One of the great things about working a split shift is the fact that I have a good chunk of spare time going free during the day. If I can drag myself away from my latest streaming addictions on Netflix etc, there’s certainly the opportunity to do something more constructive. 😁
Pendle Steps.
Although I have made it up to the summit of Pendle Hill before, I’ve never done it the short sharp shock way. The Pendle Steps are steep stone steps that cut a quickish route up to the trigg point. I say quickish, because my sister who dragged me along was very kind and let us stop frequently to admire the view. 😃
We parked roadside near Pendle House Farm so we needn’t walk up from the car park in the village. It was then a short hike along a farm track to the start of the steps. Lapwings were busy twirling and tumbling from the sky, real aerial acrobats.
Information board at the beginning of the steps. Unfortunately 😕 not open. Love the name though. Sis at the kissing gate at the start of the steps.
Of course Pendle Hill is steeped in history which you do get a sense of whilst walking in the area. George Fox founded the Quaker movement after having an inspirational spiritual experience here in 1652 and previous to that, the infamous Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 are still ingrained in our lands myth and legend.
Looking back down the steps. A man and his doggo heading upwards. And look, we made it to the Summit, 557 metres.Witchy Pendle Way sign.We saw lots of Green Hairstreak butterfly in the bilberry.
There was definitely a sense of achievement after having conquered The Pendle Steps. And a sense of relief!
Breakfast & Bluebells.
The other half has changed jobs and shift patterns, so it means he gets some time off during the week too. One morning we decided to try out breakfast at a newish cafe in the nearby village of Whalley. Holdens & Co are an ice cream parlour, kitchen and deli situated in the village centre. We opted for The Breakfast Sharing Board which is laden with toast, croissants, pain au chocolate and fruit loaf. Quite the carbs overload, and probably big enough for 3 to 4 people to dive into actually. Hugo the labrador was only too happy to help! Holdens is clean and bright, I loved that we grabbed a window facing table perfect for people watching and dogs are made welcome in the cafe.
Holdens & Co.
Just outside Whalley is Spring Wood & Picnic Site , a semi ancient woodland which is a lovely spot for shady walks, especially when the weather is getting hotter. Bluebells and Ramsons ( Wild Garlic) put on an impressive display here in late April & May. Below are a few photos I captured on our walk.
I’m pleased to have seen the bluebells as they will soon be finished for the year.
My hometown is Clitheroe, a bustling settlement nestling at the foot of Pendle Hill in Lancashire. You may have heard of Pendle, the hill and the whole area is famed for its legendary association with witches.
It was in 1612 that twelve people from the Pendle area were put on trial for witchcraft . Lancashire in those days was mired in superstition. Seen as a remote and heathern backwater , accusations of sorcery were rife. Several of the accused ‘witches’ were made to walk the 40 miles from Barrowford to Lancaster Castle , where they were imprisoned underground , awaiting their fate.
The trouble started when one Alizon Device was accused by a pedlar of putting a curse on him, causing the man to become crippled on the spot. Under questioning the young girl confessed to being a witch and members of her family too.
Alizon’s family were headed by her 80 year old Grandmother Elizabeth Southernes, known as Demdike. These simple folk were dirt poor and made their living begging, often cursing those who wouldn’t entertain them. Demdike in particular had the appearance of an old hag, and had begun to believe in her own witchy powers, especially as people were prone to dying after her hexes. Of course in the seventeenth century illness and death were coincidentally common.
Witches in Chains at Pendle Sculpture Trail, Barley.
As more of the family were implicated in witchy goings on, another local family become embroiled in the accusations. Also headed by an elderly matriarch , known as Chattox , she and her relatives made a living from begging as well. Demdike and Chattox did not get on and both accused each other of and admited to being witches.
With their loved ones incarcerated, a gathering was then held at Malkin Tower. Possibly hoping to find a way to prove the prisoners innocence, things would only go from bad to worse for the ‘ witches ‘ remaining family members, friends and allies. When word got around about the meeting at Malkin Tower, chief prosecutor and magistrate Roger Nowell rounded up the attendees. For surely it had been a devious covern, plotting their kins escape.
The Pendle Witch Trail covers the route the accused walked from Pendle to Lancaster.
It was on the evidence of a nine year old Star Witness that dammed yet more suspected witches. Jennet Device , the younger sister of Alizon and grandaughter of Demdike spoke out against her own mother and brother. She also confirmed the attendance of and gave evidence against several of the folk allegedly seen by her at Malkin Tower. These included landowner Alice Nutter, the only one of the accused who wasn’t of low birth. It seems that although Alice denied being there, she didnt offer up where she was at the time. Some say that Alice may have in fact been with Catholic friends. Being Catholic in protestant ruled England in 1612 was highly dangerous and Alice would not have wanted to implicate them.
