Author Topic: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016  (Read 4309 times)

Rhino

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Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« on: 19:20:07, 10/02/16 »
I was looking for a new area for a walk that suited Mrs R who loves forest and canal walks but hates hills which I love. I had been looking in Lancashire for some areas having never walked there before even though it’s just over the hill from us so I found a walk on go4awalk.com. The walk had a section on the Leeds Liverpool canal so it ticked one of Mrs R’s boxes but it also had little hill so I was happy as well.
 
The planned route was 10 miles with 1300ft of ascent and it took us from Salterforth up through Barnoldswick then up Weets Hill before returning via Foulridge and a stretch of the Leeds Liverpool canal. The weather forecast was for light and heavy rain with cloud cover and 20mph winds. A short half hour drive through Colne and we arrived at Salterforth marina our starting point and where we were told there was no parking unless you had a mooring but was informed there was some down the road. A short drive took us to Barnoldswick which was on the route and where we found a free car park  O0
 
Setting off in the rain with Handsome Jack in his coat and walking through the town to pick up the route we felt a bit overdressed the three of us and got a few odd looks. We soon reached the route where there was another free car park right beside the route doh. At this point we picked up the Pendle Way following it around a few houses and fields before heading out to the start of climb up Weets Hill which for me was a very easy gradient but had the usual bit of moaning from Mrs R until the gradient eased a bit. On the way up I filtered some water from a very small water source for a cuppa later on at the summit as I had read there was a bench to sit on. The views started to open up a bit as we ascended and its said on a good day parts of the Lakes can be seen from the summit but the low cloud and rain didn’t give us any such views today, even Pendle Hill was in the clag  :( 

The Pendle Way sign



Brightening up the side of the road




The nice gradual pull up to Weets Hill i dont know what Mrs R had to moan about  :crazy2: 






Come on Kelly put your back in to it  ;D 




Handsome Jack as usual waiting for us




I can see the summit and bench from here




Was a bit boggy underfoot




It had been raining all the way up to the summit and just before arrival it got heavier so we took a view pictures, discussed walking Pendle Hill at some point and read a little memorial to a lady called Mabel Emsley before deciding to drop down a bit for a cuppa rather than sit on the bench as the wind had got up a little as well as the rain.

The view towards Pendle Hill




Me on the Summit




The memorial




We headed off down towards Weets House and dropped out of the worse of the wind and decided to have a pot of coffee and try out my new Alpkit Brukit. We found a little ledge alongside a wall and set it up and was very pleased with it as it boiled the water in the time it took me to get the cups out, put the coffee mix in and get a chocky biscuit out of the rucksack. It stopped raining while we were having a nice warm drink but we were already wet through on the outside at this point. The hot brew in the tin cups really warmed up Mrs R’s hands so that was another bonus but I was surprised at how quick it cooled so a thermal cup might be on the menu for winter. Jack was crying which meant he wanted a chocky biscuit as well so all three of us fuelled and warmed up a bit we set off following the Pendle Way still until we turned off it heading towards Foulridge.


Some Lamas at Weets House




A little bridge to a garden Mrs R was having a nosy at




The Alpkit Brukit a great bit of kit



A field worse than Wigans pitch with a tower in the background on Blacko Hill Side




View down to the reservoirs




An odd tree




We were now in some of the muddiest fields with high stone wall stiles to cross which made it hard for Jack to get up so he needed our help and inevitably we got covered in mud a bit here and there. We commented after watching the Wigan vs Catalan Dragons game the night before that these fields were worse than Wigan’s pitch and we were so glad we had worn our Gaiters even though we looked a bit overdressed in Barnoldswick earlier they certainly did their job now. We followed various paths down through the fields to reach the first of two reservoirs Slipper Hill and Lower Foulridge skirting round the edges of both and where we found a pointless stile in the middle of a field. Further up there was a wall and you had to go left of it so at some point in the past when the fence was up between the wall and stile it served a purpose. I wonder when fences and such are removed by whomever that the stiles are left just for walkers to take pictures of and have a laugh about.

A lovely house overlooking Slipper Hill reservoir




The overflow of Lower Foulridge reservoir




Looking across Lower Foulridge



Handsome Jack looking a bit wet




The pointless stile




Carrying on through Foulridge village we reached Foulridge Wharf and the section of the Leeds and Liverpool canal which would take us almost back to Barnoldswick. Stopping for another hot coffee and filtering the water from a little spring running into the canal I was beginning to enjoy the little routine of filtering and brewing up along with the minor hassle of setting up the Brukit and packing it away in favour of the hot drink and overall reduction in weight of carrying less water.
This section of the canal is not the prettiest section we have walked on a canal but it was pleasant with lots of Swans about, interesting and odd narrow boats and we saw a few squirrels playing in a field as we wandered the last few miles back to the Car. We eventually reached Salterforth marina and leaving the canal we followed the route back through Barnoldswick before returning to the car.


Foulridge Wharf




A pair of swans




Typical view along the canal




A blurred Squirrel running below the sheep




A lone Swan




Majestic




An odd barge with drawers sticking out of it




Some Cygnets soon to be Swans




The GPS showed us to have walked 9.95 Miles with 1231ft of ascent over 4 hours 36 minutes with an average speed of 2.2mph and a moving speed of 2.8mph meaning we spent about an hour dawdling and brewing up along the walk.
 
