Location
Birkacre Road, Chorley, PR7 3QL.
Free parking is available at the café/information hub.
More about the area
Chorley's increasingly popular Yarrow Valley Country Park is a 700-acre facility, run by Chorley Council, including a café and information hub built using Heritage Lottery funds. Yarrow Valley Country Park has been awarded Green Flag status since 2004.
Yarrow Valley walks
There are numerous walking routes in Yarrow Valley. Walking guides are available below.
Yarrow Valley yellow walk (PDF) [1MB]
Yarrow Valley red walk (PDF) [3MB]
Yarrow Valley green walk (PDF) [1MB]
Yarrow Valley blue walk (PDF) [3MB]
Yarrow Valley play area
Yarrow Valley Country Park is home to "Yarrow Rocks", a play space in which young people are encouraged to challenge themselves and take calculated risks. Features within this fabulous facility include:
- giant rope swing
- natural climbing wall
- rock stack
- embankment slide
- basket swing
- sand pit.
While we encourage all the family to play together we ask that parents and carers take particular care to watch toddlers as there are a number of attractions designed with older users in mind. In this area dogs must be on a lead at all times and kept on the main path, away from the play space.
Treeface café
The cafe has a range of drinks, cakes, snacks, homemade meals and icecream. Opening times are generally 10am till 4:30pm but please check on the facebook page "Treeface Cafe at Yarrow Valley" or by phoning 01257 228765.
Toilet facilities including baby changing and accessible facilities are available to all park users.
A large information board is by the cafe and car park for general information.
Ranger service
The role of the ranger service is to patrol the parks, nature reserves and open spaces across the whole borough, including Yarrow Valley, give advice and information to visitors, run events and activities, coordinate and carry out conservation tasks and management works.
The ranger service does not provide an emergency response. In an emergency situation please contact the police, fire or ambulance service.
Volunteers
We are always on the lookout for volunteers to help with conservation duties. Volunteers should be over 16.
View more information on volunteering or contact us by email to contact@chorley.gov.uk if you are interested in volunteering at the park.
We work in partnership with many groups and organisations who have an interest and role to play with the management of the park.
Groups represented are:
- Chorley and District Natural History Society
- Chorley Council
- Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society
- Friends of River Yarrow
- Lancashire Wildlife Trust
- Lower Burgh Meadows Conservation Group
- Model Aircraft Society
- Ramblers Association
- River Douglas Catchment Partnership
- Wigan and District AA
Lower Burgh Meadow Conservation Group
The group was formally established in March 2010 with the aim of maintaining and developing Lower Burgh Meadows and the woodland to its edge. They have a programme of regular work days, hold group meetings and fundraising events and social activities.
Group membership is increasing and you are welcome to join the group. For more information please visit the Lower Burgh Meadow Conservation Group website.
Yarrow Meadows
We have been working with the Environment Agency and partners in the Douglas Catchment Partnership to improve the water environment and reduce risks to communities and wildlife.
The Yarrow Meadows Masterplan seeks to deliver natural flood management interventions on the site to slow the flow of water to communities at risk.
The masterplan builds on the good work already invested in the Croston Flood Alleviation Scheme as well as enhancing the flood plain of the River Yarrow within Yarrow Valley Country Park.
We have carried out floodplain connectivity, bank rehabilitation, preservation and restoration of habitats, removal or softening of hard banks, inclusion of woody debris, non-native species eradication, woodland creation and woodland management.
Access points to Yarrow Valley Country Park have been improved over the past few years and work is ongoing. This includes the formalisation of Yarrow Valley Country Park car park. Footpaths have been resurfaced and steps improved through Duxbury Woods, Yarrow Meadows, Wallets Wood, Kingsley Wood, Copperworks and Big Wood. Access points from the Gillibrand area have been enhanced to ensure members of the public can continue to enjoy their time in a safe environment. Where possible stiles have been replaced by kissing gates to improve access for those with low mobility.