Welcome back to Lancashire for this walk which is a couple of short train journeys away from my hometown of Clitheroe. We don’t use the train often enough and hope to remedy that when finding future hikes. This walk is featured in the Guide To Lancashire Pub Walks by Nick Burton, a handy little pocket size publication. We did a few of the walks mentioned during the first lockdowns , when the pubs weren’t even open. Happily not so the case now. 🙂
Anyway we caught a train from Clitheroe to Blackburn and then went on to the village of Pleasington from there. The whole journey took about 40 minutes including connection time. The walk took us up The Yellow Hills to see The Wainwright Memorial and then through woodland and Witton Park. Refreshments at The Railway Hotel in the village , at the end.
After walking through some woodland we ascended the gentle slopes of the Yellow Hills to come across the Wainwright Memorial , a fitting tribute to the Blackburn born Fell Walker, writer and illustrator Alfred Wainwright. As a young man Alfred would walk in these hills above Blackburn. On a clear day he would be able to glimpse upon the fells of the Lake District, they would eventually entice him to Cumbria where he recorded his hikes in his famous Pictorial Guides.
We walked on to Witton Park, following woodland paths downwards through Billinge Wood and Crow Wood. The Crow Sculpture I had hoped to see didn’t appear to be there ( unless we somehow missed it !) , though there was an information board near where I thought it should have been. And there were plenty of real crows, magpies and other wildlife in the woods.
Witton Park is vast, covering 480 acres. It is Criss crossed by various walking trails and has a visitor centre. We will have to return oneday as we didn’t come across the centre and only saw a small part of the grounds on our walk. After crossing Butler’s Bridge it was a short meander up past the Priory and back into Pleasington.
Map ~ OS Explorer 287 West Pennine Moors.
Book ~ Guide To Lancashire Pub Walks by Nick Burton.
Distance ~ 4 Miles/ 6.4km.
I am jealous that you have a dog that is sufficiently calm and well behaved that you can consider taking him on public transport because it is lovely to weave the train journey into the whole experience. We would like to catch the train to Dover and then walk back along the cliffs but it is not possible to do that with our dog but yet it also seems a shame to do it without her.
Aw, could you try it? Is it because she is so excitable or is she scared of trains? X
This looks like another lovely walk, it always amazes me how there is always something interesting or fascinated to be found on a walk in this country … wherever you go 😀
Absolutely! It’s amazing to think that Alfred Wainwright was born and raised in industrial Blackburn, escaping into the surrounding countryside in his days off work.
This is wonderful. I miss the pub walks from our time in England. Happy weekend 💐🙋♂️
Thank you Ashley. ❤️
A nice little walk by the looks.
Yeh it was nice to catch the train for a walk too. 🙂
Never knew there was a priory in Pleasington.
Apropos my last comment re Dogs — I love that cat.
The cat had a very friendly face. 🙂
I think the priory is a Roman Catholic church.
Pleasington is such a charming name. Hopefully the village doesn’t have any cantankerous inhabitants!
Haha, I don’t know. I am sure they try to live up to the villages name. X
I’m so glad you are getting out and enjoying all these walks xx
Hopefully out tomorrow whilst at the caravan. Xx
Whenever I go to Windermere in the Lakes I go up the easily accessible Orrest Head, where Wainwright got the walking bug. And what a lovely name Pleasington is! When I was in Orkney I did what a lot of immature visitors do, had a photograph taken of myself stood by the road sigh for, ahem, Twatt.
Haha, I think I would do that too. 🙂
When I read the title of your post I assumed “Pleasington” was a Miranda Hart invention…such an unusual name. Looks like an attractive place.
Haha, yes I can imagine Miranda using it in her shows. 😁
According to my mum years ago I have several distant relatives buried in Pleasington cemetery but I can’t remember who they were. I haven’t been to Witton Park since 2009 – I used to go regularly to see the exhibits of live harvest mice in the old stone building but the last time I went the exhibits were closed and never re-opened 😦 I love the cat, he looks like quite a plump puss 🙂
Never heard of the live harvest mice exhibits. Sounds inventive. Maybe the plump puss knows something…….x
Another lovely walk. I passed through Pleasington station when visiting a friend who used to live in Burnley. I always thought it was a nice place name and can see from your post that it deserves it.