So it was that of the 12 people accused of witchcraft, 10 were hanged from the gallows on moorland just above Lancaster. Demdike had already died in prison, and one lucky person, Alice Grey, was actually found innocent. All of the accused were not allowed any defence council, many were put to death on the hearsay of a nine year old child and two families were almost completely wiped out.
Statue of suspected ‘ witch ‘ Alice Nutter in her home village of Roughlee, Pendle. Photo via Pinterest.
Here is a list of the 10 people who were hung as witches in Lancaster.
Anne Whittle ( “Chattox”)
Ann Redfearn
Elizabeth Device
Alice Nutter
Alizon Device
James Device
Katherine Hewitt
Jane Bulcock
John Bulcock
Isobel Robey
Isobel Robeys Tercet Wayarker at Clitheroe Castle. Isobels only crimes seemed to be cursing people who didn’t buy the milk she was selling and being disliked by her accuser, her God daughters husband.
The Pendle Witches live on today in the hearts and in the imaginations of many Lancashire people and visitors to the county. There is a 52 mile walking trail that follows in the prisoners footsteps from Barrowford to Lancaster , complete with 10 Tercet waymarkers, one for each of the 10 lives taken.
Witches on a walk in Pendle ~ photo Sarah Pinnington.
Visitors to Pendle can also discover the Pendle Sculpture Trail in Aitken Wood near Barley or buy spooky gifts from Witches Galore in the village of Newchurch. Clitheroe too has a new shop devoted to all things Wiccan, The Cackling Witch is located on Castle Gate.
Witches Galore.
Whether the Pendle Witches were indeed Witches or simply innocent victims of another era, there is no doubt that the scattered villages and wild countryside here hold a quiet air of mystery. And sometimes Pendle Hill itself has been known to cast a spell. After a heavy snowfall melts away, what remains in the ditches and gullys , could be seen to resemble……a Witch on a broomstick.
The Pendle Snow Witch on the Clitheroe side of Pendle Hill ~ image via Pinterest.
My sister, niece and nephew and I ( and Hugo, of course) had planned to do the Walking With Witches Trail , a 4 mile loop starting at Barley Car Park. The pretty villages of Barley, Newchurch and Roughlee lie in the shadow of Pendle Hill. The area is famed for its spooky associations with The Pendle Witches , a group of individuals who in the 1600s were sentenced to death for witchcraft. Of course the day we set off on our witchy wander it was chucking it down with rain and the foreboding bulk of Pendle Hill was enveloped in mist.
We only managed to follow the trail from Barley to nearby Newchurch over boggy fields, before calling it a day and turning back. I didn’t take many photos, but still thought I would share with you what we did see between showers. The scarlet and yellow waxy cap mushrooms we spied along the way are a fairly good indicator of ancient meadowlands.
Newchurch is named after its ‘ new church’ of St Mary’s consecrated in 1554. The west side of the churches tower is unusual for its Eye Of God. Can you see it? Maybe the eye was there to watch over the locals, more likely it was used as a window by the bell-ringers, so they could view approaching service goers. Whichever, it is a little bit spooky on a grey Lancashire day.
St Mary’s Church with its Eye Of God.
Leaning head stones in the churchyard.
To the right of the churches porch is a Nutter family grave, inscribed with a skull and crossbones, athough it is unlikely that Alice Nutter herself was buried here. Alice Nutter was a land owning gentlewoman from nearby Roughlee. She had been involved in a boundary dispute with her neighbor , local magistrate Christopher Nowell. Maybe the dispute was easily solved when Alice herself was conveniently found to be one of the 12 people in the area sentenced to death for witchcraft.
Nutter family grave.
It is unlikely Alice was buried here as ‘ witches’ were not buried in consecrated ground.
Although the superstitious times of the 17th century are thankfully over, there is a little shop in Newchurch that sells all things witchy, so we couldn’t resist a mooch…and shelter from the rain.
Snap of Witches Galore from their website.
Inside Witches Galore there is certainly plenty to look at. My sister purchased a painted Pendle witch pebble and as for myself? An ornamental toadstool. 🙂
Witches above.
Witches all around.
If only we could have used Pendle Transport ( broomsticks!) for our journey back to the car. We settled on walking to Barley along the road instead of through the muddy fields. Another time we will do the whole Walking With Witches Trail. There is so much more to explore!
