We have been blessed with a beautiful summer this year, perfect for exploring our new stomping ground. Each day we seem to wake to blue skies and a warm breeze which often proves irresistible and has us reaching for our boots.
I have to admit that my favourite walks tend to be circulars, taking in a loop of this glorious Lancashire countryside and ending up back where I started, at a pub if we have planned well. But there is a lot to be said for some of the walks I am going to mention in a moment: they are linear routes, three to five miles, all with a pub at the end, making them ideal if you want a walk ending with a tasty meal and glass of pendle ale next to a log fire, before getting a bus or taxi back home. They can also be extended simply by walking back again the same way you came - hence 'out and back' - if you feel like a longer walk.
Sabden to Whalley is a walk 'from the back door' which leads to the beautiful village of Whalley, about 3.5miles away. In Whalley are a great range of pubs and restaurants making it a great place to spend a sunny afternoon before walking or bussing it back before dark. We have also cycled into Whalley and back and it is a pleasant undulating ride along mostly quiet country lanes.
The walk begins at the footpath running past Badger Wells Cottages which quickly takes you up onto the moorland at the foot of Pendle Hill. Crossing Clitheroe Road, another footpath takes you across pastureland past fields of cattle and sheep and giving lovely views along and across the valley. Through a gate, and past some farm buildings, the final part takes you across the golf course and then down a road into Whalley.
We had a drink in The Dog Inn and an early bird tea at Amico Mio (fantastic ribs!) before walking back home the same way we came, this time enjoying the countryside at dusk.
Sabden to Pendleton. Another of our favourites, this walk leads to the tiny and charming village of Pendleton and its splendid pub, The Swan with Two Necks, about a 3mile walk.
Again, starting from the footpath running past the cottages, you walk straight up into the foothills of Pendle Hill and across to Clitheroe Road. The path then runs along the verge beside the road all the way to the top and over the 'Nic of Pendle' before continuing on the other side of the road, over a stile and downhill. Once across the field, a muddy path (even in August) leads further downhill until a gate takes you down towards a farm. At this point the way seems a little unclear until you see a helpful sign, nailed to a tree and pointing you through the garden, across a stream and past the farmyard before picking up the path on the other side. Through a couple more fields, one of sheep and the other Highland cattle, you emerge onto the quiet lane leading into Pendleton.
We have done this walk a few times now, usually making the return journey over the Nic of Pendle on foot after a couple of drinks in the lovely beer garden. But we did on one occasion eat there with friends and got a taxi back, and the taxi was both prompt and reasonable.
Sabden to Barley. Barley is a bit further than Whalley or Pendleton and in the opposite direction, about 5miles from where we live. It is a very pretty little village, with two great pubs, nestling in the shadow of the 'Big End' of Pendle Hill.
For this walk we left the cottage and walked downhill, across the bridge and past the farmhouse, heading east. Walking through Heyhouses, the track climbs steadily past New York Farm and on to Ratten Clough. Here the track leaves the road and takes you on a route through woodland on the edge of fields until you reach Sabden Fold. The path then climbs, crossing moorland and skirting Fell Wood and eventually dropping down to Lower Ogden Reservoir through Barley Green and into Barley.
According to our Ordance Survey map there are lots of routes back, including climbing the steep face of Big End and traversing the length of Pendle Hill, but we opted to walk back along the valley (the easy option) more or less the same way we came.
All three of these walks work equally as well as an 'out and back' or a one way with a bus or taxi back and are all pretty villages with a good pub, so well worth a visit.
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