Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
Both Clitheroe and Whalley are on the edge of the Trough of Bowland, which is unknown to most people, but somewhere the Queen would like to retire to (apparently!). It's The Telegraph's 'answer to Tuscany' too. I knew it from childhood, Frances had never been. We set out to explore. .......we arrived at our lunch destination, one of the great hotels of England, The Inn At Whitewell. The location and views were sublime. It sits above the River Hodder and in summer how nice would it be to sit on the terrace..... The food was really good and very reasonably priced too. Unusually I had a home-smoked kipper with crusty brown bread for my lunch, and Frances seems delighted to have her pie! The real ale was good, the fires lovely, and everyone was very welcoming. What more could one ask? Next stop was Slaidburn right in the heart of Bowland.. .....with its cosy tea shop...... and brilliant pub......the Hark To Bounty.... The Trough of Bowland is a fantastic mix of moors, woods, rivers, beautiful valleys, villages you want to capture in photos and, of course, good pubs. Moving nearer to home I particularly wanted to visit Waddington and here it is.......the pub (one of three excellent ale houses in this village) ....the Manor House......... and the beautiful Millennium Gardens created and looked after by the locals. It's amazing what people can do...... Nearby Cromwell's Bridge once carried a packhorse trail over the River Hodder, about a mile from its confluence with the Ribble. It earned its name after Oliver Cromwell's parliamentary army crossed the bridge on their way from Gisburn to where they fought the King's men in the Battle of Preston. It is said that he ordered the dismantling of the parapets to ease his army's crossing.......... Now to Clitheroe. We couldn't stay and not visit the castle, Norman, and said to be the smallest keep in England. We hadn't time to visit the on-site museum, but the views were splendid.... It was also interesting to see the intricate and ornate stone pinnacle from the Houses of Parliament bought by Sir William Brass MP and presented to the town for George VI’s coronation in 1937. The pinnacle, or turret, originally formed part of the roof of the building that had had to be rebuilt following the Great Fire of 1834. Sir William paid for the pinnacle to be transported and installed in a rose garden he also created at Clitheroe Castle. I mentioned that Holmes Mill had a cinema. One evening we went. It was expensive but worth it. Very stylish indeed. Here's the bar... .......the entrance to Screen 2......... and the amazing cinema........very comfy indeed...and drinks and meals served at your seat should you wish...........
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August 2023
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