Laneshawbridge

On top of the world

A well deserved pint or two

Half a dozen alighted in Laneshawbridge for the second part of the Pendle Way with swift progress made to picturesque Wycoller . Again the weather gods were kind ; in fact perfect walking conditions – dry , mostly sunny , clear & warm enough for Ron to give his shorts an outing . Good underfoot conditions meant we were ahead of the recce times throughout , with Coldwell Reservoirs soon passed & the first stop taken in a copse near Southfield Methodist Chapel , where John Wesley preached & which from the outside could be easily confused with a barn .

Nelson golf course , on what appeared to be Ladies Day , was safely negotiated without anyone being hit by a stray ball , with a brief stretch of suburban walking preceding an enjoyable open stretch along the deteriorating banks of the river Calder , before heading across a field of lambs to reach the second stop on a bench in Higham .

Enjoying the sunshine & fine views we pressed on to reach Newchurch in Pendle , rekindling memories of the Red Rose 100 . Onwards & upwards we pressed on to pass Ogden Res & the final major climb of the day to reach the top of Pendle Hill . Again the views were decent & everyone was in good form , as we kept going & pressed on to the final stop at Barley : such was the rapid progress we even arrived before the kiosk shut at 315 meaning some had time for a quick cuppa !

The final stretch took us by an outdoor centre then up to West Pasture for a close encounter with a digger ripping up the hedgerow , before reaching Pendle Heritage Centre said to be the start/finish point of the Pendle Way . Local resident Peter left us to go home & change , whilst the remainder pressed on to complete the circuit & head back via a local nature reserve to the cars in Colne .

In total we had covered 27.5 miles with 3860 feet of ascent / 4015 feet of descent in 8 hrs 35 mins with three refreshment stops .

And what better way to finish an excellent walk than in the nearby Wetherspoons where Peter rejoined us ; the curry & Saltaire's Triple Chocoholic were in particularly good form .

Thanks to Ron , Andrew , Norman , Dave & Peter for turning out .

Ian