Sunday, 13th December 2009
| Walk: | Wycoller, Lumb Spout, Boulsworth Hill, Bronte Way, Wycoller Panoptican | ||
| Start Point: | Trawden Road car park | Grid Ref: | SD 926 396 |
| Distance: | 8.5 miles | Ascent: | 2,00 feet (approximately) |
| Weather: | A bright but cold day | ||
| Accompanied by: |
Sheila |
||
| Comments: | From the car park an off road path leads down to the delightful village of Wycoller, brought back to life after being virtually abandoned. Wycoller Hall is thought to be the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Leaving the village the route skirts the woodland then leads across pasture land to meet up with an access road from Trawden. Leaving the road and passing Lumb Spout Bungalow, we enjoy the picturesque view of the the single white fall of water known as Lumb Spout. After following the beck around and crossing a couple of footbridges another access road takes us across fields where we spot a most unusual site - perhaps a group from a shooting club in seasonal dress and sporting tools of their trade! A gradual climb takes us past Abbot Stone to the trig point at Lad Law, then across to the rock formations known as Weather Stones. Heading back down the hill we regain the Pendle Way, also marked as the Bronte Way at this point. Reaching Turnhole Clough we decide to deviate from the planned route and make our way across fields to 'Atom', the Panoptican chosen for Pendle - see below for more details. A short stroll then takes us back to the ruins of Wycoller Hall and the car. | ||
Scroll down to see photos of the walk
The beautiful buildings in Wycoller . . .
seem prone to flooding - the bottom half of the door is a flood defence
Wycoller Hall . . .
has many walls and windows still intact . . .
and a reconstructed fireplace . . .
which you can read all about on the information board
The old packhorse bridge may have originated in the 13th century . . .
but the clapper bridge probably dates from the late 18th or early 19th century
Our first view of Pendle Hill as we make our way across pasture land
After crossing a tractor bridge a waterfall tumbles down to the beck . . .
and nearby Lumb Spout descends into the dark brown pool at the foot of a verdant hollow . . .
whilst further along the beck are more cascades
An unusual sloping boardwalk . . .
and more unusually a group of seasonal figures - but look carefully at what they are doing!
Abbot Stone, half way up Boulsworth Hill . . .
from where we have a good view of Pendle Hill
The trig point on Lad Law is surrounded by more rock formations . . .
and makes the perfect spot . . .
for a couple of photo calls
Trawden from Lad Law
The Weather Stones are an even more interesting group of rocks . . .
and Little Chair Stones mark our descent route
A rather large bridge over a very small beck at Turnhole Clough!
The Wycoller Panoptican . . .
the third unusual site of the day . . .
has a nearby information board . . .
but I struggle to find . . .
what I would call . . .
a pleasing artistic view!
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