | 90% | 10% |
| On roads or lanes for half or more | <1% | 60% |
| Through built-up streets for half or more | <1% | 2% |
What might stop you
Never beside a busy road: 94% of the walks in Gisburn Forest, against 74% near Nelson.
Shares of walks with none of each thing on the way. A road counts when it runs within about fifteen metres of the path.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Nelson |
|---|---|---|
| Never beside a fast road | 86% | 71% |
| Never beside a busy road | 94% | 74% |
| No busy road to cross | 94% | 74% |
| No stile, gate or cattle grid | 58% | 73% |
| No steps | 98% | 88% |
What is on the way
Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road: 12% of the walks in Gisburn Forest, against 85% near Nelson.
Shares of walks that start by, or pass, each of these.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Nelson |
|---|---|---|
| Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road | 12% | 85% |
| Pass a pub | <1% | 36% |
| Pass a dog-waste bin | <1% | 20% |
| Pass a public toilet | 5% | 16% |
| Pass a drinking-water tap | <1% | 1% |
| Pass a busy beauty spot | 29% | 21% |
Measured on 20 October 2026 from the map. How these figures are made
Walks in Gisburn Forest, for your dog
If you live in Lancashire, it is your home county, and every walk in it is free, for good. Tell the app what your dog finds hard and it shows you walks that suit, with anything that might stop you shown first.
Anywhere in Great Britain, even with no signal.
Further is the Trekosa subscription. 98% of the walks here run under trees for a third of the way or more. It brings the Further map, 1:25,000, with contours, field walls and every right of way, while you have signal. Press Offline on a walk in Gisburn Forest before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops among the trees. Part of Gisburn Forest is open access land, where a path on the ground can be faint: drift off your line and the phone buzzes. It also opens walks beyond your home county, if Lancashire is not yours.
The first 250 households have it for good. After that, £4.99 a month or £34.99 a year.
Questions people ask
- Do dogs need a lead in Gisburn Forest?
- On the open access land, the law asks for a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any time. Ribble Valley has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 1 October 2026.
- How many dog walks are there in Gisburn Forest?
- 394 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Gisburn Forest.
Getting there
3 car parks within Gisburn Forest or at its edge, from OpenStreetMap.