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Walks in Lancashire |
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Walks in Lancashire |
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A circular walk from the Nick of Pendle through Ogden Clough to reach the summit of Pendle Hill, before returning via Pendle Moor, with wonderful panoramas en-route.
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| Walk title: | Pendle Hill walk from the Nick of Pendle |
| Author: | Andrew Forrest - updated November 2024 |
| Walk start point: | Layby on the Nick of Pendle (grid reference SD 771 385). |
| Parking: | As mentioned above, for the walk start point, and as shown in the video, there are other nearby laybys on the same road on either side of the Nick of Pendle that are also available for parking. |
| Directions to nearest parking place: | Google Maps: get directions here / What3words: nozzle.informer.breezes |
| Walk distance: | 6.8 miles (10.9 Km) |
| Estimated walk time: | 3 hours 5 minutes |
| Height climbed: | 355 metres |
| Grade: | 2-B: A medium length walk that requires modest uphill walking |
| Peaks / summits: | Pendle Hill (577m) |
| Map: | Ordnance Survey - Explorer OL41 (Forest of Bowland & Ribblesdale) Buy this map from Ordnance Survey |
| GPS/GPX file: | GPX download available from Walks4all.com |
| Facilities / refreshments: | Wellsprings (restaurant, bar and café) is 400m from the start and passed on the walk. Swan with Two Necks is one mile away in nearby Pendle. Both of these are shown in the video. There are also additional pubs and cafés in nearby Sabden, about one mile from the start. |
| Nearest town: | Sabden |
| Local self-catering accommodation: | View self-catering accommodation close to the start of this walk from Sykes Holiday Cottages or from Holidaycottages.co.uk |
Ordnance Survey Mapping App
Use on any device and make it easy to explore the great outdoors for just the price of a coffee a month. Premium allows full UK access to all OS Explorer and Landranger mapping, and the ability to import and export routes, save maps offline, aerial 3D, and print A3/A4 maps.
A circular walk over Pendle Hill from the Nick of Pendle in Lancashire. There are excellent panoramic views from the start due to the height of the start of the walk. The walk climbs up Apronfull Hill and through Ogden Clough before heading along a flagged path to reach the summit of Pendle Hill, which affords superb panoramic views over the Ribble Valley and out towards Blackpool in the west, the Southern Lakeland Fells and the Yorkshire Dales.
The walk then continues along the north-western side of Pendle Hill, passing a weather shelter and Scout Cairn. It then heads over Pendle Moor and Mearley Moor and drops through Ashendean Clough to reach the Pendle Ski Slope and the Wellsprings bar and restaurant, from where it is a short walk back to the start.
Our video captures the entire Pendle Hill from the Nick of Pendle walk, with the route displayed on the Ordnance Survey map above. A short description of the walk is provided below. Recommendations for places to eat and drink after the walk are highlighted at the end of the video.
From the layby on the crest of the hill (on the left-hand side of the road, having travelled up from Sabden direction), cross the road and take any of the two main paths directly opposite, which converge after the initial short climb.
Some of the laybys at the start of the Pendle Hill from the Nick of Pendle walk
The path is fairly flat at the start before rising upwards across Pendleton Moor along the clearly defined path to the first visible horizon. On reaching the first summit (Apronfull Hill), Churn Clough Reservoir and Sabden can be seen down below to the right of the path.
The wide track as it climbs over Pendleton Moor up towards Apronfull Hill
Even with this modest amount of climbing, you'll find excellent views unfolding behind you toward Clitheroe and across the Ribble Valley, with Fairsnape Fell and Longridge Fell standing out among the hills on the horizon.
Looking out over Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley from Pendleton Moor
The path flattens briefly time before rising to the next horizon on Badger Wells Hill. Then, it goes down into a sleight dip before rising up onto the next horizon about fifty yards ahead on Black Hill.
The path flattens, heading for Ogden Clough, the large sweeping valley ahead. To the right, the valley is much wider and heads down towards Upper and Lower Ogden Reservoirs and Barley, while to the left, the valley narrows and heads around towards the summit of Pendle Hill.
Before reaching the Ogden Clough, the path begins to bend around to the left and heads up the narrowing valley, initially about eighty feet above the stream. As the stream gradually rises up the valley, the footpath remains fairly flat, getting closer and closer to the stream.
The path makes its way through Ogden Clough on its way to the summit of Pendle Hill
The path continues for about three-quarters of a mile. When it is approximately ten yards from the stream and at the same level, a small tumbled-down wall about two feet tall appears between the path and the stream.
Keep on past this until you reach a stone way marker, which is signed 'summit'. Head right here to cross the stream and walk the few yards up to the kissing gate.
The stone waymarker that directs you over the stream towards the summit of Pendle Hill
Pass through the kissing gate and head up the few yards to meet the man-made flagged path, which runs up to within one hundred yards of the triangulation point. The path rises slowly from here up towards the summit.
The flagged footpath as it heads up towards the summit of Pendle Hill
The return footpath follows the line of the horizon to the left. When the flags finish, the triangulation point on the summit of Pendle Hill is visible about one hundred yards ahead.
Pendle Hill rises to 557 meters, and thanks to its isolation from other hills, its summit offers a breathtaking panorama. The views stretch across the Ribble Valley toward the Trough of Bowland and Blackpool in the west, sweeping around to the East Lancashire Valley, the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the Yorkshire Dales, the Southern Lakeland Fells and even the Snowdon Mountain range in the distance.
Looking down towards the Black Moss Reservoirs, Barley and Lower Ogden Reservoir from the summit of Pendle Hill
Upon reaching the triangulation point, follow the path around to the left of it and walk away from it along the gravel footpath, heading for the gate in the wall directly ahead. If you want a rest, some sheltered seats are built into the wall just to the left, along with a plaque about George Fox (founder of the Quakers movement).
Pass through the kissing gate in the wall. A few yards away from it is a stone waymarker, signed 'Downham' straight on and 'Nick of Pendle' to the left. Follow left here along the wide grassy path.
Heading north west along the wide grassy path away from the wall on the summit of Pendle Hill
Follow this wide grassy path for about three-quarters of a mile to reach a metal kissing gate in a wall.
View from the metal kissing gate over Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley looking out to the west
Looking out towards the Lower Lakeland Fells, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent from the same metal kissing gate
Pass through the gate and head directly away from the wall towards the stone weather shelter a couple of hundred yards ahead.
Approaching the weather shelter on Pendle Hill
The footpath passes the weather shelter and heads for the large cairn, which is visible another four hundred yards ahead. The path between the two stays close to the edge of the hill. This Scout memorial cairn is very well constructed and about ten feet tall.
The onward path is visible down the left-hand side of the Scout Cairn
If this Pendle Hill walk has made you yearn for more, check out our other walks in our Guide to Pendle Hill, where we set out our six favourite Pendle Hill walks, where to eat and drink after your walks and much more. You can also learn much more about the Pendle witches and George Fox.
Over to the right, Clitheroe and the A59 road, which runs parallel to the side of Pendle Hill, are visible down below. Looking ahead, the path can be seen turning diagonally to the left away from the edge of the hill before turning right and following a line down the centre of the next hill, just to the left of the wall, which is visible in the distance.
After leaving the Scout Cairn, continue in the same direction. The path soon becomes more well-defined, initially bending around to the left. After passing over a small stream in a little dip, it bends back round to the right.
The path runs straight along Mearley Moor, parallel with the A59 below. After approximately half a mile, a tumbled-down wall comes in from the left and crosses the path.
Passing over the tumbled-down wall, the path heads on along the left-hand side of the next wall over Mearley Moor
Immediately after crossing this wall, another higher wall leads away from it in the direction of the path (straight ahead) and stretches out in front as far as the eye can see. The path follows just to the left of this wall for another half-mile, where it reaches a cairn. At this point, the wall turns away at ninety degrees to the right.
Upon reaching the 90-degree bend in the wall, the path heads straight on, away from it, to start heading downhill
The path leaves the wall at this point and continues onwards in the same direction, where it starts to descend. From here, the Nick of Pendle is again visible, as is the Wellsprings and Pendle dry ski slope.
From here to the end of the walk, the path roughly follows a straight line to the Wellsprings. Keep on in the same direction from the wall corner, now heading away from the wall.
After about two hundred yards, the footpath bends sharply to the right. At this point, a smaller path leaves the main path and heads steeply downhill into the valley below, still heading in a line for the Wellsprings.
The path heads down to Howcroft Brook in Ashendean Clough below
On taking this lesser path, it leads down through some bracken to a stream emanating from Ashendean Clough up to the left. Cross the stream and take the path up to the right, which rises quite steeply initially.
Looking back over Howcroft Brook at the path just walked down off Mearley Moor
Continue along this path up and over the horizon, eventually heading towards the road.
The path turns left upon reaching Clitheroe Road, heading towards Pendle Ski Slope and the Wellsprings
Head along the road for a short distance towards the Wellsprings and the Pendle Ski Slope.
The Pendle Ski Slope
Looking out over the Ribble Valley sat having a drink on the balcony at the Wellsprings
The Wellsprings, restaurant, bar and cafe on the Nick of Pendle near Sabden
If you wish, you could walk back up the road for about 400 metres to the start. As I prefer to keep off the roads wherever possible, take the footpath sign off to the left opposite the ski slope.
Head up a well-defined grassy path running uphill almost parallel to the road.
Looking back over the Wellsprings and the Pendle Ski Slope out over the Ribble Valley
As the path flattens, turn right upon meeting the wide (outbound) track. Follow this track for the final few yards back to the layby and the parking on the road.
Check out this Pendle Hill from the Nick of Pendle walk on the walks4all.com website for a more detailed description and more photographs of the route.
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