Celebrate 400th and 30th anniversaries at The Pendle Walking Festival

“Pendle in Lancashire will be celebrating 30 glorious years of The Pendle Way at the launch of this year’s Walking Festival”, announced our leader for tourism, Councillor Eileen Ansar.

The Festival, now in its 14th year, runs from Saturday 12th August to Sunday 20th August in an unspoilt part of the Pennines.

The area borders the Yorkshire Dales and Brontë moors and includes part of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the famous landmark, Pendle Hill.

Guided walks exploring parts of the Pendle Way are included in the programme of 61 walks, including the challenge of doing the whole of the Pendle way (45 miles) over four days.

“We are also celebrating an unusual 400th anniversary, with walks which uncover the forgotten story of Jonas Moore who was born in Pendle in 1617,” said Eileen.

A radical 17th century mathematician, Sir Jonas Moore was known as ‘the father of time’ for his part in establishing the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and Greenwich Mean Time.
And in the world famous trial of 1612, Jonas Moore’s brother was documented as one of the first ‘victims’ of the Pendle Witches.

The Pendle Walking Festival includes some fascinating history walks from Jonas Moore’s birthplace village of Higham and walks associated with the notorious Pendle Witches.

“Walkers of all ages and abilities are urged to lace up their boots and find out more about Pendle’s fascinating history,” said Tourism Officer, Mike Williams.

The Walking Festival programme can be downloaded from our website www.visitpendle.com including information on a great range of places to stay.

“We are keen to share this small yet immensely varied and beautiful corner of Britain,” said Mike.

The Festival, now in its 14th year, welcomes people of all ages including families thanks to a range of walks from the easy to the challenging.

Pendle’s Countryside Access Officer Tom Partridge who has co-ordinated this year’s Festival said: “From windswept moors to hidden valleys and unspoilt villages, there’s a stunning view around every corner.”

“And the majority of the guided walks are completely free, thanks to our dedicated and experienced volunteer walk leaders,” said Tom.

“There’s just a small charge for transport for those wanting to complete The Pendle Way,” he added.

Mike explained, “We’re making a holiday much more affordable, especially for families, as entertaining a family on holiday for a week can be very costly!”

Anyone not able to make this year’s Pendle Walking Festival can still enjoy the Pendle Way, Pendle Witches walks and a wide range of walks including family walks.

A range of easy to follow walking guides with maps, including each of the eight sections of the Pendle Way, can be downloaded from www.visitpendle.com