It was a hot morning when Sir Hugh and I parked up next to the Heritage Centre in Barrowford, the start of The Lancashire Witches Walk. Having found the first tercet installment with its verse and witches’ name we set off through the alleys and cobbled back streets and were pleasantly surprised by the hidden beauty of the town. There were many reminders of its industrial past and we contemplated the human movement to and from the mills on the footpaths we were following today. 
Soon we were out into rural Lancashire at its best, undulating tracks between small stone built hamlets, over fields and alongside sparkling streams. 
On arriving in Barley we suddenly collided with mass tourism alongside Pendle Water – more Blackpool than countryside. Somehow we missed the cafe. 
Then we were climbing away and passing the presumed site of Malkin Tower, home of the Demdike family, a ruined hillside farm. 
The next hour passed pleasantly but aimlessly circling round Lower Ogden Reservoir passing another tercet. 
We ate lunch in the shade high above Newchurch in Pendle. Once in the village the Witches Galore gift shop had to be visited stocking everything from tacky witches to learned books, The lady owner had been there for 30 years and was a wealth of knowledge. Sir Hugh emerged with a witch to scare his granddaughter and I another black cat, Impulsive shoppers. On a more cultural note we visited the church with its ‘eye of God’ to ward off evil spirits. 
I was keen to visit the nearby Faughs Quarry where I’d climbed in the past and where there is a carved face in the rock, ?created by one of the quarry-men. 
Up to the ridge, Rigg of England, with good views, and then down to the village of Fence where the pub is closed and new housing is taking over.
Old house in Fence.
Along the main road Ashlar House was passed, here some of the witches were questioned by local magistrates in 1612.
The route onwards through Lower White Lee farm was not helpfully waymarked and we had the impression they didn’t want walkers on their land. We finished in Higham with its prominent pub, Four Alls Inn, where one of the witches, “Chattox” was accused of turning the beer sour and bewitching the landlord’s son!
A good start to our walk with varied scenery and interesting history.
Brilliant. That seems some time ago now. Happy memories..
By the way, that witch is the most frightening thing i’ve seen for a long time.
Not sure that the witch isn’t a man. Hope you didn’t scare Katie too much with her witch.
When I started drinking, lots of pubs served sour beer, so there must have been a lot of witches about. My local landlord used to blame bad pints on thundery weather.
The Four Alls is an interesting name for a pub. There’s another in Ovington, near Barnard Castle, and it has the same inscriptions.
Cheers, Alen
Yes I used to cycle out there from Darlington. Its gone a bit upmarket recently.
I used to cycle there as well. We might well have nodded to each other on the road.
Nearby between Winston and Headlam there is a ford at Alwent Beck, took a right tumble in there one day and rode all the way back to Darlington soaked to the skin. And I was 50 at the time!
Never too old to learn a lesson.
We never got as far as the quarry. Would have loved to see the face in the rock. Looks a bit wizard like. I also want to walk to Roughlee from barley and see the Alice Nutter statue.
You have some good excuses for more walks to curious places.
Absolutely!
Somehow we missed the Alice Nutter Statue, but have seen it since when visiting the pub – The Bay Horse Inn in 2019.
This area is a real Lancashire connoisseur’s hideaway.