Pendle Sculpture Trail in Aitken Wood near Barley is a great little walk that is brimming with eye catching sculptures. I’ve blogged about this trail before here , and it’s now somewhere we love to bring Hugo. Over time some of the sculptures have naturally eroded but a few more have recently been added too. We visited on a foggy Monday morning, driving through the village of Downham and over a misty Pendle Hill.
Witches on the trail.
There is ample parking in the car park in Barley ( £1 charge) which has a cafe & information centre. No maps featuring the new art installations were available on our visit ,but hopefully this will be remedied soon. To access the Sculpture Trail we made our way through the village , passing the Pendle Inn on our left and then Barley Garage, before following the signs up past two reservoirs and on to Aitken Wood.
Another witch on the garage.
A collie keeps a watchful eye on us.
The original Sculptures are very much inspired by the tale of the Pendle Witches. In the 1600s nine local women and one man were accused of witchcraft and tried and hung in Lancaster, as part of the Lancashire Witch trials. Of course they were no doubt innocent victims of the superstitious times they lived in. Other sculptures are inspired by the natural world and there are yet more, with a hint of the supernatural about them.
Could this be a fir cone?
Bracket Fungi , maybe.
Mischievous boggart.
Bat.
Any eye-deas?
Witch Finder General.
The fog really adds to the atmosphere of the walk don’t you think? At one point I heard some bizarre sounds, that Wil and Hugo seemed completely oblivious to. Some very strange clickings & chattering’s from deep in the woods. Maybe I was letting the surroundings get to me, but I didn’t investigate further. Wil said I had probably heard a toad. Hmmmmm!
Into the woods.
I was definitely starting to believe I was in a Grimm’s Fairy tale by this point. More and more supernatural beings were emerging from the fog.
There were years written on the circular flags. Possibly denoting the time passed since the Witch trials.
Black Dog.
Dryad ( tree nymph).
Unicorn.
Also dotted around the woods are several ceramic plaques, one for each of the accused witches.
Ceramic sheep skull plaque.
Tiny fairy on woodpecker.
Loved this one of the Pendle Witches.
One of a flock of male and female Crossbills.
As we were leaving Aitken Wood I heard a lot of activity in some conifer trees. Looking up, I saw a flock of crossbills , my first ever. A magic moment indeed.
Are there any interesting sculpture trails near you?
Its a Christmassy Sunday Sevens this week. If only I had some snow to show you, but its been sadly lacking in Clitheroe. And the snow I did see, whilst travelling with my friend Fi over Pendle Hill last weekend, was beautiful if a smidge scary. I did not want to insist that we stop her little smart car for photographic opportunitys, when we were running late for a Willow Angel weaving morning with ‘ The Willow Witch of Pendle.’ Luckily The Willow Witch was lovely about our lateness and a very patient teacher. Can you believe these Angels were constructed out of 16 bendy willow rods. Quite impressive!
There were 5 of us who took the class and we all came away with an Angel. Some more angelic than others! I love how Louise has wrapped fairylights round the wings of hers. 🙂
After braving a snowy Pendle Hill back , Clitheroe was a bit of a non event snow wise..
Last Sunday I went to Skipton with some friends as there was a Christmas market on. Check out the festive Stilt Walkers! And Christmas is not Christmas without an Afternoon Tea. 🙂 My lovely friend Gill had booked us into Alexander’s
, a gorgeous piano bar and restaurant on the main street. It even has a pop up Alpine Den ( very Hygge) throughout December. I want to go back! My Goddaughter Mady brought her 2 little ones ,and we can definitely say Alexander’s is very family friendly too.
The Christmas Tree is up at last! As you can see its laden with an eclectic mish mash of decorations and baubles. Over the years I have collected and been gifted various bits and pieces. I am one of those people who find myself buying decs for the tree even in the middle of Summer. I once found a Christmas shop in Sorrento, Italy , in the middle of July…..and a cherry red ‘ Bon Natalie’ bell, has graced our tree every Christmas since. 🌲
The living room is all properly decorated now , thanks to my wonderful other half. 🙂 He has proved himself brilliant at wallpapering, painting, laying the floor and tiling the hearth. I treated myself to a textured black & white cushion from Rafffia in Clitheroe, to celebrate.
All that hard work deserves a couple of drinks down the pub. 🔥🍻
Thanks to Natalie at Threads And Bobbins for organizing Sunday Sevens.
