THE FOREST OF BOWLAND
The Forest of Bowland (also known as the Bowland Fells) is a much ignored area of the country, a second cousin to the likes of the Lake Disrict, Yorkshire Dales or the Penines, but to me it is one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of the countrywith all ... Read review
Advantages: A peaceful, beautiful and interesting slice of England Disadvantages: None
== THE FOREST OF BOWLAND ==
The Forest of Bowland (also known as the Bowland Fells) is a much ignored area of the country, a second cousin to the likes of the Lake Disrict, Yorkshire Dales or the Penines, but to me it is one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of the countrywith all sorts of places of interest and beauty to see.
Situated mostly in the north-east of Lancashire, a small ... ...cats and game roamed the forest - now sheep, wild birds and game have taken over.
Many people mistakenly call the Forest of Bowland, the Trough of Bowland. While in fact the Trough is the narrow, steep sided valley that was formed as a glacial melt water channel at the end of the last ice age. An area of upland moor, dominated by sheep pasture - it runs through the Forest of Bowland.
The Forest of Bowland (also known as the Bowland Fells) is a much ignored area of the country, a second cousin to the likes of the Lake Disrict, Yorkshire Dales or the Penines, but to me it is one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of the countrywith all sorts of places of interest and beauty to see.
Situated mostly in the north-east of Lancashire, a small part lies in North Yorkshire. In 1964 the Forest of Bowland was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The word 'forest' is used here in its traditional sense of 'a royal hunting ground'. Much of the land is part of the Duchy of Lancaster so still belongs to the British Crown. In the past wild boar, deer, wolves, wild cats and game roamed the forest - now sheep, wild birds and game have taken over. Many people mistakenly call the Forest of Bowland, the Trough of Bowland. While in fact the Trough is the narrow, steep sided valley that was formed as a glacial melt water channel at the end of the last ice age. An area of upland moor, dominated by sheep pasture - it runs through the Forest of Bowland.
Here you will be able to enjoy some peaceful, walking, riding and cycling in the beautiful Northern countryside. The Forest of Bowland covers 312sq miles and includes the famous landmark - Pendle Hill; it is important to the ecology for its heather moorland, blanket bog and rare birds. This area is the most important site for breeding hen harriers in England, you can also see the peregrine falcon and Britain's smallest bird of prey - the merlin.
The population of this area is around 16,000 - most of whom in the historic villages, with the rest living in hamlets or isolated farms or houses in the open countryside. Some are estate villages where buildings are of a similar age and architecture, like at Downham, Slaidburn and Abbeystead.
The AONB is managed by a mixture of landowners, farmers, voluntary organisations, wildlife groups, recreation groups, local councils and government agencies.
At 557 metres, Pendle Hill is the dominating feature of the surrounding Forest of Bowland.
TRAVELLING IN THE FOREST OF BOWLAND
If you are not travelling by car there are several different methods you can use. Unfortunately - as part of the beauty of the Forest of Bowland is that it can be so remote and isolated, - it is not always served well by public transport.
*Bus Services*
Regular services are provided to the following areas: The B10 and B11 Bowland transit bus service links Clitheroe with the Hodder Valley villages of Newton, Slaidburn, Dunsop Bridge, and Whitewell. The linking B1 runs a shuttle service between Slaidburn and Settle. On Summer Sundays the Pendle Witch Hopper runs a circuit around Pendle Hill, and on weekdays it links Nelson with Clitheroe via Newchurch, Barley and Downham.
To the west of the AONB lies the market town of Garstang, easily reached by the half hourly bus 40 between Preston and Lancaster. There is also the Garstang Super 8 minibus to the village of Calder Vale.
In the Lune Valley, the Lune Villager (80/81) service provides local connections, seven days a week, running into the late evening, from Lancaster to Caton and Hornby, with some services going through to Wray and Wennington and a more limited service to Bentham and Ingleton in North Yorkshire. Then there are the more drastic forms of transport - the ones that allow you to soar over the villages, farmland, rivers and pastures below.
