~A Walk from Home~
27th August 2011
How far can you walk from home and continue to enjoy yourself in the process? This week in the Daily Mail there was a letter from a local man extolling the virtues of living in Burnley. It may have raised a few eyebrows, but he was right in many respects, there's much in our favour and we are very well placed for those who enjoy the great outdoors.
The Shuttle in Nelson
Scroll down for photos and a description of the walk....
Pendle Hill from The Fields
Just behind our house is the borough boundary and I'm now in the borough of Pendle, looking towards our local fell. I have no clear plan other to find a route through Nelson and get something to eat somewhere. Departure time is 11:10hrs, just after a heavy shower.
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Dull Skies over Blackburn |
Marsden Height Trig Column |
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Golfers |
Walverden Reservoir |
First Views
I packed a waterproof jacket, expecting more in the way of showers. We have a local trig point, it is neglected and unloved, it stands at 886ft above sea level, or thereabouts. Nelson Golfers take on the weather and before long I'm aiming for Walverden Reservoir, which sits at the easterly end of Nelson.
Heron
Anglers in The Rain
More folk braving the weather. I am sheltering under a big tree and putting the jacket on for the second time since leaving home.
Scholefield Mill, Nelson
I could not find the name of this mill, but Neil (comment, below) came up with it, or certainly close. Research leads me to the name above, slightly unusual spelling. It appears to be occupied as a document storage facility for the public sector. It's built to the classic late-Victorian "Northern Light" design. The only name anywhere was "Capita" and the whole place is well protected by fences and wire.
Brunswick Street, Nelson
Why Nelson on a Saturday walk? Well, poor weather usually means little or no driving. Also Nelson has been in the news recently and I wanted to review two stories that made it into the local papers.
The Shuttle at Nelson
Urban art or a waste of money? Nelson has little to offer as a shopper's destination. Even Tesco have closed their store and left town.
Holts Shoes
The other story is not unrelated. Holts Shoes are closing, they will retain shops in other Lancashire towns. This street, Scotland Road was once a vibrant shopping area, not long now before the remaining premises will be "cheap shops", charity shops, betting shops and closed shops. Nelson turned visitors away with a dreadful traffic plan, they are now trying to reopen pedestrianised areas. It's too late.
Barrowford
My walk went down Scotland Road and over the M65 to Barrowford. Booths Supermarkets are coming to Barrowford and this little town has few of the problems of neighbouring Nelson, it doesn't take a genius to work it all out.
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Parkview Cafe |
The Weir, Barrowford |
Lunch was taken at the Parkview Cafe and then the walk continued along the road, passing the wier. The flowers are out ready for Barrowford Show on Sunday 28th August, that should guarantee a downpour! I've decided to walk on as far as Barley - all these places have public transport options back to home.
Barleydale Road, Barrowford
No further rainfall expected and it's quite warm. This view looks back towards Barrowford.
Water Meetings
Water from Pendle (left) meets water from Blacko and Higherford (right). My route involves crossing the beck and heading up the bank on the left of the photo. This is one of three different routes I've used to walk from Barrowford to Barley.
Brown Hill
Now I'm out of the urban environment and firmly in the rural scenery of Pendle and its satellites, Brown Hill is nearest the camera.
Pendle Hill
Mr.Couch's letter to the Daily Mail mentioned our proximity to the Dales and the Lakes, but either he or the editor failed to mention the specific attraction of Pendle Hill and the broad radius of attractive countryside all around the fell.
Pendle Water
After dropping down to the river, it was forward to find Heys Lane - an old bridleway from Roughlee to Barley.
Pendle Hill from Heys Lane
Barley
Arriving in Barley at 15:30 ish, it occured to me that there was plenty of time for a sneaky wander up Pendle Hill. On the basis that I nearly always go up th'ill in the evenings and hardly ever on a Saturday, nobody would expect to see me up there just now.
The Road
For a change and for the sake of ease, I walked up the road from Barley and then found a new footpath (to me) to cut off a corner and find the approach road to the Pendle steps.
Pendle Hill
Familiar territory, this is part of my "short" route up Pendle from the roadside.
Black Moss Reservoirs
It was a tough pull up the steps after quite a long walk from home.
Busy Pendle Summit
The View
A reverse of the first photo of the day. It has taken just over five hours to get from home to here.
Pendle Summit
A popular and much loved trig point. Can you think of anywhere else, so easily accessible with such extensive and varied views all around?
Chez Nous
I've put an arrow roughly where I started the walk from.
Pendle Descent
On the descent route, you can see the rockfall on the eastern slope.
Pendle House and Black Moss Reservoirs
The Fields Back to Barley
Walkers: Just me.
Time taken: 6hrs over a distance of about 13 miles. Including cafe time.
Route: Home, Marsden Height, Walverden Reservoir, Nelson, Barrowford, Barleydale, Water Meetings, Pasture Lane, Thorney Holme, Heys Lane, Barley, The Road, Pendle Hill - up the steps, across the top, down the track, across the fields down to Barley. Son, Gary picked me up from Barley.
Weather and conditions: Starting showery, giving way to sunny intervals and quite warm.
Greetings Count: First walking greetings were beyond Barrowford near Water Meetings and then there were plenty of "hello's" on the way to Barley and a good number of cheery folk on Pendle Hill.
Richard's Refreshment Review: Parview Cafe, Barrowford. Compact little cafe with excellent food! Especially if all-day-breakfasts are your thing. Seating for limited numbers and a takeaway service.
Where do you walk to when you leave your front door? Question does not apply to residents of The Lake District National Park!
All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2011 ©
Take me back to the start ....