Set in the picturesque South Pennines, Pendle Hill is just an hour from Manchester, and can be characterised by its steep drop on one side. This Lancashire gem sits high above the towns of Pendle and Clitheroe, offering panoramic views of the North West, and if you hadn’t already heard, you wouldn’t know the spooky and tragic history of Pendle Hill.
From witches and the Quaker movement, to the Industrial Revolution and farming, Pendle Hill offers more than you’d expect, and although there’s plenty in the past, you can still feel the history of the place under your feet. So we’ve got the ultimate guide to Pendle Hill, including its history, goings on and how best to explore it.
Name & history
The name ‘Pendle Hill’ combines the words for hill from three different languages. In the 13th century it was called ‘Pennul‘ or ‘Penhul‘, apparently from the Cumbric ‘pen‘ and Old English ‘hyll‘, both meaning ‘hill’. The modern English ‘hill’ was appended later, after the original meaning of Pendle had become opaque – but essentially, ‘Pendle Hill’ means ‘hill hill hill’…
A climb to the summit of Pendle Hill is said to have inspired George Fox in 1652 to found the worldwide Quaker Movement, and the Borough of Pendle is also a diverse area offering some of the best events in the UK, including the award-winning Blues Festival and the Pendle Walking Festival.
Discover the tragedy of the Pendle Witches
Pendle, and its Hill, are renowned for the witch trials of 1612, where 12 local women were held in custody, one dying before trial due to the awful conditions, one being found innocent, and 10 being eventually brutally hanged.
Instagram post via @chereel
These women were mostly from two rival families in the area – Demdike and Chattox – the widows of which were seen to lead Pendle witchcraft, named Elizabeth Southerns AKA ‘Old Demdike’ and Anne Whittle AKA ‘Mother Chattox’. The fate of Old Demdike was pretty grim, with her not reaching trial, dying in custody due to the awful conditions.
The Pendle witches were held on account of anything from cursing locals, to signs that they’d sold their souls to the Devil, all against a backdrop of religious unrest, with Lancashire seemingly leaning more towards Catholic thinking during dissolution from the ruling class.
The Pendle witch trials were held at Lancaster, where the accused mostly confessed out of fear, or had very public breakdowns in the courtroom, overcome by terror and emotion, but we’ll never really know whether the women were truly guilty of anything other than alternative ways of living.
If this is of interest, Faugh’s Delph is a quarry where Demdike, one of the oldest of the Pendle Witches, claimed in her confession to have met the devil. There’s a strange carving there, of a man’s head – is it a tribute to a fallen quarry man or is it a wizard? You decide. You can also visit the statue of Alice Nutter, an accused witch, in the nearby Roughlee Village, and amongst many tributes to the women, you can also shop at Witches Galore in the town, which is full of memorabilia and spiritual goods incluing crystals, incense and tarot cards.
Take in stunning views of and from Pendle Hill
The view of Pendle Hill from pretty much anywhere in the vicinity is pretty spectacular, but often eerie. Often shrouded in mist and fog, Pendle Hill gives that spooky, “something wicked this way comes” kind of feeling – which, given its history, is entirely fitting. On a clear day, though, from the top of the hill, you get nothing short of stunning panoramic views.
Look to the north west, and you’ll get a straight shot over to the beautiful Forest of Bowland, bordered by the lovely town of Clitheroe. South west views are of the industrial town of Blackburn, and its famous Blackburn Rovers football ground, plus the beautiful Whalley Abbey – a former monastery evoking even more of the spooky Shakespearian atmosphere you get from Pendle Hill itself.
Looking east/south east, you’ll catch a glimpse of Burnley, Todmorden and even Bradford on a clear day, with the awe-inspiring Peak District in the distance. Capture the sight of gorgeous quaint villages, canals and viaducts that litter this lovely patch of England, all from the summit of Pendle Hill. You could even catch Blackpool Tower and the Lakeland fells if you’re lucky, so keep your eyes peeled.
Enjoy a walk to the summit of Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill rises above an ancient hunting ground, once the home of wolves and wild boar and to this day is dotted with tiny hamlets and farms. It is still an untamed place, full of mystery and beauty, and you can feel the history beneath you as you walk. Long distance walks, such as the 43-mile Pendle Way and parts of the Brontë Way, combine history with stunning scenery, with plenty of country inns and farmhouses, and many nods to the past as you go.
The summit of Pendle Hill boasts a magnificent stone trig point, which is what you’ll see plenty of people posting on social media to mark their walk to the top. Pendle Hill is just pipped to the post at 557 metres high, with 610 metres being the qualifying height for a mountain in the UK – nearly!
Instagram post via @nads_sankey
With the exception of the climb up the ‘steps’ of Pendle Hill, the walk up is fairly easy. However, there are lots of uneven surfaces, making it unsuitable for prams, children and the elderly – after all, it’s a true ‘hill hill hill’.
Most routes start from Barley Village in Pendle, which, given the picnic spot and car park, makes for the most straightforward of routes. You’ll reach reservoirs, some steep and rocky terrain, and ancient dry stone walls, but most of the first mile is flat path to reach the rambling route. This route created by Visit North West is around four miles long, which will take most people about two hours, but there are plenty of other options out there.