*Gliding*
Bowland Forest Gliding club is based at the foot of Parlick Fell near Chipping. For more information contact Bowland Forest Gliding Club on 01995 61267, or visit www.bfgc.co.uk
*Paragliding*
Bowland offers some of the best soaring sites in the country at Pendle Hill, Longridge Fell and Parklick. or more information visit the www.penninesoaringclub.org.uk
Or how about the ultimate in floating through the air---
*Hot Air Ballooning*
Float above the countryside at heights of between 500 and 5000 feet.
For more information contact the Pendle Balloon Company on 01254 247014, or visit www.pendleballoons.co.uk or Balloons over Lancashire on 01772 601525 www.balloonsoverlancashire.co.uk
Under your own steam, the Forest of Bowland offers some of the most beautiful and remote walking in the country or how about cycling ?
The Lancashire Cycleway - consists of a north and south circular route which meet at the historic town of Whalley, to the south-east of the Forest of Bowland. The route has been designed specifically to use minor roads, which have low levels of traffic but also to pass through areas of scenic beauty. The Cycleway is well signposted and is also accessible from many railway stations near to the route.
For more details visit the Cycle Bowland website (www.cyclebowland.com)
Finally, jump on a horse and take the North Lancashire Bridleway - a circular bridleway in Bowland , offering 47km of bridleway that cuts through the heart of the Forest of Bowland. Most of the accommodation available on the route is provided by working farms, with many offering livery for horses. The route travels from Halton on Lune near Lancaster before wending its way up the Roeburndale Valley over to Slaidburn and the Hodder Valley on the old Salter Fell Road, Dunsop Bridge and Whitewell and finally on to Chipping.
THE VILLAGES IN THE FOREST OF BOWLAND
Abbeystead in Over Wyresdale
The name means "The site of the Abbey" and relates to the short-lived presence of a house of Cistercian monks in the reign of Henry II. The traditional site of the monk's house is just below the junction of the Marshaw Wyre and the Tarnbrook Wyre, on the north side of the Reservoir. Abbeystead reservoir was built in 1855 by the Corporation of Lancaster to supply mills lower down the River Wyre in the dry season. The reservoir is no longer in service.
Barley
Barley, (it used to be known as Barleegh ) , is the most popular place from which to climb Pendle Hill. There is large car park, picnic site, information center, pub, café and busy village hall.
Bolton-by-Bowland
Bolton-by-Bowland is a little village, with two village greens. The smaller green contains the remains of a 13th Century stone cross and old stocks. The village was recorded as Bodeton in the Domesday Book, meaning bow in the river. There is a beautiful church that has a font dating from 1500, which bears the arms of the Pudsay, Percy, Tempest, Hammerton and other families. . Overlooking the River Ribble is Rainsber Scar, which is a beautiful spot - known locally as Pudsay's leap where William Pudsay is said to have made the leap on horseback when being chased by soldiers for illegally minting his own coins.
Calder Vale
Calder Vale is a small working village, when the mill is working you can still hear the clatter of the weaving looms . Calder Vale was founded by Quakers Jonathan & Richard Jackson when they realised that the site could be well served by water power
Caton and Brookhouse
Caton was first recorded in the Domesday book, the village is thought to stem from the name of Kati (Old Norse) or C(e)atta (Old English), probably the name of an early settler with local influence. The village grew to support several cotton mills following the industrial revolution, for example, Low Mill off Mill Lane. Nearby Brookhouse has a lovely church with a doorway dated to the twelfth century and a sixteenth century tower.
Chatburn
Chatburn takes its name from St Chad, an Anglo Saxon saint, it is built near to the foot of Pendle Hill and near to the river Ribble. The village has an industrial past, based on the railway (which links Clitheroe to Hellifield and is now only open on summer Sundays for DalesRail) and the Victoria Mill, and it is still an important location for quarrying and the production of Castle Cement.
Chipping
Chipping is a really pretty little village by the River Loud .It is a conservation area with stone-built cottages, 17th century school and almshouses donated by John Brabin, dyer and cloth merchant. Chipping has a cheese maker, a chair factory, and a craft centre and is also home to the oldest continuously trading shop housed within the village's old Post Office.