At the weekend we went for a drive over to the Pendleside village of Barley , so of course I took my trusty camera with me. Its been a while since I have documented the various flora and fauna I have seen. So heres a few pics from our walk. 🙂
Gorgeous blue scabious.
Grasses.
Meadow vetchling.
Rosebay willowherb.
Blackberries.
Pendle Hill reflected in the reservoir.
Possibly a Tufted duck in the reservoir.
Rosehips with some sort of fuzzy growth.
Brown Ringlet Butterfly.
Foxglove in Aitken Wood.
Heather.
A garden escape. But I will include it , it’s a Rose of Sharon. 🙂
Water Mint.
Meadow Sweet.
Scabious are so beautiful.
Pendle through the rushes.
On the way home we stopped off in Downham for an Icecream. 🙂
If you’re ever in the Pendle area the Pendle Sculpture trail is a fun thing to do. My post about it is here. 🙂
The Pendleside village of Barley and the surrounding area are fast becoming a favorite haunt of mine. Back in october we walked the Pendle Sculpture Trail with some friends. Since then we have returned a couple of times with our labrador pup Hugo. On Sunday the sun shone so we headed over the hill and I snapped a couple of photos. Unfortunately Pendle itself was shrouded in mist. A spooky reminder of the areas witchy connections.
Mist over Pendle.
A friendly little robin.
Batty for bats.
Sun rays.
Witchy tile.
Broomsticks.
Rosehips in February!
I think Wil might have swapped me for this lovely lady!
Snowdrops in Barley.
I’m sure we will be returning again as there are still a few sculptures we keep missing out on. And the Barley Mow pub in the village has just reopened. Both Inns there do food and are dog friendly. So where better to go for a walk and a bite to eat!
Although I live a stones throw from Pendle Hill ( I can see its gently brooding slopes from the bedroom window), it is not often that we have travelled to the other side of Pendle and explored the countryside there. Such an occasion though came up on Sunday afternoon.The weather was glorious, both sunny and warm, quite rare for an Octobers day. We arranged to meet my sister and her family and some friends in the pretty little village of Barley which nestles at the foot of the hill. Having done some research online , I had come across various information about ‘The Pendle Sculpture Trail’ in Aitken Wood. In the process I found a lovely new blog to follow ( Home Jules) and this is Julie’s great post about the trail and surrounding area here…
pendle Hill from Black Moss reservoirs.
Having parked in Barley car park ( £1 charge for the day), we headed out of the village towards Black Moss Reservoirs and followed the track up to Aitken Wood. The trail is signposted so was no problem to find.Leaflets and maps are available from the Cabin Cafe, next to the car park.
Walking to Aitken Wood.
The Sculptures take their inspiration from the areas wildlife and nature as well as various events that are associated with Pendle Hill. It is from the top of Pendle that in 1652, George Fox had a religious vision which led him to found the Quaker movement. And Pendle also has connections with witchcraft. Over 400 years ago nine innocent residents of nearby villages were hanged in Lancaster, after Britain’s biggest witchcraft trial. The sculpture trail celebrates the area’s beauty and reflects on those times past.
Broomsticks. 🙂
Witchfinder Sculpture.
Beautiful moss.
Upside down Bat.
Curving tree sculpture.
Toadstools ( real ones.)
I especially liked the ceramic plaques by artist Sarah McDade ,which were dotted around the forest. There are nine to find and each one represents one of the ‘witches’ who went on trial.
The sheep’s skull representing John Bulcock, who was said to have roasted stolen mutton at a meeting to plot the release of four witches taken to Lancaster Castle Gaol.
The Hare plaque represents James Device who apparently saw a strange Hare like creature after eating communion bread.
Anne Redferne was accused of making a clay doll , to put a spell on a local man.
We had such a lot of fun doing the Pendle Sculpture Trail, although we somehow managed to miss out on spotting a few of the sculptures. Thats ok though as we intend to go again. 🙂
Four kids, two Bedlington terriers and a few of the grown ups. 🙂
When we got back to the village , the kids had a play on the swings and then we stopped for a pint at The Pendle Inn which is dog friendly and has a decent looking menu and a selection of real ales.
Heading back with views of pendle.
Friendly cat in the village.
Pendle Inn Pub sign.
For those of you who are interested , nearby Newchurch ( 1 mile from Barley) has a witchy shop and cafe called ‘Witches Galore’ , with a scary looking witch stood outside. I made Wil take me for a nosy before we met the others. 🙂
I’m so glad we found a new area to walk in. I think its somewhere we will take a certain ‘Mr Hugo’ when he is old enough. 🙂
sunshine and celandines 