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National Trail Guides UK
NATIONAL TRAIL GUIDES UK
Contents :: PENDLE WAY :: Day 5
THE PENDLE WAY IS A WONDERFULLY BEAUTIFUL TRAIL OF HISTORY
Day 5 :: Wet and Misty :: Newchurch to Barrowford :: 8.5 miles
Looking back over Newchurch presented an attractive village scene and set the mood for the beginning of the walk. With already elated feelings there was a sense of wonderment as we started off in this land that was so rife with tales and mysteries of the last several centuries. We walked across a grassy field, our new walking clothes being tested for the first time for rain proofing. Within the first few minutes we knew our fell boots were not waterproof, but this did not bother us.
Walking on we crested the hill and crossed to a wall, which we walked along until reaching a large depression in the grass, above which was a stile in the wall leading to a field of rough pasture beyond. In the distance stands of conifers making up Fell Wood, fading in the mist, could just be seen. Our path lay to the side of this small wood and we set off for it, walking along the field perimeter until reaching the very edge of Fell Wood, where there was a wooden step stile leading along its easterly edge, which we then followed. We could see ahead of us the distant hulk of Pendle Hill, rising into the mist, and further over the two Black Moss Reservoirs.
We followed the fence along the wood until half way down a wooden stile through a gap in the wall led us into the well-spaced wood. Here the air was damp and cloying and there was a vibrant hush blanketing us from the world outside. The path was wide but was made up of hard, jagged stones. We found it easier to walk along the side of the path where the leaf litter made walking very soft and springy. The trees were well spaced and allowed light to enter. It was quiet and still in the wood, and allowed for a sense of excitement and wonder at what secrets it held.
After a short while we emerged from the wood to a terrific view over Ogden Clough, and our path down to and out of the valley. There was a good view, particularly, of Lower Ogden Reservoir. We walked down the winding path, between wet, clinging, dense vegetation, and wound our way to a footbridge over the clough, past a stone memorial bench on the opposite side, over the overspill channels and through a gate onto a lane.
We turned left along the quiet lane and walked uphill, making friends with a small spaniel taking its owners out for a walk. We walked along the puddled lane across a cattle grid and alongside Buttock Plantation until reaching a fork in the lane. We took the left hand fork and made our way to the Upper Ogden Reservoir.
At the reservoir we walked uphill and kept to the right side of the boundary fence as we climbed steeply, leveling out to take a path running parallel to its length. Looking back over its icy grey waters reflecting the misty skies we noted the contrast with the greens of the moors and conifers at each side. The ornate parapets of the boundary wall gave a military type appearance to the reservoir. Our path continued in a westerly direction as it continued to follow the Ogden Clough and we were now looking for a track on our right alongside Boar Clough which should intersect our path at any time. We were to follow this to a point near the summit of Pendle Hill.
We passed a stile near a clough and a narrow, rough track going uphill in the right direction, but there were no signs and the path we were on continued ahead, so we continued ahead, expecting that such an important turn would certainly be signposted. We walked on further than we should and saw a marker post part way up the hill. We decided that we must head to it, whether or not there was a sign on our path as the map clearly indicated such a manoeuvre.
We struck out, steeply uphill and realised very shortly that we had done the right thing, as the marker post did indeed bear a Pendle Way sign. Why there was not one below I cannot imagine. We continued to climb, intersecting with the first path that we had seen leading uphill. Boar Clough was on our right, and I was certain we were following the correct route.
As the pelting rain eased off skylarks would suddenly ascend and deliver their harmonic singing. As soon as the rain re-commenced the skylarks would cease.
We were walking on a soft peaty path, with a smattering of stone, and ferns surrounded our path. It was now raining, sometimes heavily and sometimes lightly, and our new waterproof clothing was letting in water already. The map was quickly turning to mache and I tried to walk with it tucked into my sleeve. We could see a much deeper mist ahead of us and knew that we would shortly be walking in it. The map was very sparse on details but we knew that the summit of Pendle Hill lay directly to our north and that we should be following Boar Clough and then veering to our right where we would then walk along a ridge with a steep drop on our right.
Eventually we reached the head of Boar Clough and followed a series of cairns that took us towards the right and along the ridge. As the mist thickened we wondered from time to time if we were still on the right track as there were many paths off, and no Pendle Way signs, but as the drop over the ridge was fairly evident we were sure that we would eventually reach the triangulation point at the summit, which would confirm our location on the map.
Notwithstanding the thickening mist the cairns were still fairly easy to see and we kept on for some time following the cairns. At one point sheep near the summit appeared like cairns and we were more than once mistaken in believing they were cairns.
We were greatly relieved to eventually arrive at the triangulation point, as this confirmed our location on the map and also meant that we had now completed the most difficult part of our route finding for today. The way down from here was fairly easy, as we had only to follow a stepped track down.
However, our map now was worse than useless, being completely waterlogged, as the rain had hardly let up for the last hour or so. Each time I took it out it either tore or the pages stuck.
It was a short walk from the triangulation point to the wall, having maintained the same north direction. We followed the wall downhill, to our right, for about 50 metres and there saw an obvious stepped path leading almost back the way we had come, but steeply downhill.