We had another brew back at the car getting the water from the bottle in the boot this time before heading home calling off for some dinner in Colne on the way. The next walk in this area will hopefully be Pendle Hill.
« Last Edit: 19:24:57, 10/02/16 by Rhino »
Wainwrights Completed 12/12/15

April

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #1 on: 19:38:05, 10/02/16 »
Great stuff Rhino  O0 I see it is as wet, muddy and miserable over there as it is over here  ;D

Love the pointless stile pic  :)
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Rhino

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #2 on: 19:58:37, 10/02/16 »
Thanks April  :)  yes its been a bag of wetness and misery this winter and i really hope we are in for a great summer, i cant wait to give wild camping a try so really hope it improves  :)
Wainwrights Completed 12/12/15

Dovegirl

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #3 on: 21:25:51, 10/02/16 »
Enjoyed the TR and photos Rhino   :)   I love waterside walks   :)

karl h

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #4 on: 21:49:00, 10/02/16 »
Nice one mate O0  We'll look back and laugh at this rubbish weather when we are lying around on the grass outside our tents with the evening sun beating down only moving to crack open another cold one (well I can dream  ;D  )
It's a small world, I was working at Weets house a few weeks back, It really is in the middle of nowhere

adalard

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #5 on: 07:30:08, 11/02/16 »
Nice TR and photos, Rhino  O0  Love the stile in the middle of nowhere - did you use it or go round?  ;D


I've always been curious about the tower at Blacko having passed it in the car several times but from what I've seen online the closest public footpath doesn't go up to it and the farmer who owns the land doesn't welcome uninvited visitors (which is fair enough).

Rhino

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #6 on: 10:30:39, 12/02/16 »
Enjoyed the TR and photos Rhino   :)   I love waterside walks   :)

Thank you DG  :)  glad you enjoyed it  :)
 
Nice one mate O0  We'll look back and laugh at this rubbish weather when we are lying around on the grass outside our tents with the evening sun beating down only moving to crack open another cold one (well I can dream  ;D  )
It's a small world, I was working at Weets house a few weeks back, It really is in the middle of nowhere

Cheers Karl  :)  crack open a cold one  :o  i think i am going to have to revert to wine to save weight but oh to have some chilled Tetelys  :coolsmiley:
Yes a very small world  ;D  Its a lovely place though with great views of Pendle Hill when its not claggy and i think it is a B&B as well  :)
 
 
Nice TR and photos, Rhino  O0  Love the stile in the middle of nowhere - did you use it or go round?  ;D


I've always been curious about the tower at Blacko having passed it in the car several times but from what I've seen online the closest public footpath doesn't go up to it and the farmer who owns the land doesn't welcome uninvited visitors (which is fair enough).

Thanks Adalard, i am not sure about the access and with it being my first walk in that area i didnt know anything about the tower either until i first saw it  :-\  not sure about the access certainly no footpaths on the map lead directly that way. There is a bit on the web about it being built for a local chap so he could see over into the Dales but it wasnt big enough  ;D
 
 
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pleb

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #7 on: 11:19:58, 12/02/16 »
Did you feed the swan? :-\
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Rhino

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #8 on: 13:06:20, 12/02/16 »
No Pleb we only had chocky biscuits on us and they were mine  ;D
Wainwrights Completed 12/12/15

fat goat

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #9 on: 09:45:40, 15/02/16 »
Great trip report from one of my favourite areas on earth. Pendle Hill is not everyone's cup of tea in thick mist so you probably made the right decision to not go after it. So having read this I'll have to go back again as soon as possible, damn those Pendle cravings :)  O0
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Rhino

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #10 on: 12:40:08, 15/02/16 »
Great trip report from one of my favourite areas on earth. Pendle Hill is not everyone's cup of tea in thick mist so you probably made the right decision to not go after it. So having read this I'll have to go back again as soon as possible, damn those Pendle cravings :) O0

Thanks Mark, Pendle Hill is on the menu for a walk later in the year with Mrs R and possible combined with Weets Hill again. I enjoyed the new area for a bit of a change and will open up to other walks in and around as well  :)
Wainwrights Completed 12/12/15

ljmeerkat75

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #11 on: 14:16:12, 15/02/16 »
Great TR and photos Dave i hope you bring the brewkit and a spare mug on the next meet and considering how wet and boggy it was where are handsome jack's gaiters!! Was the memorial something to do with the Pendle witches

Rhino

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #12 on: 19:59:35, 15/02/16 »
Great TR and photos Dave i hope you bring the brewkit and a spare mug on the next meet and considering how wet and boggy it was where are handsome jack's gaiters!! Was the memorial something to do with the Pendle witches


Thanks Luke, its part of my kit now and just because its you ill carry the extra weight of a spare cup for you  ;D  I was sat on the summit of Helvellyn on Saturday and wished i had brought a flask instead  ;D  it was bloody freezing  :D  Ive seen a few dog jackets with gaiter type leg bits on and a few dogs wearing them but i am not so sure old Handsome would be happy with them, when i first bought his coat he just sat down and wouldnt move  ;D  it took heavy rain for him to wear it and walk. I dont think so on the witches with it being a more recent date but there is a lot of stuff on them in the area, that tower even gets a mention with the witches  :)
Wainwrights Completed 12/12/15

ljmeerkat75

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #13 on: 20:45:36, 15/02/16 »
No Dave i will carry the mug i insist can't have you overdoing it!!! I guess jack has some fashion sense you need to make sure they are rab or maybe Armani  before he will even consider putting any of this dodgy looking waterproof gear i remember watching a documentary about the witches a long time ago an interesting story and a beautiful place to visit i thought

Rhino

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Re: Weets Hill Pendle Sat 6th Feb 2016
« Reply #14 on: 12:42:05, 16/02/16 »
Ive saved a kilo in weight with the water filter so i can manage the cup mate  ;D  I know someone with an embroidery machine i might ask them to put Armani on his coat and back pack  ;D 
November and Halloween is the time to pay it a visit i am told, lots of night time walks going on and stuff, spooky  :D
Karl and Fat Goat are the experts as i beleive they live close to that area.
Wainwrights Completed 12/12/15

 

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