DAY 2 – 3rd July 2022
Whalley to Rising Bridge, near Accrington – 27 miles.
Ascent 3,732ft.
Stage 20 (C4) to Newchurch in Pendle on the Central Loop. Then join Stage 44 (E2) of the Eastern Loop. Walking in reverse around the Eastern Loop for a change follow Stage 44 and 43 (E2 and E1) to the centre of Burnley. Then complete Stages 59 to 57 (E17 to E15) to Rising Bridge.
Padiham has a Tesco store just off the route which is ideal for picking up lunch. There are also options later in Burnley.
At the end of the Day, I picked up the 464 bus to Accrington and stayed at the OYO Castle Hotel, which is just a short walk from the bus station. It is a budget hotel above a good pub, but clean and comfortable and with a friendly welcome. No food but Weatherspoon’s in the town centre is perfect for both dinner and breakfast.
First stop is the Nick of Pendle
Pendle Hill is not for us today as we drop down into Newchurch
Not many photos of the next section – rain and lots of it. Tesco in Padiham was a welcome place of shelter and source of lunch. Here we are on the Burnley Way exiting Burnley.
A grey Towneley Hall. We also visited Gawthorpe Hall an hour or two earlier but no photos in the rain.
The walk was shortly after the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. After a dismal afternoon the sight of the Singing Ringing Tree adorned with a Jubilee Union Jack lifted my spirits.
The final climb of the day over Goodshaw Hill with its unusual stone stile.