At first the path was very steep, very wet and very slippy, and there was quite a steep drop on our left. However, it soon became easier to manage and the rapidly fading mist gave us improving confidence in our route finding. At the end of the track was a gate, which we passed through and turned right, to walk diagonally across a field in front of Pendle House Farm. Finding a stile just after the farm we proceeded downhill to a gate and stile to the next field and then walked downhill along a grassy track over the field for some way. The grassy track changed to a muddy track that started to weave around small contours and eventually came out at Brown House. We passed through the farm and followed the path down, through walls and hedgerows.
As we headed towards Ings End Farm the track became more interesting, the scenery at each side changing many times, from open fields to enclosed track, sometimes with a small stream on our right. At the end of the track we took a wooden gate stile that led to a similar path, through more hilly terrain, but still keeping company with the stream.
The track became cobbled and housing appeared on our right and then our left. Ings End Farm was wonderfully landscaped with wonderful flower and shrub displays. Seeing such wonderful gardens after the rain and mist was inspiring and we wondered if the owner knew how much pleasure it provided to others.
We left ings End at a stile on our right, and over a wooden footbridge and then walked along the edge of a field, heading towards rooftops that could be seen over the brow. We came to a track, which later became cobbled and then tarmac. As we entered the village of Barley the stream that had come from Ings Head had merged with the outflow from the Black Moss Reservoirs and was adorned on each side by cultivated garden flowers. We came out onto the main street in Barley near to a church and walked to our left, passing the Barley Mow, a pub. We took a path through a park that led to the car park at the Barley Information Centre, and from there we accessed a good graveled track with a spacious supply of green vegetation before the tree line of Stacks Wood on each side.
The track merged with a lane leading in the same direction and alongside White Hough Water, which with all the rain was quite a raging torrent. Its gurgling sound was a most welcome companion as we walked. Several times we heard cuckoos around the area.
We soon passed a large building that looked like a block of flats, probably converted from an old mill judging by the large chimney stack further back in the premises. The lane then changed to a cobbled road with rows of well kept and beautifully adorned cottages (with flowering plants and ivies) on each side. This was the hamlet of Narrowgates. I can only imagine what Narrowgates would look like in sunshine, but in dreary, overcast, rain filled skies in looked splenderous.
The cobbled road turned to a graveled track, laden with puddles and led beside a hedgerow on our right and a field on our left with trees above. The hedgerow gave way to a grass verge with White Hough Water running beside it. The houses of Whitehough appeared on our left. Where a sign pointed to Whitehough Education Centre we turned off to the left to walk uphill between the houses. There were no Pendle Way signs until reaching the top of the road, and we where somewhat confused for many minutes.
At the top of the road we turned right and continued walking up the lane until reaching a single story red brick building, to the side of which was a Pendle Way sign leading us through Whitehough Plantation, immediately below the education centre, which we could see from our path. As we proceeded through the wood the path took a soft route through the fallen leaf litter and the wood became more fairytale like. We crossed 3 streams over small bridges and then reached a stile. There were 2 black horses and a black pony in the field beyond, gambolling around. On the stile was a notice offering an alternative permissive route around the field for those afraid of horses.
Having braved many bulls and cows that had freshly calved we decided horses were no threat and so continued into the field, following its left border around the tree line to the top of the field at Intake Farm.
A stile led us to the left of Intake Farm, along the edge of a fence and woodland, uphill, to another stile that took us to the right, again following the woodland perimeter through a field of long wet grass and buttercups. Walking through this thoroughly saturated us. At the end of the field a gate stile took us around the back of the farm onto a narrow track and then to the farm lane. We turned left along this and shortly turned off it, at a left hand bend, to follow a lane to our right leading to Hollin Top Farm. The lane overlooked the Sabden Valley, which we could see quite clearly without interruption.
A gate on our right took us to the most overgrown footpath I have ever experienced and as there were no Pendle Way signs we seriously doubted this was the correct route. However, there seemed no alternative so we took it. We walked waist deep in nettles and other wayside plants, the nettles managing to sting us through our waterproofs. We went steeply downhill, and we imagined that we were the only persons brave enough to walk this part of the Pendle Way this year. We passed to a stile, bearing a pendle Way sign, and into a field beyond with a horse. This took us to the left of Croft House, where we passed through another gate stile and into the field beyond and from thence to a wooden footbridge across one of the feed streams to Pendle Water.
We walked straight across the field to a gap stile in the wall below and then straight across the next field to the bottom where there was a gate leading to a narrow field of sheep and lambs. As we walked straight across the field the lambs ran to us. We continued to the end and passed through another gate onto a lane near to Roughlee Hall.
On the other side of the stepping stones the path wound uphill, to cross a pipeline over a metal gantry and we then headed steeply uphill to a false summit and again uphill (a large hill). Looking back from the top of the hill afforded us a good view over the Sabden Valley and Pendle Hill beyond, swathed in mist. From the top of the hill we followed the field boundary on our right, downhill to West Pasture Farm. Immediately before the barn below the field was a stile that led alongside the barn to another stile and then to a muddy field that had been well trodden by cattle. We continued straight along a field and crossed a stream over a wooden footbridge.
On the far side of the footbridge we turned left and walked along the edge of a short field to a stile and then emerged on a country lane and turned right. We followed this downhill for quite a while until reaching a road that took us into the bustling life of Barrowford. By the time we reached the Pendle Heritage Centre, the cafe inside was closed and we were deprived of vittles. We retrieved our car, in the knowledge that we had completed the Pendle Way, and returned to our cottage to eat.
