Another walk around Earby

It was looking a bit overcast again as I stepped out the front door for another days walking. One of my fellow hostelers declared that we were going to get some very heavy thunderstorms and it would pee it down all day. Rubbish says I, don't believe what the forecasters tell you, they often get it wrong. It wasn't long before I was changing into my shorts again, don't know why I brought my waterproofs with me.

I set off up a long lane and came across a farmer who was shepherding a sheep which had escaped from it's field. It's almost fully grown lamb was calling for it's mum on the other side of the fence. All of a sudden mum sheep leapt over the barbed wire to join baby in the field, thus saving the farmer the job of guiding it back through the gate. I noticed his house was up for sale so I stopped for a chat. I love chatting to people, to learn about their way of life, it makes walking all that more enjoyable.

I asked him what it was like to live in a remote area with no near neighbours, and if he had sold his house. He said he used to like living out in the wilds, but it had taken it's toll on his health and his marriage. He had a nervous breakdown and his wife was also not very well. They now live in the village but live seperate lives. The barn has been sold but not the house, he is keeping the land and 400 sheep and just comes up daily to see to them.

He felt sorry that he had to leave the house which he bought from his parents, and had lived there for the whole of his life. I felt a bit sorry for him that it had all gone wrong. I also felt a bit guilty that I was walking on his land and having a wonderful time in such beautiful scenery, and he was no longer able to enjoy it. I would have liked to stop and talk for longer but we both had things to do, and I don't like to overstay my welcome. There was sadness in his eyes, and I felt there was more to the story, which he was holding back. I hope he gets the life he wants and things start going right for him again.

A bit further along there was a lot of activity at this place, The Mount Farmhouse. A big rebuilding project was underway, it looked a bit like something from Grand Designs, the TV programme about fabulous houses in fabulous settings.

This is the back of the property, it looks like it is being renovated to a high standard.

And this is the fabulous view that the occupants will get when they eventually move in. Wow! Lucky so and so's.

EDIT TO INCLUDE LINK. I have done a search on this house and found this site.
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/the-mount/gaylands-lane/earby/barnoldswick/bb18-6jr/13858705

It was offered for sale in January 2011 for £795.000. You will see that the three photo's on the site look nothing like the house now, they are computer generated. Very strange, maybe it was advertised in this way to tempt buyers. There was no For Sale board outside, and it is not listed on the Estate Agents site, so I can only assume it has been sold and the new owners are doing it up.

The clock shows just after 11am as I sat down on this bench at Thornton in Craven.

I left the village along the B6252 heading towards Barnoldswick, and came across more Almshouses. These five little cottages looked well kept with their neat and tidy gardens.

Here is the plaque above the centre door which tells a bit about them.

Just down the road is The Church of St Mary. That little stump in the bottom left hand side of the picture is a well, they call it the Holy Well. Every Saturday at noon they have a Healing Service called The Sprinkling.

I came off the road and took a left fork and got back on the Pendle Way again. Here is a little film I made. Please excuse the wind noise.



I did find the church, it was on the right hand side of the wall. The Church of St Mary - le - Ghyll, 1157AD, has a massive cemetery all around it. I went around the edge to find the path out. Just as I was heading towards Barnoldswick the heavens opened. Luckily I was underneath some big trees, up went the brolly and I managed to avoid getting a soaking by standing still for ten minutes untill it blew over.

That's better, I joined the canal tow path at that point.

A bit of a queue here, four boats all came along at the same time and had to wait their turn to pass through the lock.

I had a little bimble round Barnoldswick, some of it I remembered from when I was here last year while passing through on the long walk. Here is the Methodist Church built in 1892. Next door they added a school at a later date.

The town square, there are a lot of small independant retailers here. The Co op shop seems to be the dominant supermarket around these parts, not good for me, too expensive.

Next came a long trek along Lister Well Road, across White Moor. It was quite blustery along the exposed path, but lovely and warm. At this point I thought I ought to be making my way back towards the Hostel, so I did a left turn towards Foulridge Lower Reservoir. Lo and behold I came to the other end of the Foulridge Tunnel.

A quick walk through Foulridge village crossing the path I was on yesterday, and I took a minor road alongside the A56 heading northbound. It was a quiet road and I enjoyed having a nosey into peoples gardens, ha ha. I hit the village of Kelbrook just after 6pm and the delicious smell of fish and chips drifted past my nostrils. Mmmm, I must get some chips I thought, as I followed my nose. Yes, the chippy was on the main road. You can's beat a tray of chips to finish off a good walk. Another 14.6 miles as checked on bikehike.co.uk

I ate my chips as I strolled along in the sunshine, back to Earby. This is my third and last night at the hostel. My evening meal will be the same as the two previous nights. Pasta and cheese, the last bit of a quiche, lettuce and mushrooms, followed by yogurt, all reduced price, bought at Tesco Burnley as I passed through on the way here. Toodle pip, the last instalment of my four day cheapie trip tomorrow.