In previous articles I’ve referred to my love of the River Hodder in Lancashire.  Recently I came across some photographs taken one very snowy Saturday morning in, I think, 1991 (or it may have been 1992). It was a splendidly crisp day, and great to walk where no man had gone before, as it were.  I started by the Hodder itself, and then decided to drive into the Trough of Bowland and walk up by the Langden Brook, one of the smaller streams that feeds the Hodder.  I’d lost the photographs for many years, but have never lost the memory.

The Hodder near Dunsop Bridge (1991?)

Got here before the gritters

Looking down on the Waterworks, Langden Valley, Bowland

I’m the first here – apart from the sheep

The snow is thinner here – but desolate for miles now

As I’ve said before, the Hodder with its villages, and the Trough of Bowland deserve to be much better known – but don’t come in droves will you; I’d like to see it stay peaceful.

When looking through the December 2009 issue of Country Walking Magazine I was rather surprised to find Burnley, Lancashire, listed among the month’s twenty-six recommended walking routes.  Now before anyone jumps to the conclusion that this is a southerner talking out of the top of his hat about the industrial north and “dark satanic mills”, let me point out that I grew up in Burnley, went to school there, and only left on getting married and moving fifteen miles down the road to Darwen.

The photograph above is copied from the 1909 official guide to Towneley Hall which, along with other publications, has been in my Burnley local history collection for many years – actually I have a 1911 reprint, not the 1909 first printing.

Having grown up in Burnley I think I can claim the right to be balanced and fair about it, without indulging in dishonest flettery.  There are some grotty parts.  I recently went back to the Burnley Wood part of the town and was seriously unimpressed with the condition of the area.  On the other hand there are some wonderful places, and Towneley Hall with its open fields and woodland park stands out among them.  So I should not really have been surprised; it’s just that it’s relatively unusual for the message to have got home to people outside the area.

I had the enormous privilege between the ages of twelve and twenty-one of living on Woodgrove Road  overlooking Towneley Holmes.  It was from this base that in my teens I learned the joy of walking in the countryside, across the valley, up and over the hill to Worsthorne and Hurstwood; along the valley to Walk Mill, Holme and  Cliviger Gorge.  Earlier this year, due to the illness and death of a close relative, I had to spend considerable time in the area and was reintroduced to exploring this wonderful landscape – wonderful, and yet so close to the legacy of 19th century industrialisation and 20th century urban sprawl.

The Country Walking route starts in front of Towneley Hall, takes you high above the town on the moors at Crown Point (where as a 10-year-old in the early 50s I was often to be found with the family Alsatian), down past Dyneley to Walk Mill and back along the valley close to the Calder to the Towneley Hall car park – or more likely the Stables Cafe.

This really is a inspired example of how people living in so many of Lancashire’s industrial towns have always been able to get out quickly into splendid countryside.  Towneley Hall itself warrants a future article of its own.

Winter visits to the Lake District are the subject of a 12-page beautifully illustrated feature article in the January issue of Country Walking magazine. The idea that Cumbria is a northern county to be visited only in the summer is well and truly demolished by its photographs. The Lake District is beautiful throughout all seasons of the year.

Most appropriately, given last month’s disastrous “once in a thousand years” rainfall and flooding of many areas of the Lake District (not only those prominently featured in the national news media), the article concludes with a reminder that it is still possible to donate to the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund and Fix the Fells.

For those who are not feeling up to energetic outdoor exploration during the winter months there are of course many indoor attractions and activities that are open all year round, mostly of a unique Lake District character unavailable anywhere else.  I referred to some in the Coniston area in a recent post on this site, and plan to add more along this line in the near future.

Finally for today, I see on the Ordnance Survey’s online-magazine blog a suggestion that hikers might expand their interests to take in rock climbing.

Lake District hikers may enjoy rock climbing

Ordnance Survey, 8 Dec 2009

Those on a hiking or camping holiday in the Lake District may wish to follow the advice of the Daily Mail and indulge in some rock climbing while they are there.

I do agree, but given that it’s now cold, wet and in high places icy, I hope that anyone taking up the suggestion will get good advice, watch the weather and the clock, go prepared and well-equipped, and not add to the mountain rescue statistics.

And then finally finally, don’t forget to subscribe to Country Walking magazine so as not to miss an issue. Click on the image below to subscribe.

The header photo both of this blog and our “English Lakes” site is of Ullswater. The second largest body of water in the Cumbrian Lake District, Ullswater is much less commercialised than the larger Windermere. There are few significant centres of human habitation. At the northeastern end of the lake is the small village of Pooley Bridge. At the southern end is Glenridding, and this is the focal point of an article in the December ‘09 issue of Country Walking magazine.

Headed “48 hours in Glenridding” the article suggests walks over Place Fell on a Saturday followed by Glenridding Dodd on the Sunday morning. It also points to places to while the time away over a meal, and of course advises a trip on the Ullswater Steamer.

One of the outstanding features of Country Walking is its monthly selection of walks in places all over Britain. These “Route Cards” are graded for difficulty and arranged to be cut out and carried with you for reference. Detailed maps are included, and helpful notes on such matters as refreshments, public transport and public toilets (where there are such things). The Place Fell walk (‘Challenging’) and the Glenridding Dodd circuit (mostly ‘Easy’ but with a couple of steep and rough sections) are described in detail in this month’s selection of 27 walks.

Subscribe to Country Walking.

Next month’s issue (January 2010) has “The Lake District in Winter” as a major theme. Don’t miss it.

I’ve just noticed this morning that Amazon.co.uk have the Wainwright Walks complete BBC series 1 & 2 presented by Julia Bradbury on offer at half price for the DVD boxed set. (Click on the box)

This would be a great gift for someone who loves the English Lake District, or even for someone who needs introducing to Lakeland.  My recommendation would be to grab a set while they’re available at this price.

Also, if you’re a Julia Bradbury fan there are other DVDs available there: Wainwright Walks Coast To Coast [2009] and Railway Walks with Julia Bradbury [2009]. In fact there’s an amazing offer if you take all three together.

A few minutes ago I was tidying some magazines in my office when I came across a pile of Country Walking back issues. What immediately struck me was the frequency with which the Lake District featured on the front cover. Here are just a few.

This excellent monthly magazine not only contains articles describing great walks in many parts of the country, but also includes expert reviews of a wide range of outdoor equipment (gear and gadgets) relevant to the enthusiastic walker.

The photography is excellent and the writing of a high quality – clear and easily read. Each month also there is a series of route sheets, covering walks in many parts of the UK, conveniently sized for cutting out and laminating; each one has a relevant section of OS map.

For the Lake District enthusiast the February 2009 issue of Country Walking has an article on Buttermere as well as two Cumbrian walks in the Routes section.

Click above on the photo or here to order a year’s subscription, saving over buying monthly from the newsagent, and ensuring that you don’t miss a copy. And how about a gift subscription for a friend or family member?