Pendle Hill (Whalley to Clitheroe) Walk

23.0 km (14.3 mi) with 574/554m cumulative ascent/descent. For a shorter walk, see below Walk Options.

7 out of 10 with 5 ½ hours walking time.

This is a relatively easy route up and across the solitary Pendle Hill facing the Yorkshire Dales, considering its 557m above sea level height and 395m prominence over the surrounding ground and very steep scarp.

The start of the route passes many interesting and listed buildings in the former Abbey Precinct and the town centre of Whalley before briefly picking up a path along the (Lancashire) Calder River. It then joins the first stage of the Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail Long-Distance Path up and over Pendle Hill and down to Downham, initially steeply up along a golf course and a pasture, then more gently along an old drove road to Nick ‘O Pendle, a famously steep pass cutting through Pendle.

Good tracks lead gently up the ridge to the top of Pendle, first over some minor grassy tops, then along the dramatic Ogden Clough and lastly along engineered paths across the top plateau to the summit, with some dramatic views (in good weather only) to the Yorkshire Dales, the Bowland Fells and to the Sea at Blackpool.

From the summit at the scarp, good tracks and paths descend onto Downham Moor and further into a lush green valley and along minor streams into Downham, a very small but immaculately old-looking village with several lunch or tea options. The route then descends gently to Chatburn and into the Ribble Valley to follow the scenically meandering Ribble River for several kilometres to a former quarry, now nature reserve, on the outskirts of Clitheroe, then up along a road to train station and bus interchange.

Start from Whalley Bus Station: cuts the first 800m (and several remarkable buildings). The Bus Station has an hourly service from/to the Rail Station (Bus Line 5 Chipping – Clitheroe, less frequent on Sundays).
Finish in Downham (Bus Lines 66/66S/67 to Clitheroe Interchange, hourly Mon-Sat, every 2 hours Sun), from stop St. Leonard’s Church, i.e. just before The Assheton Arms: cuts 7.5 km and 50m ascent.
Finish in Chatburn (Bus Lines C3/11/66/66S/67/280 to Clitheroe Interchange, Preston, Skipton or Giggleswick/Settle, at least hourly Mon-Sat, every 2 hours Sun), from stops Post Office or Mount Pleasant, i.e. close to the two pubs: cuts 5.4 km and 40m ascent. Note: the pubs and bus stops in Chatburn are passed on an optional route, and this continues to lead back onto the main route further along at no extra distance.

OS Landranger Map: 103 (Blackburn & Burnley)
OS Explorer Map: 287 (West Pennine Moors) and OL41 (Forest of Bowland)
Harvey Superwalker XT25 Map: Forest of Bowland (only the immediate hill area itself)

Whalley Station, map reference SD 729 365, is 300 km northwest of Charing Cross, 21 km east of Preston and 56m above sea level. Clitheroe Station, map reference SD 741 420, is 5 km north northeast of Whalley Station and 76m above sea level. Both are in Lancashire and stations on the Ribble Valley Line from Rochdale to Clitheroe with an hourly service via Manchester Victoria and Blackburn. A couple of services travel on to Settle and Carlisle on Saturdays. Journey time to Whalley is 77 minutes from Manchester Victoria, 18 from Blackburn and 38 from Settle. Clitheroe is 8 minutes further down the line towards Settle.

Saturday Walkers’ Club: The walk is doable as a daywalk from London using public transport, if taking a train to and from Preston and Bus Line 280 from the famous Preston Bus Station to Whalley and back from Clitheroe.

The Wellsprings Clitheroe Road, Sabden, Clitheroe, BB7 9HN (01200 427 722). The Wellsprings is a Mexican Restaurant located off route, downhill, after 7.2 km/4.5 mi of walking. The diversion to it adds 270m distance and 50m ascent to the walk.
Downham Ice Cream Shop Main Street, Downham, Clitheroe, BB7 4BS (01200 441 613). The Ice Cream Shop is located 15.2 km/9.5 mi into the walk.
Assheton Arms Top Row, Downham, Clitheroe, BB7 4BJ (01200 439 699). The Assheton Arms is located 15.5 km/9.6 mi into the walk.

Greendale Teahouse & Rooms Downham Road, Chatburn, Forest of Bowland, BB7 4DL (01200 441 517). The Tearooms are located 6.8 km from the end of the walk.

Tea in Chatburn – on the optional route through the village
Hudson’s Ice Cream Shop The Old Tollhouse, 2 Downham Road, Chatburn, Clitheroe, BB7 4AU (01200 441 305). Hudson’s is located 5.6 km from the end of the walk.
The Brown Cow Pub & Dining Bridge Road, Chatburn, Clitheroe, BB7 4AW (01200 440 736). The Brown Cow is located 5.5 km from the end of the walk.
The Black Bull Inn 17 Bridge Road, Chatburn, Clitheroe, BB7 4AW (01200 440 878). The Black Bull is located 5.4 km from the end of the walk.

Tea in Clitheroe
Maxwell's Café & Wine Bar 54-56 King Street, Clitheroe, BB7 2EU (01200 443 906)
The Station Lounge & Grill 31 King Street, Clitheroe, BB7 2EU (01200 318 142)
Several other options further into town.

beck: stream, brook; brig(g): bridge; -by: habitation; cam: bank, slope, ridge; carr: marshy woodland or shrubland; clough: narrow valley, cleft in a hillside, ravine, glen, gorge, cliff, rocky precipice; crag: steep rugged mass of rock projecting upward or outward; currick: cairn, pile of stones, often locations used to keep watch for Scottish raiders; dale: valley; -ey: island, dry area in a marshy place; fell: hill, mountain slope (especially rough moorland); firth/frith: long, narrow inlet of the sea or estuary; force/foss: waterfall, rapids; frith: area of peace, protection, safety, security; garth: small grass enclosure adjacent to a house; gate: way, street; gill/ghyll: small narrow valley or ravine; hagg: part of an area of woodland, especially on a sloping bank; holm(e): island, inland promontory, raised ground in marsh, river-meadow; how(e): barrow, small hill; hush: (Roman era) mine on steep hillside, using dammed up water to wash away topsoil and boulders, revealing the underlying lead or ore veins; ing(s): meadow(s), especially water meadow near a river; keld/kell: spring or well; kirk: church; laithe/leeath: barn, agricultural building; lang: long; ling: heather; lonning/lonnin’: lane or track, something less than a road, more rural than a street, usually short; mell: sand dunes; mire: bog; moss: bog, marsh; ness: headland, promontory; nick: shallow notch, cut or indentation on an edge or a surface; pike: spike, sharp point, peak; rake: slant, incline; rigg: ridge; scar/scaur: cliff, rocky outcrop with a steep face; seat/set(t)/side: summer pasture or dwelling place; seaves: rushes; shaw: hurdle, gate; sike/syke/sitch: small stream or gulley, gutter; stang: pole, shaft, stake, wooden bar; stoop/stowp/stoup: post, gatepost, distance marker (milestone), standing stone; -sty: ascent, ascending lane or path, narrow pathway or course; tarn: lake or pond (especially in an upland location); thorp(e)/t(h)rop: village or small settlement; thwait(e): village or small settlement; toft(s): small farmstead with enclosed land, later applied to a village or small settlement; wath: ford; whinny: gorse, furze, thorny vegetation; -wich/wick: village or settlement.

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National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

May-25 Thomas G