Mist Over Pendle

Pendle Hill dominates the eastern end of Lancashire, its long prow pointing north east like a tanker sailing through the Ribble Valley on a glacially slow journey towards the North Sea.

The colossal barrow hunkers long and low over the hill country of the Ribble plain always in view, as when the A59 motors alongside for a mile or more.

On a good day, the blue skies dotted with white, scuzzy cloud, Pendle offers a chocolate-coloured warmth and comfort for walkers.

But, when the clouds lower and the mist descends over the ridge, the hill takes on a rather more ethereal air. You don't need to believe in ghosts to feel a brooding, only just hidden presence here.

For a good afternoon's solid hike, there is the satisfaction of taking on the steep slope to the top, followed by a stroll along Pendle's lengthy summit; finally to traverse down through the valley.

It will take some by surprise by the exertion required on the way up, but the panoramas across and around the whole county - from the Yorkshire borders north and east, to the coast and the Irish Sea beyond - are a satisfying return for the effort.

A few minutes across the Ribble valley and there is the splendid garden terrace of the Shireburn Arms in Hurst Green. Properly kept, hand-pulled bitter and unrivalled views across the Shire (since this part of the county is said to have been the setting for the home of the Hobbits in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings).