A great hill to walk. (Pendle Hill)

Member Name: cae07985

Product:	Pendle Hill
Date:	14/06/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning views.

Disadvantages: Tough climb but very worth it.

I recently walked up Pendle Hill after the tales of mystery and witchcraft had grabbed my partners attention. As we enjoy a bit of a ramble every now and again we thought we'd head on over and take a walk.

I won't go into the history of Pendle and it's infamous hill as the other reviews have covered that better than I ever could, so I thought I'd just review the walk and the hill itself for any budding walkers out there.

We started out in a village called Barley which is virtually at the foot of the hill, and parked in the car park just over the bridge opposite the village hall.

Our journey took us past the two reservoirs near to Pendle Hill which meant we ascended via the less popular and thus less busy route, which is longer but the gradient is spread over a greater distance.

The weather was beautiful on that particular day, which made the ascent all the more gruelling - it's not the highest hill by any stretch, but it's still a slog getting to the top, which ever path you take!

Having said that, once we did reach the top of Pendle Hill, the views were stunning - infact the best views I've seen atop a hill since I went to Scotland.
With the sky being so clear, we could see for miles and just sat admiring the scene for about 20 minutes before making our way back down.

The descent took us on the more popular path, which is very steep but has a 'stone staircase' to lead you down. This part of the walk can put som estrain on your knees, so be prepared for it and take regular breaks if you need to - it's a busy path too so you'll have to dodge the other visitors who are using the path to go up.

The total walk was around 5 miles, but it did feel like more by the time we'd finished to be honest (having said that we were a bit out of practice with hill walks!). If you're a novice walker, this will be quite challenging I would have thought, but certainly worth a go, especially if you get a clear day to enjoy the views. Even if you don't, you can still enjoy the mystery and folk tales that surround the area.

The walk we followed is in the book 'walks in Lancashires Witch country' by Jack Keighley - well worth getting if you fancy walking the hill. Not only is the map easy to follow, but you also get some history of the area thrown in too!

Summary: Great day out.