Pendle Hill and the Ogden reservoirs from Barley

From the car park in Barley the walk follows the track west past Lower Ogden Reservoir to Upper Ogden Reservoir, then climbs north up the moor by Ogden Clough to the summit of Pendle Hill, the Beacon, at 557 m. The view takes in the Yorkshire Dales, the Forest of Bowland and the coast. The way down heads east across the top and down the steep side of the hill to the farms below, then past the Black Moss reservoirs and back along the lanes to Barley.

It is 7.2 km with 336 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Easy. The climb is steady on moorland paths; nearly a third is on lanes.

The top of Pendle is open moorland and exposed; in mist it is easy to lose the way. The paths are boggy in places after rain. Sheep graze the hill, so keep dogs on leads. Pendle is famous for the witch trials of 1612 and is very busy around Halloween.

The Barley car park is run by the parish council and is pay and display. The nearest station is Brierfield, about 4 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.