The Pendle Way is a Recreational Path in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

which encircles the borough of

Pendle Pendle may refer to: * Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England ** Pendle (UK Parliament constituency) * Pendle Hill in Lancashire, England ** Forest of Pendle, hilly landscape surrounding the hill * Pendle College of the University of Lancaster * ...

. It was officially opened in 1987.Paul Hannon. Walking Country: Pendle Way. Hillside Publications (Preston) 1997, 2006. The circuit is 45 miles (72 km), and according to the

Long Distance Walkers Association The Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) is a British not for profit, volunteer-led association whose aim is "to further the common interests of those who enjoy long distance walking". The LDWA is an association of people with the common inte ...

involves 1839 m (6033 ft) ascent reaching 557 m (1,827 ft) maximum height. Its attractions include historical associations with the seventeenth century

Pendle Witches 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 in Lancashire, and were charged w ...

, connections with the Brontës, stonebuilt villages in the traditional style of East

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

and the South

, relics of the

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

and

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

mining industry, and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

meadows and millstone grit moorland culminating in the ascent of

Pendle Hill Pendle Hill is in the east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Brierfield, Clitheroe and Padiham. Its summit is above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill in the Pe ...

Route

The walk was assembled by designating sections of pre-existing

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

as the Recreational Path. Since it is a circular walk, the path may be started at any point. However, conventionally, the route proceeds clockwise and starts

Barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

or at the

Pendle Heritage Centre Pendle Heritage Centre is a museum and visitor centre in Barrowford, Lancashire, England, dedicated to the history and heritage of Pendle. The heritage centre occupies Park Hill, a two-storey former farmhouse which has a 1661 date stone but was de ...

Barrowford Barrowford () is a large village and civil parish in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England. It is situated to the north of Nelson on the other side of the M65 motorway, and forms part of the Nelson conurbation. It also comprises the area of ...

, culminating in the ascent of Pendle Hill. From Barrowford it follows riverside and moorland paths for 7 miles (11 km) to reach

Barnoldswick Barnoldswick (pronounced ) is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle, Lancashire, England. It is within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, Barnoldswick and the surrounding areas of West Craven have been a ...

. From Barnoldswick 5.5 miles (9 km) partly alongside the

Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...

the path proceeds via

Thornton-in-Craven Thornton-in-Craven is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is approx from the border with Lancashire and north of Earby. Barnoldswick is nearby. The Pennine Way passes through the village, as doe ...

Earby Earby is a town and civil parish within the Borough of Pendle, Lancashire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, Earby has been administered by Lancashire County Council since 1974 and regularly cele ...

. From Earby the path proceeds 7 miles (11 km) via

Kelbrook Kelbrook is a village in the civil parish of Kelbrook and Sough, Borough of Pendle, in Lancashire, England. It lies on the A56 road between Colne and Earby. Historically a part of the now divided old parish of Thornton-in-Craven in the West Ridi ...

Laneshawbridge Laneshawbridge (otherwise Laneshaw Bridge) is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in England. The population of the civil parish at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 918. It is to the east of Colne in Lancashire and ...

. From Laneshawbridge the path proceeds 6.5 miles (10.5 km) via

Wycoller Wycoller is a village in the civil parish of Trawden Forest in Pendle, Lancashire, England. It is east of Colne, near to the junction of the Lancashire, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire borders. The village may date back to the 10th century ...

and along an old packhorse route over the moors above

Trawden Trawden is a village in the Trawden Forest parish of Pendle, at the foot of Boulsworth Hill, in Lancashire, England. The village co-operatively owns and runs its library, shop, community centre and pub. Activities As a way of encouraging peop ...

to the Coldwell Inn. From there the path proceeds 4.5 miles (7.2 km) through farmland to Reedley and then 6 miles (9.5 km) via Higham to Newchurch. The next section of 5 miles (8 km) includes the ascent of

and descent to

followed by 3.5 miles (5.5 km) back to Barrowford.

Walking the Pendle Way

Guides to the route typically divide the walk into 4-8 sections, although as a challenge it can be walked in a single day. Since there are many points at which the path crosses the routes of buses serving

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

Colne Colne () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. Located northeast of Nelson, north-east of Burnley, east of Preston and west of Leeds. The town should not be confused with the unrelated Colne Val ...

bus stations, consecutive sections of the walk can easily by accessed by public transport. There are cafes or

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

serving food on most sections of the path. In addition to a guidebook, and the section guides issued by the borough of

, the walk is mapped in the

Ordnance Survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

1:25000 map of the South Pennines.Ordnance Survey Series OS Explorer Map South Pennines (Burnley, Hebden Bridge, Keighley & Todmorden) Sheet number OL21 Scale 1:25 000 Published 04/05/2011 The route is

waymark Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail. A blaz ...

ed with wooden chevrons bearing a distinctive logo of a black silhouette of a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

(with a pointy hat and riding a broomstick) on a yellow background, and by carved stones on

References

{{Commons category-inline, Pendle Way Long-distance footpaths in England Footpaths in Lancashire

Route

Walking the Pendle Way

See also

References