Walks around Pendle - Walks, accommodation, entertainment and much more in the Lancashire area

3 Villages Walk
A circular around Barley, Roughlee and Newchurch

Parking:	Parking is on the public car park in the centre of Barley - £1 / day (correct at time of publication). There are toilets on the car park and a café which is open most days of the year. See map of starting point
Directions:	Get road directions to the parking place here
Map:	Ordnance Survey – Explorer EX041 (Forrest of Bowland and Ribblesdale) See map of walk area Buy this map - in association with Aqua3
Distance:	5.6 miles (8.9 km)
Grade:	2-C

Leave the car park by the gravelled path at the end of the car park farthest away from the café and toilets, which initially swings around to the right. Almost immediately turn left at the meeting of paths, and left again a few yards further on heading away from the road. The path widens now into a gravelled track passes through old mill houses and on towards and past the houses at Whitehough. Keep on the lane and cross over the bridge, and immediately over the water, turn left to pass through a wooden kissing gate. Head away from the wall, to continue on parallel with the water, but now on the opposite side.

Head across the field, through a stone stile, and then on through two metal gates, one immediately following the other. Follow the path by the wall and water, on through a metal kissing gate, and over a wooden stile, before passing through a gap in the white railings and turning left on to the road over Pendle Water.

Keep on the road by the white railings past the school and waterfall, and then on to the Bay Horse Public House.

Walk past the pub and shortly afterwards turn left up Stang Top Road, and then immediately right in front of a couple of houses, and then along in front of some white cottages. The track bends around to then pass in front of the impressive Roughlee Old Hall. Turn right at the 'T' junction to reach another ‘T’ junction a few yards further on. Cross the road, and go over the stile directly ahead and head down towards the water below.

Use the stepping stones to cross the water, and follow the path up the opposite bank and keep on climbing towards the wooden waymarker, visible on the horizon ahead. From the waymarker keep climbing away from the water towards the tree on the next horizon. Keep on climbing past the tree continuing in the same direction, to a stile in the wall ahead. Upon reaching the stile, do not go over it but turn right to walk alongside the wall. Keep by the side of the wall towards the corner of the field and then pass over a wooden stile by the side of a metal gate and out onto Pasture Lane.

Cross the road and keep on in the same direction heading along the lane opposite, passing a sign for Fulshawhead and Ridgaling Farms and Bowland Diary. After a short while when the lane splits, take the right hand fork signed Ridgaling Farm. Off to the right whilst walking along this stretch are further magnificent views across to Pendle Hill. The road splits again as it nears a farmhouse, here take the right hand fork.

As the lane flattens and bends sharply around to the right to pass through a gap in a wall, go over the stile ahead to the right of a metal gate in the ‘left hand’ section of the wall. Once over the stile, follow the path to the stile by Noggarth Top Café. Turn right for a few yards and then turn left along Noggarth Road to continue on in the same direction as the field was crossed.

Walk along Noggarth Road for about fifty yards to the footpath sign by the wall on the right, and go over the wooden stile following the direction of the sign to head diagonally left across the field, keeping on towards the track and the corner of the wall ahead. Pass around the far side of the wall and follow the footpath sign across the field towards the trees ahead. Pass over the stile by the trees and turn right on to the lane.

Keep on the lane as it slowly descends, and on by the left hand side of some farm buildings and then just before reaching the next house, veer left to pass along a gravelled track to the left hand side of the fence and hedge. Keep to the track as it becomes enclosed by a wall to the left and a fence to the right. The track flattens, passes over a cattle grid and bends around to the right. Just after the cattle grid where the track becomes metalled underfoot, turn left down a lane opposite the entrance to a house.

Keep on this lane, eventually passing some white houses and on towards Spen Brook. As Spen Brook is approached, pass the water treatment works on the right and continue on to the end of the fencing just past it. At the end of the fencing turn right past a telegraph pole down a narrow passageway. After a few yards pass through a metal kissing gate and continue ahead along the wide grassy path. The path gently climbs as it passes the football pitch and children’s play area on it way towards Newchurch, now directly ahead.

The path pulls in by the side of the wall as it approaches the right hand side of the church. A small detour can be taken here to have a look around the Parish Church of St Mary and its graveyard. Continue along the path by the side of the houses, and then on up the cobbles past the left hand side of the white houses and out onto the road. Walk over the first road and turn right along the pavement of the second road. Almost immediately on the other side of the road (if needed!) is a public toilet block. After a few yards walking up the road pass by the Witches Galore shop, and then continue on up the road around the bend. A few yards round the bend, turn right off the road up a few steps to follow the footpath sign over the wooden stile and then head away from the road.

Head across the field past the telegraph poles and on towards the wall and trees ahead. Pass through the wooden gate stile built in to the wall into the trees, and head on the path which heads slightly up hill directly away from the wall (there are two paths here and the one to be followed is the left hand one). The path climbs slowly through the trees, before passing over a low wall. Keep straight on here initially through the trees, before the path temporarily leaves tree cover, before passing through the last few trees and reaching a wall.

Pass over the wall stile and head along the grassy path away from the wall. The path slowly pulls over towards the wall on the left. Go over the stile and continue walking alongside the wall by the side of Heys Lane Plantation. Go over the stile in the corner of the field, and follow the path away from the stile, now walking down the far side of the wall.

The path now starts its descent towards Heys Lane, keeping at times by the wall and down towards the gate in the corner of the field. Go over the stile and turn left on to the lane.

Walk along the pleasant lane, which three quarters of a mile further on descends down towards Barley passing by a few houses.

After the houses turn right upon meeting the road and walk along the pavement towards the centre of Barley. Turn right at the road junction following the brown ‘Barley Picnic Site’ and white ‘Car Park’ signs for a few more yards before turning left back in to the car park.

The above is an abridged version of a walk included on our 'Walks around Pendle' e-Book. The e-Book (a 2 disk CD and DVD set) includes: full walk text; numerous walk photos; a DVD slideshow of numerous photographs set to music taking you round this whole walk step by step (playable on a TV or a multimedia PC); interactive walk maps; hill profiles; information on towns and villages in the area; things to do and where to stay whilst you are in the area; wallpaper for your pc; and much, much more…..

To see more about the book in detail and to order online, please click here.

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