Foulridge to Greenber Field
An easy ride along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal, and a chance encounter with stalactites and a ghost.
Minimum time 1h30
Distance 8.25 miles (13.2 km)
Difficulty Easy
Suggested map OS Explorer OL21 South Pennies
Start/finish Foulridge Wharf; grid ref: SD 888427
Trails/tracks good tow path, with just a few cobbles in places
Landscape mainly farmland, with rolling hills in the distance and little urbanisation
Public toilets none on route
Tourist information Barnoldswick (Colne), tel 01282 666704
Bike hire Pedal Power, Waddington Road, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 2HJ, tel 01200 422066
Recommended pub The Anchor Inn, Salterforth
Notes Care to be taken as whole ride is beside the canal
Description
Kingfishers dart about along the canal, and it is also worth keeping a wary eye open for these arrows of iridescence. They like to perch on branches overhanging the canal, from which they dive into the water to catch small fish.
Well worth a visit are the cellars of the Anchor Inn at Salterforth, which have an impressive array of 'straw' stalactites, and some rather stunted stalagmites. It's certainly not what you expect; nor the flooded cellar; nor Joseph Widdup, who hanged himself in the cellar, and whose ghost still haunts the pub; not a fearful spirit, just playful, as the barstaff may well tell you.
Why do this bike ride?
This is Pendle, a delightful mix of witchcraft and enchanting scenery, a place of ancient market towns and stone-built villages. But it so much more; bordering Yorkshire, there are extensive views framed by trees alongside the canal, and a pastoral loveliness. The ride is entirely flat all the way, and with only one brief road crossing to deal with as you switch sides of the canal, the miles simply slip by.
Directions
© Automobile Association 2006. © Crown Copyright Licence Number 399221
Getting to the start
Foulridge lies just over 1 mile (1.6km) north of Colne along the A56 to Skipton. In the centre of Foulridge, take the B6251, and follow signs for Foulridge Wharf. There is a small car park at the wharf.
1 Follow the canal to the locks at Greenber Field, and then come back, is about all that's really needed. The tow path gives elevated views of the surrounding countryside, and encounters no hindrance until a gate complex is reached just past The Anchor Inn at Salterforth.
2 Continue as far as Bridge No. 153, and there, with care, emerge briefly onto a minor road in order to switch sides of the canal. Press on, passing some light industrial units, with an increasing amount of urbanisation as the route passes through the suburbs of Barnoldswick. This is short-lived, and soon farmland landscapes return, as the tow path heads for the locks at Greenber Field, once voted the best-kept locks in Britain.
3 The return route is simply back along the tow path, but perhaps calling in at The Anchor Inn on the way.
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