Barrowford to Barley walk

The walk starts in the car park of the Pendle Heritage Centre in Barrowford. Leave the car park at the furthest point from the road through a gap leading to the river. Follow the footpath along the bank of Pendle Water, with the stream on your left, to reach the road bridge, Higherford Bridge in 300 yards. Turn left to go over the bridge, and then turn right immediately to leave the road to walk along the opposite bank. The footpath keeps close to the river bank, with Pendle Water now on your right and is signposted as the Pendle Way, the long distance footpath promoted by Pendle Borough Council to follow the borough boundary.

In a little over half a mile, the Pendle Way crosses the river. At this point leave it by turning left and immediately right to follow a footpath, which keeps on the west bank. The footpath slowly ascends the valley slope. After crossing two stiles, shortly after the second, pass through a gap in the wall on your right by a gate.

Continue in the same direction but you are now on the other side of the wall with extensive views in front up the valley to Pendle Hill. Cross over another stile, and shortly a point is reached where the section of the Pendle Way between Barrowford and Roughlee crosses our footpath. Turn right here on the Pendle Way and descend (look for the yellow sign as you come down the field to give you your direction) to cross Pendle Water by stepping-stones to reach the metalled road.

Turn left on the metalled road to walk through Roughlee Village, noting Roughlee Hall at the end of Old Hall Close on your right. Built by Miles Nutter in 1536 Roughlee Hall was the home of Alice Nutter, who was arrested and hanged for witchcraft in 1612 on Lancaster Moor. Continue ahead until you pass the school a little way out of the other end of the village and after crossing Pendle Water by the road bridge turn right immediately through a gate to keep in the valley bottom by the river.

The footpath continues up the valley with Pendle Water on your right to reach the bridge carrying the approach road signposted to the outdoor pursuits centre at Whitehough. Turn right, crossing the river by this road and then turn left with the road to continue up the valley with the river on your left. The Pendle Way has been rejoined for the last time. Follow the riverside path until the car park in Barley is reached. Leave the car park by the footway next to the motorists’ entrance and turn right to quickly reach the cross roads at the southern end of the village.

The return route starts by turning left at the cross roads along the road signposted to Newchurch and Burnley. As the road ascends and bends to the right at the de-restricted sign, there is an enclosed unmade road in front of a few cottages on the left. Take this route, which ascends the valley side. It ultimately begins to descend. Ignoring a stile on your right continue until you reach a cottage. When you reach it, turn right over a stile by its upper corner.

Head for Lower Croft House Farm and take the small gate in the fence. Go round the back of the farm and turning left at the end of the building walk onto the farm approach road, which is now ahead of you. Follow this past the first field boundary on your right and then look for a stile on your right which you climb over into the field. Now keep the field boundary on your right until you come to a farm track where you should turn left to pass in front of the Clarion Tea Rooms, walk on until you join the highway.

Cross over the road and climb a stile directly ahead, keep the field boundary close on your left. Climb over the next stile and then the one immediately to your left to reach a footbridge, which you go over to gain a kissing gate a little higher on the other side. Walk across the field (there might be some temporary fences and stiles) aiming for the field gate at the right hand end of the house in the lee of the hill with the flagpole. There is a stepped gap by the right hand side of the gate, which you should go through.

Ahead, the path ascends steps, follow the steps and through the gate to more steps and continue round the back of the house reaching another gate before you shortly meet a metalled driveway. Continue up hill on this and follow it round until you meet the junction with the highway. Turn left along this road to reach the café and ice cream parlour at Noggarth Cottage on the right where the road bends acute left.

Leave the road here on the bend where there are two stiles. Climb over the right hand of these which is a step stile and descend across the field keeping the built up area of Nelson directly in front, diverging a little away from the field boundary on your right. Aim roughly for the mill chimney across the valley. Go through the kissing gate in the wall ahead and then through the one to the right of the pylon. Walk straight ahead and go over a double stile.

In a short while you should begin to see the tower of Barrowford Church ahead, which could be mistaken as belonging to a fire station. The path emerges on the old main road on the edge of Barrowford. Turn left on this main road passing the afore mentioned church to emerge at the centre of Barrowford on the main Nelson – Settle Road. Turn left along this road and in a further quarter of a mile you will reach the road junction by the Pendle Heritage Centre. You can also reach the Heritage Centre and car park by crossing over and going through Barrowford Park.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/

Tourist guide to Barrowford

Anyone who believes the village of Barrowford is a case of "industrial sprawl" is making a serious mistake.

Those who do not stop and look round do not know what they are missing. Set just off Junction 13 of the M65, it has some wonderful and historic buildings, one of the most attractive packhorse bridges in England and the haunt of Thimblethung Thistlethwaite!

Set back from the main road and now known as the Lamb Working Men's Club is a building dating to 1696. Around the mullioned windows are carved faces which are ugly enough to serve their intended use, which was to scare off witches. The Lamb has a typical Lancashire "tongue-in-cheek" tale to tell.

On May Day during Victorian times The Lamb was the starting point for a walk up and over Pendle organised by a man known as American Tom, who wished to celebrate a return to his native haunts after a spell in the States.

His followers first had to eat a pudding made from nettles, eggs, dripping and meat but nobody was allowed to drink alcohol until they had recited the following rhyme without any hesitation: "Thimblethung Thistlethwaite who thinking to thrive through thick and thin, though throwing three thimbles hither and thither was thwarted and thwacked by thirty three thousands thick thorns."

You really would have to be sober to cope with that.

Following American Tom's route along the Gisburn road and then upstream along the banks of Pendle Water and then turning left at the modern bridge at Higherford, you reach what has been called the Roman Bridge. Actually this span is of medieval origin and possibly dates to the 14th century. It has been restored recently and during the 18th century was a vital crossing point.

Stand on the Packhorse Bridge and think back to 1744 when the span was a vital crossing point. John Wesley stood on the bridge and preached to a hostile crowd.

There is nothing hostile about Barrowford today. It is one of Lancashire's hidden gems. Barrowford was an important textile centre, with mills powered by water. Before this, handloom weavers beavered away and some of their cottages are thankfully still a feature of the present village.

All this history is graphically explained at the Pendle Heritage Centre, which also has a shop and a super little cafe which is open throughout the year. From the 15th century, Park Hill, now the Heritage Centre was owned by the Bannister family, one of whom achieved worldwide fame in recent years.

Roger Bannister, the first four-minute mile runner, can trace his ancestry back to Barrowford.

The present building dates to 17th century and at the rear is an attractive walled garden growing organic fruit and vegetables plus an assortment of medicinal herbs. Also on site is a 15th century cruck barn which was brought to this site from a derelict farm in the Cliviger area.

On a wall of the Heritage Centre look out for "Pigeon Holes" which are just what the name implies. In the days before deep freezers there was always a shortage of fresh meat. Because pigeons breed all the year round there was always a supply of young birds which were (and still are) called squabs.

Across the bridge from the Heritage Centre is a beautifully restored toll house, which dates to 1803. Toll houses were built to a shape which enabled the keeper to see vehicles travelling along roads leading in several directions. This ensured that nobody could pass along the road without paying the required fee.

Barrowford has no shortage of old buildings and one of the finest is the White Bear pub. This dates to 1607 when it was the home of the Hargreaves family.

At that time the modern road obviously did not exist and the extensive grounds went down to Pendle Water and across this to what is now an excellent little park.

Source: http://www.burnleycitizen.co.uk