Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wetland Centre
(p. 594) and also the north, just east of Preston, at
Brockholes
(p. 594). Preston itself, Lancashire's administrative center, is home to the
Museum
of Lancashire
(
&
01772/534075;
www.lancashire.gov.uk), closed for redevelop-
ment as this guide went to press.
Northwest of here unfurls the
Forest of Bowland
(www.forestofbowland.
com), an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and vast outdoor playground popular
with walkers and cyclists, dotted with pretty villages. Places of interest within its 312
sq. miles include the
Bowland Wild Boar Park
(
&
01995/61554;
www.wild
boarpark.co.uk), with boar, longhorn cows, deer, llamas, and goats, feeding sessions,
and pedal tractors and tractor rides for kids; the
Roman Museum
at Ribchester
(
&
01254/878261;
http://ribchesterromanmuseum.org), on the site of an
old Roman fort, and Norman
Clitheroe Castle
(
&
01772/534061;
www.
lancashire.gov.uk), with newly revamped galleries taking you on a journey through
350 million years of local history, heritage, and geology (with a rucksack, map, and
magnifying glass for children).
Clitheroe stands at the heart of the
Ribble Valley,
where you can follow a sculp-
ture trail from Brungerley Bridge to Crosshills Quarry. The trail forms part of the
73-mile
Ribble Way
, which follows the River Ribble from Longton west of Pres-
ton and goes through Ribchester and Clitheroe and then on into North Yorkshire
(p. 641). Alternatively, you might discover the area via the award-winning
Ribble
Valley Food Trail
(www.ribblevalleyfoodtrail.com), relaunched in 2011 to help
locals and visitors discover shops and restaurants championing local produce, includ-
ing meat from traditional Lancashire breeds, pies and pastries, ice cream, and hand-
made chocolate.
Just east of Clitheroe,
Pendle Hill
looms over “witch country.” In the unspoiled
village of
Newchurch-in-Pendle
at the foot of the hill, St. Mary's churchyard has a
grave said to be that of local witch Alice Nutter, carved with a skull and crossbones,
while the west side of the church tower bears a carving described as the “Eye of God,”
claimed to ward off evil. Learn all about the Pendle witches at the
Pendle Heritage
Centre
(
&
01282/677150;
www.htnw.co.uk/phc.html) at Barrowford to the
east, which also has a recreated 18th-century walled garden, a woodland walk around
the 15th-century cruck-framed barn with its farm animals, a tearoom, an art gallery,
and a tourist information desk. It's open daily 10am to 5pm, and has free entry.
From the Centre, the 45-mile
Pendle Witch Trail
follows the route taken by
the “witches” through the Ribble Valley to stand trial in
Lancaster
, Lancashire's
county town. By foot or by car, it takes you through the Trough of Bowland—a wild
beauty spot—and into the historic city. The trial took place within medieval
Lan-
caster Castle
(see below), and you can also visit the
Judges Lodgings
15
(
&
01524/32808;
www.lancashire.gov.uk), the onetime townhouse residence of
castle-keeper and notorious witchhunter Thomas Covell. Containing period furniture
as well as a small museum of childhood, it costs £3 for adults (kids go free), with
opening times varying by season (generally 10am, noon, or 1 to 4pm).
Like Durham (p. 655), Lancaster is a pleasant small city with one of the U.K.'s
top universities and a handful of small-scale sights, including the
City Museum
and King's Own Royal Regiment Museum
(
&
01524/64637;
www.lancashire.
gov.uk) and the
Lancaster Maritime Museum
(
&
01524/382264;
same web-
site). But one of the best things to do, especially on a fine day, is head up to
Wil-
liamson Park
with its Butterfly House for great views over Morecambe Bay to the
Lake District (p. 601).
