On a clear day

Tues. 25th March 2014
                    We're still out and about but because my posts repeat the same theme year after year it's difficult to put a new angle on the same locations. Yesterday was frosty early with a wonderful clear sky so we walked over Pendle Hill yet again hoping for exceptional visibility, it was OK but not as good as expected. I tried a few different camera angles and hazy distant shots to explain the views from our local hill because many people are not aware of what can be seen from the top of Pendle at 1831 ft.

                        The familiar profile from our side of the hill

The slog up the stepped Path (a route I dislike) takes about 35 minutes from the road end to the top

The view from the wall at the top of the path looking up the Ribble Valley towards Ribblehead

North East with Great Whernside in the distance in upper Wharfedale and some of the lower fells still dusted with an overnight snow shower

In the distant centre of the photo, Pen-y-ghent, the location of the Purple Saxifrage it's the mountain we visit each year in March or early April to photograph this special flower

      The path along the eastern side of Pendle which overlooks our area

         The view to the towns of Nelson & Colne the area where we live

                                         The Trig Point

To the west the sea and Blackpool Tower can just be seen on the horizon above the lower slopes of Longridge Fell

Looking more to the northwest the original wide valley of the  River Hodder (it changed coarse at the end of the last Iceage) to the left Longridge Fell in the centre Beacon Fell and to the right Parlick Hill and Fairsnape Fell in the Bowland fells

In the distance towards the northwest above the Bowland Fells the snow covered  Eastern Lakeland Fells around the Helvellyn area a distance of around 50 miles or more

Descending off Pendle Hill on the northside on a little used path towards Downham

We then turned north east along the lower slopes of the hill overlooking the Ribble Valley

In the centre .......Ingleborough with the more distant Whernside to the right

   Climbing down off the ladder stile and back to the big end of Pendle Hill

Another less familiar view of the big end of Pendle with the dry stone wall running up to and then across the top

Our summary
A bracing walk in a cool S.E.wind but an enjoyable one with the call of the Curlew and aerial songflight of the Skylark on the wind all day.