Or in English: “The way it should be”

Ramble of Sunday 31/7/11 – Clitheroe

I must admit to having reservations about returning to the Ramblers for their walk from the town of Clitheroe yesterday (Sunday 31/7/11). The walk that I attended at Kettlewell one month previously had not gone at all well, with blistering temperatures (unavoidable really) and a miserable procession of individuals marching relentlessly uphill with neither commentary nor respite (totally avoidable) had darkened my opinion and shaken my faith in my previous decision to join “The Ramblers”. The walk on Sunday more than made up for this.

Eight individuals set off from Clitheroe town centre weaving our way through streets and roads and crossing the express-way that is the A59, towards a part of what every reader should know is my favourite hill – Pendle Hill. On this day we were to tackle one of its’ out-lying sub-submits; the infamous Nick O’ Pendle. This was achieved by crossing through a number of very well marked footpaths, umpteen styles of varying kinds and a slightly energy-zapping field at Mearley Moor. By way of contrast the afore mentioned Mearley Moor is (in the opinion of this humble author) by far the most attractive of the moorlands that span the area around Pendle Hill aided in no small way by the facts that the terrain varies and that it is not as boggy as Pendle Moor, Barley Moor and Spence Moor to name but three. It’s altogether a much nicer place to be.

Although I am still awaiting a description of our exact trek I know that we passed through the pretty little hamlet of Worston, that we had our lunch sat on Worsaw Hill then made our way across the fields towards Mearley passing its’ various old halls…I think there are two!

The climb from Mearley Moor up and onto Pendle Road in the direction of the Nick Of Pendle was a little steep in places but nowhere near as bad as (for examples) Pendle House to Big End or Hordern Pasture to Winter Hill! All the same I for one; would certainly not like to ride a bicycle up this road yet countless others do just that for this particular hill road features in many top ten cyclists’ extreme rides lists. The walk back into Clitheroe via Pendleton was a delight – not least because it gave us the chance to call in at the quaint “Swan With Two Necks” in the hamlet where we all had a glass of beer and I for one would have happily stayed for many more!

After some time, and with some regret from yours truly we headed off back down into Clitheroe – this meant another crossing of the by now truly manic A59 and then back to the style-after-style-fields before hitting the main road into Clitheroe and passing the rather prestigious sounding “Royal Grammar School”

We walked roughly ten miles, probably somewhere in the region of ten and a quarter miles, ascended and descended about three hundred meters and it has to be said talked to each other the whole way through…and had a beer! This was everything, every reason why I joined the Ramblers – a five star (*****), 10/10 walk and day out!