Lancashire Witches Walk / Challenge
The Lancashire Witches Walk is an 82 km circular challenge through the Forest of Bowland and Pendle Hill in Lancashire — commemorating the 1612 Pendle witch trials in a route through the landscapes associated with the accused.
This route has no official waymarking. Serious navigation experience is required — do not rely on GPS alone. Carry OS 1:25,000 maps and study the line before you go.
About Lancashire Witches Walk / Challenge
The Pendle witch trials of 1612 are among the most famous in English history — twenty people from the villages around Pendle Hill in Lancashire were accused of witchcraft, and ten were executed. The Lancashire Witches Walk circuits the landscape associated with these events: Pendle Hill itself, the villages of Downham, Newchurch-in-Pendle, and the Forest of Bowland moorland above.
At 82 km, it is a demanding two-day challenge through the South Pennines and Bowland foothills — crossing from Clitheroe through the Ribble valley and over Pendle Hill into the Colne valley and back.
The route
Clitheroe to Downham to Pendle Hill (~25 km): Past Clitheroe Castle and through the villages. Pendle Hill (557 m) is the dramatic centrepiece.
Pendle to Colne to Barrowford (~30 km): Through the Lancashire mill towns with witch trial associations.
Barrowford to Clitheroe (~27 km): Return via the Ribble valley and Pendle foothills.
Getting there & logistics
Base: Clitheroe. Train from Blackburn (connections to Manchester and Preston).
Best time: Year-round. Pendle Hill is exposed but accessible in winter.
Safety
Pendle Hill is exposed moorland in bad weather. The Bowland sections are the most remote. In an emergency: call 999 or 112. Good mobile signal for most of the route.
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