Anyone mentioning the Lancashire countryside may immediately conjure up pictures of mill chimneys, cobbled streets and cloth caps!! However, there is a surprise in store for today's visitor - yes, Lancashire folk are proud of their heritage and associations with the textile industry, but even more proud of our breathtaking scenery which surrounds our towns.



The area has an abundance of excellent walking countryside, from short easy walks for the less able to circular walks covering over 40 miles of the area, taking in some of the prettiest villages en route - Barley, Newchurch, Downham, Foulridge, Roughlee, Wycoller and many others, indeed the village of Downham became famous in the original film starring Hayley Mills of 'Whistle Down The Wind' long before Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber staged the musical of the same name.

The BBC are currently filming future episodes of 'Born and Bred' in and around Downham and the Pendle countryside.

The Leeds/Liverpool Canal snakes its way through the valley alongside Colne, Foulridge and along to Salterforth, before reaching the Yorkshire border, providing beautiful scenic walks along the towpath. The countryside to the east of Colne takes the visitor to contrasting moorland scenery, offering excellent habitats for a variety of wildlife, including curlew, grouse, golden plover, lapwing, snipe, and kestrels and many more, along the hillsides towards Haworth and Bronte Country. The Wycoller Country Park offers an excellent venue to start your adventure, by leaving the car park you can walk into this peaceful hamlet, dating back beyond 1000 BC and walk up onto the moor to appreciate the stunning panorama, with majestic Pendle Hill in view across the horizon.



Travellers by car or bike can follow the Pendle Witches Trail and experience the variety and beauty of the Pendle countryside, whereas a picnic in the village of Barley will provide the more adventurous with a head start for the climb up the hill itself, the views from the summit are spectacular and well worth the climb.

Above all, this little-known corner of Lancashire has a wild beauty of its own, a land of refreshing contrasts and surprises waiting to be discovered, a land of mystery and drama, country inns, moorland walks, mill towns and hamlets, indeed something for everyone, where you can be assured of a warm Lancashire welcome!