Downham
Downham is a stunning village under Pendle Hill with a gurgling brook running past the village green and stone-built cottages. The village was used as a location for the famous film 'Whistle Down the Wind' and more recently the BBC drama 'Born and Bred'. It also has associations with Old Mother Demdike and other infamous Lancashire witches.
Dunsop Bridge
Dunsop Bridge is one of our favourite places to visit in the summer months, it is the entrance to the Trough of Bowland. Many's the time we have taken a picnic and fought with the resident ducks who roam the grassy banks of the Hodder for our sandwiches. With a fishing net and bucket the children have had many happy hours there. At St Hubert's Church the painting of a horse on the ceiling above the altar is supposed to be of the 1861 Derby winner 'Kettledrum'. Owned by the Towneley family it is said that the church was paid for with the horse's winnings. Dusop's Bridge claim to fame is that it is the official center of the British Isles, the famous explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes unveiled the plaque that verifies this.
Eldroth & Lawkland
The little church at Eldroth was built around 1627 as a chapel and school house. It was still a school upto 1947 . Lawkland is made up of scattered farmhouses including the hall. This Elizabethan house dates from the reign of Henry VII .
Hornby
At one time the Lune Valley was the major route through to Scotland and Hornby was one of the main stops for coaches. The main street is lined by Georgian property; next to Lamb's garage is a Victorian drinking fountain where a crest shows a cat with a rat in its mouth. This is said to refer to Mr Pudsey Dawson, the one time owner of Hornby Castle, bringing in a large number of cats to clear the castle of a plague of rats in the middle of the 19th century - a Lancashire Pied Piper!!! From the bridge over the Wenning there's a fine view of Hornby Castle
Hurst Green
Hurst Green is in the heart of the Ribble Valley and said to be haunted by the Highwayman Ned King, who is thought to be the ghostly figure seen riding through the village late at night. Numerous reports of the hauntings have been made throughout the years. You can even walk in the footsteps of author J.R.R. Tolkien, who regularly stayed there, on the famous 'Tolkien Trail' which explores the richly beautiful surrounding countryside that inspired him. A number of names which occur in 'The Lord of the Rings' are similar to those found locally
Long Preston
Long Preston is a small village between Bowland and the Yorkshire Dales. It is well known for its village green and annual Maypole dance.
Newchurch-in-Pendle
Newchurch is on the southern slopes of Pendle Hill. The village is famous for St Mary's church and its curious 'eye of God' on the tower which watches over the village. The grave of the Nutter family can be found in the churchyard, and you can find out more about them and the other 'Pendle Witches' at the little shop 'Witches galore' with its coven figures outside.
Newton
Newton looks out over Waddington Fell and is where the Quaker, Richard Jackson, spent two years of his early life . The Friends Meeting House dates from 1767.
Roughlee
Roughlee is a small village of just 270 people. It is best known for its links to the Pendle Witches story, and its proximity to Pendle Hill. It also has an important place the history of non-conformist religion. John Wesley and his friend William Darney preached at Roughlee between 1747-57, they were stoned and chased away the first time. Originally they preached outdoors or in the cottages, but eventually a Wesleyan Chapel was built in Barley Green in 1837.
Sabden
Sabden was a farming valley from the 13th century onwards the farms prospered from the 19th century as they supplied milk, wool and meat to the nearby developing towns of East Lancashire. Sabden is known for the 'deerstones' a series of large millstone grit boulders supposedly showing the Devil's footprints from when he jumped from Hambledon Hill to Pendle, carrying an apron full of stones - hence 'Apronful Hill' near to the Nick of Pendle!
Sawley
Sawley village grew up around the ruined Sawley Abbey, on the banks of the river Ribble. its name means to 'the damp spot where the willows grow'. The Abbey was founded by William Percy II in 1147, after he was given the land by William the Conqueror. After Henry VIII's orders to close the monasteries the stone from the abbey was taken to build the village and now only part of the church and fragments of the cloisters remain.
Scorton
Scorton village in the parish of Nether Wyresdale, along the road from Garstang, developed around the cotton mill and railway in the nineteenth century. Today the village is a popular destination for walkers and cyclists .
