National Trail Guides UK HOME   NATIONAL TRAIL GUIDES NATURE SOUNDS THE AUTHOR THE SPONSOR   NATIONAL TRAIL GUIDES UK Footpath Guides HOLIDAY COTTAGES ALONG THE TRAILS

Contents :: PENDLE WAY :: Day 1                 INTRODUCTION       DAY 1       DAY 2       Day 3         DAY 4         DAY 5               THE PENDLE WAY IS A WONDERFULLY BEAUTIFUL TRAIL OF HISTORY     NATIONAL TRAIL GUIDES UK           Day 1 :: Better than I Ever Imagined:: Barrowford to Barnoldswick:: 7 miles           The Pendle Heritage Centre is a lovely place to visit and made a fine start to our walk. It is located close to Barrowford town centre and yet seems so distant from it. I have passed through Barrowford along its main road, by car, hundreds of times, and I had never once imagined it to be so nice just in its back streets and within a hundred yards from the town centre. Today's walk really opened up my eyes. From the car park opposite the centre we found a gate leading to a narrow track along Pendle Water. Although we couldn't see the water, we could hear it quietly murmering as the waters made their way towards us and we could visualise the ducsk, birds and dragonflies that probably populated the water's surface. We turned right along the narrow track, at first enclosed within trees and then at the side of a field and then a stone wall, until reaching the bridge opposite Higherford Mill. We crossed the main road to a take a narrow road, Foreside, to the right of the mill, leading us through attractive housing to a track out of the town. The track took us between trees dense trees glowing brightly in the sun, and to our right was Pendle Water, which we were following upstream. We passed many parents with young children, all in their swimming costumes, a sign of things to come. We crossed a stile and continued along the track, which soon opened out on our left to reveal rich pasture land and attractive wayside flowers between our path and the field.               Pendle Way between Heritage Centre and Higherford Mill   Track from Foreside, out of Barrowford           We walked along the track, heading towards Watermeetings, and were pleasantly surprised at how well the Pendle Way was signposted with the unique "witch on a broomstick" symbol. At every junction or turn off there was always a sign. The path frequently changed as it passed through woodland and then field sides. At Watermeetings the path crossed a footbridge and we proceeded on the opposite bank.               House off path to Watermeetings   Pendle Way nearing Watermeetings           Watermeetings is where Blacko Water and Pendle Water merge; this is their confluence. We carried on alongside the banks of the gurgling Blacko Water. The lush green meadows on each side opened out and at various points on the bank families were picnicing and children were paddling, this being the ideal spot for such. We left the field at a footbridge and walked away from the river and steeply uphill.               Blacko Water at Watermeetings   Looking back to Watermeetings - oh, and Carol !           At the top of the hill there was a wonderful view back over Watermeetings, whilst forward and to our right we could see in the distance Blacko Tower, a tall tower perched on the top of a hill. Blacko Tower was built around 1890 by a local grocer, Jonathan Stansfield. The tower is a folly. Stansfield thought he would be able to see into Ribblesdale from its top, but this proved not to be the case. Cresting the hill we found a gate stile which we used to enter the adjoining field, where we had a terrific view through the meadows and hills. We walked along a soft grass path between swaying long grass, heading in the general direction of Blacko Foot. We crossed a stile and continued along a similar path in the next field, to the side of a stone wall, until reaching a new housing development, known as Blacko Foot Farm, where the path joins a lane. We turned right down the lane for a short distance, until just after passing an ugly looking railing on a road bridge, where we turned left to walk on the right bank of Admergill Water.             View from above Watermeetings   Pendle Way along Admergill Water         The easy path took us along the river bank and then crossed a stile over a wall to another field and into a woodland. At a wooden footbridge we continued on without crossing, up a slight climb to a stile across another field and to another woodland, emerging from the woodland at a road bridge. We turned left on the bridge and took some steps down it on the opposite side and passed over a small footbridge by a strange looking slabbed bridge, obviously designed for tractors and the like. We followed the river on its left bank and walked upstream, through an open gate and climbed to the far end of the next field to take another stile, which led in the direction of Admergill Hall. Keeping on the top of the riverbank, with trees blocking our view to Admergill Water, we crossed another stile and then took a stile to our right and crossed Admergill Water by a footbridge onto a field. Here the path was not very well signed, and it was difficult to decide whether to proceed ahead to an obvious stile or to turn left to a stile just visible by a house. We chose the latter, which in fact was correct.             Grounds of Admergill Hall   Admergill Hall         Upon reaching the house we passed through its gate and along its drive, saying hello to one of its occupants. We then passed on to a tarmac drive and turned left and into the grounds of Admergill Hall. The grounds were very attractive. After passing the Hall we took a stile on our right into a field, where there was a good view of Blacko Tower on our right. We proceeded forward, still close to Admergill Water and passed what looked like a bog on our right with brightly coloured marsh plants. As the land on our right opened out we saw many small saplings planted on the hillside with protective strips wrapped around them, and then we saw why. We both jumped as a red deer bolted from the side of us. We hadn't seen it and it was the last thing we expected to see. It ran off into the distance but stopped as another couple with a dog where coming along our track from the opposite direction. The deer changed direction fast and ran back the way we had come but further up the hill on the far side of Admergill Water.             Red Deer bolting (the brown blur in centre of photo)   View near Blacko Tower         After crossing Admergill Water we walked steeply uphill to cross at a stile the Gisburn Road. On the far side of Gisburn Road we climbed at a tangent to the road along a narrow dirt track scaling the hill at an angle. We reached a stone wall and followed it left until reaching a tangle of metal gates, which we passed through and onto a drive. On the opposite side of the drive our path continued along a stone wall. We crossed a stile and walked along the edge of a field for some distance, passing over several wall stiles and crossing an attractive meadow of buttercups.             View to Blacko Tower from Gisburn Road   View back along Admergill Valley         We passed through a gate and took a wall stile to the next field and crossing a stone wall on our left we followed a difficult narrow path through grass. It was difficult because it sloped slightly and was uneven, so our steps had to be placed very carefully. The path continued for ages, passing several wooden stiles until eventually, merging at a stile with the Old Gisburn Road, which we followed left and downhill. We passed an attractive farm on our right, Star Hall, where the owner had landscaped the grass verge along the road, and then walked uphill until reaching Weets House Farm. We passed the farm house and our path turned off to the right over Weets Hill, which was open moorland.             View from Weets Hill   Barnoldswick from Weets Hill           We proceeded over a moorland track, following a stone wall, all the way into Barnoldswick, which came into view as we passed over the brow of the hill. It was a long walk down of several miles. We eventually crossed, at a stile by a gate, to a lane on our right, Folly Lane, and walked downhill. This took us, eventually, to Elm Close, where we had parked our car, and thus ended our first day's walk.         Introduction Day 2       Author - Roy McKee Copyright © Roy McKee 2006