Pendle Witch Country, Lancashire by Tim and Laura Moss

As well as cotton mills, Lancashire is also famous for its witches. Four hundred years ago, twelve people living near Pendle Hill were charged with witchcraft, leading to some of the country’s most notorious and best documented witch trials.

That’s ancient history now, but there is still something magical about the riding around here. 

The route here starts from and finishes in Clitheroe. It winds its way through Waddington, West Bradford, Bolton by Bowland and Barley before reaching Sabden and the bottom of the the Nick O’Pendle. This is a classic ascent that features in the ‘100 Greatest Climbs’ book. It involves 135-metres of climbing over 1.2km and you can test yourself against Chris Boardman’s time of 3 minutes and 29 seconds (or not).

From there you just need to roll your way back down to Clitheroe and you’re done. If you time your ride for 24 May 2019, then you’ll find a couple of hundred other cycle tourists there, ready for the Cycle Touring Festival.