Slaidburn
Slaidburn is another favourite haunts of ours set on the banks of the river Hodder in the moorland region of the Forest of Bowland . The church of St. Andrew is mostly fifteenth century but has a history that can be traced back over ten centuries. It is another spot that is ideal for a riverside picnic.
Tosside, Stocks and Gisburn Forest
Tosside stands, literally, on the Lancashire and North Yorkshire border, with half the village being in a different county from the rest. Gisburn Forest, which is nearby, is the largest forest and has lots of walks and cycle and bridleway routes. The Forest encircles Stocks Reservoir. When Dalehead valley was flooded the old village of Stocks-in-Bowland was covered in water. Only the village chapel was re built and can now be seen at the roadside .
Waddington
This is a lovely village that has been voted 'Best Kept Village in Lancashire' on many occasions, before 1974 it was often the best kept in Yorkshire too! The village gets its name from Wadda, an Anglo Saxon chief who was implicated in the murder of Ethelred the Northumbrian King. Waddow Hall was originally a Tudor house built by the Tempest family, it now houses the Girl Guide Association and acts as an activity centre.
Wennington
Wennington Hall in the village is originally from the 14th century, todays hall, now used as a school, is a Victorian reconstruction.
Wigglesworth
Wigglesworth lies just outside the boundary of the AONB.The name of the village is believed to have originated in Saxon times: from 'wicel' being the name of a person, or 'wincel' meaning 'of the child' forming the first part, with the last part 'worth' deriving from the Anglo-Saxon word 'wory', pronounced 'worth'.
Wray
At one time Wray was a local textile centre with silk mills, tanners and coopers, clog and basket makers. There is now a lovely mix of 17th century yeoman's houses with cottages and alleys dating from the 18th century. For a week around the May Bank holiday and find the village holds the annual scarecrow festival, which is well worth a visit.
THE PENDLE WITCHES
As I have mentioned the Pendle Witches a lot in this review i thought that I had better write a little about them.
Every year tens of thousands of people visit Pendle to take in the story of the Pendle Witches, the most famous witches in the land.
Over four hundred years since the imprisonment, trial and deaths of the Pendle Witches people are as fascinated as ever and some people even stay on the summit of Pendle Hill overnight just to take in the atmosphere.
In Lancashire, the 'Witches' included two families led by two very poor old women, Demdike and Chattox. In March 1612 when old Demdike's granddaughter Alizon Device was begging on the road to Colne and cursed a pedlar who wouldn't give her anything. When he later had a stroke, she was brought before the local magistrates when she confessed to being a witch and implicated others in the witchcraft.
In April, Old Demdike, Chattox and Chattox's daughter Anne Redfearn were questioned about their alleged witchcraft. All four of the accused were sent to Lancaster Gaol until trial.
An old woman in bad health, Old Demdike died in gaol during the summer while waiting for the trial which took place in August.
Alice Nutter, Katherine Hewitt, John Bulcock, Jane Bulcock, and Isobel Robey were all tried and found guilty of the preliminary charges. They were all sentenced to be hanged.
On August 20th, they were hanged at Lancaster gaol.
Pendle Witches, their trial and their mystery have survived through the centuries and there is still a lot of interest today.
There is a Witch Trail that leads from Lancaster Castle (which was their gaol) through the Forest of Bowland to Pendle Hill.
Pendle Heritage Centre in Barrowford at the heart of Bowland is a popular visitors attraction.
It is near to Pendle Water and situated in a set of Listed Grade II farm buildings and a walled garden, the perfect base from which to explore the Pendle area - by foot or by car. century.
IN CONCLUSION
If you fancy the sound of this hidden gem of England why not give it a visit?
I'll now let you into a little secret ( don't tell anyone!!) The Queen has a weekend retreat in the Forest of Bowland and has even suggested she'd like to retire to the Ribble Valley. So - if it's good enough for the Queen - why not give it a try?
There are lots of cultural and historical areas waiting for you in and around the Forest of Bowland, not forgetting the fabulous scenery along the way. I hope you find the perfect ingredients for a lovely break or visit there.
*Summary: The Forest of Bowland - England's secret little gem*
