If spring in the Ribble Valley was a riot of colour, summer seems to bring an astonishing palette displaying every imaginable shade of green.
Nowhere could be more verdant than the countryside around Whitewell, locally known as 'Little Switzerland', and no other spot frames this better than the terrace of the Inn at Whitewell.
Tucked into a bend of the River Hodder with views stretching deep into the Trough of Bowland, the Inn, a 16th century former coaching house, commands a vista out over the valley towards the horseshoe of hills surrounding it; it is mesmerisingly beautiful all year round, but at the height of summer, the spectrum of green is astonishing.
There are many walks from the pub, from easy family walks along the river, to scrambles up to and along the ridge of the fells, and everything in between.
We took a 5 mile circuit starting by crossing the 54 stepping stones across the Hodder.
Striking out uphill, we followed a steep path to the top of Laund Hill, gaining height quickly to take in the beautiful views. Crossing the fields to Higher Greystoneley, we then picked up the tramper trail around the hill to Long Knotts before cutting across and climbing the hill behind Tunstall Ing.
From here the landscape really showed off its summer greenery, with shades of emerald, jade, moss and lime creating a rich patchwork at the treeline. Higher up, there is the deep bottle green of the evergreen plantation, and lower down, shades of sage and olive blending into the gold of the meadows, ready for harvest.
After carefully navigating fields of cows, we descended back down to the road before cutting in on another track taking us past Horse Holes Wood and back down to the river. We recrossed the stepping stones and made our way back to the Inn to enjoy that spectacular view from the terrace with a well earned cold drink
The view from the Inn at Whitewell
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