Pendle Hill - Monday 14 October 2024
Route
Thorney Holme - Slacks Wood - Narrowgates - Barley - Ings End - Brown House - Pendle House - Beacon or Big End (Pendle Hill Summit) - Boar Clough - Upper Ogden Reservoir - Lower Ogden Reservoir - Barley Green - Narrowgates - Slacks Wood - Thorney Holme
Parking
We started the walk from our B&B in Thorney Holme however the route normally begins in the village of Barley. The Main Car Park is situated on The Avenue and the Grid Reference is SD 82320 40295. The nearest postcode is BB12 9JT.
Mileage
7.6 miles
Terrain
Good mountain paths, field paths and tracks throughout. There is some road walking from the reservoirs back to Barley however the traffic was very minimal.
Weather
A beautiful sunny Autumn day
Time Taken
4hrs 25mins
Total Ascent
1433ft (437m)
Map
OL 41 Forest of Bowland & Ribblesdale
Walkers
Dave & Angie
Thorney Holme - Slacks Wood - Narrowgates - Barley - Ings End - Brown House - Pendle House - Beacon or Big End (Pendle Hill Summit) - Boar Clough - Upper Ogden Reservoir - Lower Ogden Reservoir - Barley Green - Narrowgates - Slacks Wood - Thorney Holme
Parking
We started the walk from our B&B in Thorney Holme however the route normally begins in the village of Barley. The Main Car Park is situated on The Avenue and the Grid Reference is SD 82320 40295. The nearest postcode is BB12 9JT.
Mileage
7.6 miles
Terrain
Good mountain paths, field paths and tracks throughout. There is some road walking from the reservoirs back to Barley however the traffic was very minimal.
Weather
A beautiful sunny Autumn day
Time Taken
4hrs 25mins
Total Ascent
1433ft (437m)
Map
OL 41 Forest of Bowland & Ribblesdale
Walkers
Dave & Angie
GPX File
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Route Map
We started today's walk from our accommodation at Thorneyholme. The farm is in a small village not far from the usual Pendle Hill start point at Barley. We have been meaning to climb Pendle Hill for quite a while and certainly picked a perfect day for it.
Our B&B at Thorneyholme. The property has two B&B rooms and Janet the owner cooks a mean Full English.
To the right of the B&B entrance we joined a path heading north west to Slacks Wood
Thorneyholme B&B
Reaching the bridge over Pendle Water (Click Play to view)
Crossing the bridge over Pendle Water - we would be turning left here. The buildings to the left are White Hough.
Pendle Water from the bridge
Looking back to the bridge at White Hough
The route continues along a lovely tree lined access track between White Hough & Narrowgates Mill near Barley Green
Passing the stone commemorative tablet at the site of the three village celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Continuing on towards Narrowgates Mill - this was a lovely section of the walk especially on a day like today
When we crossed the bridge earlier at White Hough we joined the Lancashire Witches Walk. This is a National Trail and was created to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the trials of the Pendle Witches (more about them later). The route is 51 miles long and starts at the Pendle Heritage Centre at Barrowford and finishes at Lancaster Castle.
Passing through Narrowgates Cottages. The two rows of properties were originally Weavers' Cottages which were restored in the 1970s and are all now private houses.
The Chimney at Narrowgates Mill
The cotton twist mill at Narrowgates was built by William Hartley in around 1799 to spin cotton warp thread. All that remains at Narrowgates is this isolated chimney which belonged to the water powered mill which unfortunately burnt down in 1867. The mill was rebuilt as a 3 storey building by Thomas and John Moorby. In 1948 there was another bad fire which temporarily closed the mill, but when the mill eventually ceased production in 1967 the oldest parts of it were demolished and the remainder converted into a private house.
The cotton twist mill at Narrowgates was built by William Hartley in around 1799 to spin cotton warp thread. All that remains at Narrowgates is this isolated chimney which belonged to the water powered mill which unfortunately burnt down in 1867. The mill was rebuilt as a 3 storey building by Thomas and John Moorby. In 1948 there was another bad fire which temporarily closed the mill, but when the mill eventually ceased production in 1967 the oldest parts of it were demolished and the remainder converted into a private house.
Exiting Narrowgates the route heads along Barley Road towards the village. At this point we could smell cake!
In the corner of the Village Car Park is a delightful little cafe called The Cabin. It was only 1110 and as we had already scoffed a sumptuous Breakfast at the B&B we partook of some light refreshment.
Cake scoffed it was time to move on and make our way to Pendle Hill
Passing one of the village pubs, The Pendle Inn
For those unfamiliar with this area, it is famous for its association with witches as depicted here at one of the village pubs.
