Towns & Villages

Rural delight doesn’t come much better than in the beautiful village of Barley. A honey pot for visitors, it’s the launch point for climbing the iconic Pendle Hill or exploring the Pendle Sculpture Trail. Round off a day’s walking at one of the village’s welcoming pubs or eateries.

Barnoldswick, or “Barlick” as locals call it, has a large concentration of independent shops and has won a Best British High Street Award. Barlick is proud of it’s manufacturing traditions. Bancroft Mill, which is on the Stream and Steam Trail, is one of the finest mill museums around and the town boasts some huge names such as Rolls Royce and Hope Technology. Just on the edge of the town is one of the best family attractions around – Thornton Hall Farm. There’s also a fantastic range of events throughout the year, including Barlick Beach.

Barrowford is full of chic designer shops, spa and beauty parlours as well as specialist food and drink stores. All this is just seconds away from the relaxation of Barrowford park. Close by is Pendle Heritage Centre and Higherford Mill, which houses many artists studios.

A regular winner of Lancashire’s Best Kept Village title, Blacko is a cluster of pretty stone cottages strung along the old turnpike road, watched over by the curious folly of Stansfield’s Tower. Built in 1890 by a local grocer who hoped to gaze across Ribblesdale, the tower famously fell short, its view blocked by the bulk of Pendle Hill. Often called the gateway to the Dales, the village makes a fine spot to pause and take in the scenery.

A classic Lancashire mill town, Brierfield grew up around cotton and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal that still winds quietly through its heart. There’s a strong Quaker heritage here too, recalled in the name of Quaker Bridge over Pendle Water. With open countryside and the slopes of Pendle Hill close at hand, the town is an easy starting point for a day in the hills.

Bursting with new, trendy independent businesses the town has been dubbed “Lancashire’s Capital of Cool” by Lancashire Life Magazine. The town boasts many great venues, including Colne Muni. The town features not one, but three theatres, including Colne Muni, Colne Little Theatre and Pendle Hippodrome. Colne has lots to do! Pendle Beer Festival. Colne Gala, The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival, and Colne Grand Prix Cycle Race, and many more events, all take place in this lively town. It is also undergoing a further renaissance with a new market hall soon to be built.

Though firmly in Lancashire today, Earby has never quite let go of its old Yorkshire roots, and the locals still take pride in them. Once a centre for lead mining and cotton, the town keeps that heritage alive at its handsome old Grammar School. It’s a friendly, down-to-earth place with the Pennine moors rising invitingly all around.

Set among rolling countryside, Foulridge offers visitors a genuine taste of rural Lancashire. It’s another of the trio that make up the much-loved Three Villages Walk.

This picturesque settlement rounds off the Three Villages Walk, rewarding walkers with peaceful scenery and the charm of village life off the beaten track.

Visit the town of Nelson with its very own 12m weaving shuttle, a fascinating centrepiece created by local artist, Dave Palmer. Shop in Nelson’s traditional indoor market and a variety of welcoming shops, enjoy a relaxing spa treatment at the Inside Spa or if you’re looking for something more lively take your family to Wavelengths, with its pool, wave machine, and waterslide. Neighbouring Brierfield has a fascinating Heritage Trail, as well as an outstanding mill, now called Northlight, which has been developed for housing, business, leisure and tourism. The town is undergoing a renaissance with major re-developments, including a brand new shopping centre.

Tucked away in the Pendle countryside, Roughlee is steeped in history as the home of Alice Nutter, one of the most famous of the Pendle Witches. Scenic walks wind through and around the village, with plenty of spots to stop for a bite or a drink along the way.

A pretty village on the edge of the countryside, Trawden makes an ideal starting point for a day’s exploring. It’s one of the settlements featured in the popular Three Villages Walk.

Home to a beautiful country park, Wycoller was a favourite haunt of the Brontë sisters, whose stories drew inspiration from its gorgeous scenery and from local tales of Squire Cunliffe and his family, who resided at Wycoller Hall. It’s a real escape into the country and well worth lingering over.

Fence, or “Fence-in-Pendle” as it is properly known, is a village steeped in witch trial history — it was home to Anne Whittle, better known as Old Chattox, one of the most notorious of the Pendle Witches. The very name of the village dates back to the time of William the Conqueror, referring to the fenced enclosures where stags were kept after hunting in Pendle Forest. Look out for Ashlar House, built in 1594, where several of the accused witches were first interrogated before being sent to Lancaster for trial. The village also claims a remarkable son in Sir Jonas Moore, the 17th-century mathematician who was the driving force behind founding the Royal Observatory at Greenwich — giving rise to Greenwich Mean Time. With fine walking country stretching north towards Pendle Hill, and a village art gallery showcasing local artist Keith Melling’s paintings, Fence is a rewarding stop for any visitor.

Few places sit closer to the heart of the Pendle Witches story than Newchurch, a village that has changed little over the centuries. Look up at the tower of St Mary’s Church to find the curious “Eye of God”, set into the stone to ward off witches and evil spirits. The much-loved Witches Galore shop, with its figures standing guard outside, keeps the legend alive for the many walkers who pass through.

Tucked into the hollow below Newchurch, Spenbrook is a tiny hamlet of stone houses gathered around the old Victorian mill that once turned out cotton and, later, carpets. Set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and linked to its neighbour by a wooded footpath through Sparable Wood, it’s a quiet corner that rewards those who seek it out.

For those drawn to the darker side of Pendle’s past, Sabden Fold lies deep in witch country. The lane climbing towards Newchurch is long associated with Malkin Tower, where the accused families are said to have gathered one Good Friday in 1612. Sweeping views across the valley make the walk as memorable as the legends attached to it.

Sitting on the southern slopes of Pendle Hill, Higham wears its history lightly: once the meeting place of the court of the Forest of Pendle, it still has a natural spring, The Spout, bubbling away at its heart. The much-loved Four Alls Inn has welcomed walkers since the late 1700s, making it the perfect reward at the end of a ramble.

Strung out along the old road between Colne and Earby, Kelbrook is a peaceful village on the edge of West Craven, where Lancashire quietly blends into the rolling Pennine countryside. Surrounded by open fields and footpaths, it’s a fine spot to stretch the legs before settling in somewhere for a well-earned rest.

Reedley Hallows is a quietly fascinating parish straddling the border between Burnley and Pendle, with a rich industrial and social heritage woven into its landscape. The handsome buildings along Colne Road tell the story of Victorian ambition: the Oaks Hotel was built in the 1880s by entrepreneur Abraham Altham, while Reedley Hall is today the home of the much-loved Pendleside Hospice. The area was once the site of several significant mills, including Lodge Mill, a major spinning operation destroyed by fire in 1905, and a later weaving shed where the world’s first waterproof cloth, Grenfell fabric, was invented by the Haythornthwaite family. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through the parish, and the marina makes a peaceful spot for a waterside stroll.