The trials of the Pendle Witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. The twelve accused lived in the area surrounding Pendle Hill and were charged with the murders of ten people by the use of witchcraft. All but two were tried at Lancaster Assizes on 18–19 August 1612, along with the Samlesbury witches and others, in a series of trials that have become known as the Lancashire Witch Trials. One was tried at York Assizes on 27 July 1612, and another died in prison. Of the eleven who went to trial (nine women and two men), ten were found guilty and executed by hanging; one was found not guilty.
An excellent article depicting the background to the story and subsequent trials can be found here
The trials of the Pendle Witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. The twelve accused lived in the area surrounding Pendle Hill and were charged with the murders of ten people by the use of witchcraft. All but two were tried at Lancaster Assizes on 18–19 August 1612, along with the Samlesbury witches and others, in a series of trials that have become known as the Lancashire Witch Trials. One was tried at York Assizes on 27 July 1612, and another died in prison. Of the eleven who went to trial (nine women and two men), ten were found guilty and executed by hanging; one was found not guilty.
An excellent article depicting the background to the story and subsequent trials can be found here
Barley War Memorial
Heading along The Bullion, the route passes The Barley Mow pub
Leaving The Bullion a track to the left heads gently uphill alongside a leat
Witches aplenty as we head to Pendle Hill
A serious point and very well made
The path passes to the left of Higher Grange Glamping site which looked as though it was pretty well near completion. They are now open and having done a bit of research the prices are pretty competitive. Not dog friendly though therefore we shall not be darkening their door I'm afraid.
Pendle Hill now in view as we cross the footbridge near Ings End
Approaching Ings End complete with faded "Footpath" sign on the road
The Croft Tea Garden at Ings End - sadly we caught it on a day that it was closed
Thanks very much although to be fair the route is never in doubt
From Ings End the route continues gently uphill along a cobbled path
Approaching Pendle House with the sloping path up to Pendle Hill now in view
From cobbles to flat slabs as we near Pendle House
Looking to the southern edge of Pendle Hill - this would be our route of ascent
To be honest we were undecided as to what would be our route of ascent until we reached this point - the route to the left was much quieter therefore that would be the one
Our route to reach the summit ridge can be seen sloping from right to left
The path reaches a gate at Grid Reference SD 80881 41355 and this is where the routes split
Looking back to Pendle House from our ascent - the bodies of water in the distance are Upper & Lower Black Moss Reservoirs
The path widens and the gradient eases as the top of the ridge is reached
Up on the ridge leading to Pendle Hill's summit which can just about be seen in the distance. The chap on the right is a paraglider who was just putting his gear away.
Looking back along the summit ridge as we near the top of Pendle Hill
Approaching the summit of Pendle Hill
The Trig Point that marks the summit of Pendle Hill
With Angie on the summit of Pendle Hill
The view from the summit of Pendle Hill (Click Play to view)
The summit of Pendle Hill - the small marker to the left points the way to Ogden Clough. We would be returning the way we came back along the ridge and taking the path down through Boar Clough. However if you wanted to make this a longer walk then take the Ogden Clough path which meets the Boar Clough path west of the Upper Ogden Reservoir.
Heading back along the summit ridge - this really was a beautiful day to do this walk
Looking down to the Lower Ogden Reservoir from the summit ridge
At Grid Reference SD 79946 40204 the path splits to head down Boar Clough
Looking back up Boar Clough - the two walkers up to the left are on the upper path
Passing a rather ornate waymark as we continue through Boar Clough
Exiting Boar Clough the route heads above Ogden Clough towards the reservoirs
The Upper Ogden Reservoir
The Ogden Reservoirs (Upper & Lower) were constructed in the early 20th Century (1906 & 1914) and provide water to the nearby town of Nelson
The Ogden Reservoirs (Upper & Lower) were constructed in the early 20th Century (1906 & 1914) and provide water to the nearby town of Nelson
Above the Upper Ogden Reservoir is a memorial bench inscribed "Ali". This was placed here by the family of hillwalker and webmaster, Ali Watson. He died in August 2015 at the age of 49.
The Upper Ogden Reservoir now in full view
The dam wall of the Upper Ogden Reservoir
Just after passing the dam wall the route joins the reservoir access track
Beautiful autumn colours as we stroll down the track towards the lower reservoir
Continuing along the track, the Lower Ogden Reservoir comes into view
The dam wall of the Lower Ogden Reservoir. The structure jutting out from the wall is what is known as a "Draw Off Tower" which houses the machinery used to control the movement of water both in and out of the reservoir.
Looking down Lower Ogden Reservoir
To access the dam wall a small bridge over a leat is crossed
The Draw Off Tower on Lower Ogden Reservoir looking to Pendle Hill
The former Nelson Waterworks Building which was built in 1930 and is now private apartments
The former gates to Nelson Waterworks as we enter Barley Green
Back at the Village Car Park we resisted the urge to visit the cafe once more
Passing through Narrowgates once more
The cobbled street and former weavers cottages of Narrowgates
Arriving back at Thorney Holme after a really lovely walk