Pendle News Room

Pendle’s Countryside Access Officer, Tom Partridge, who co-ordinated over 60 walks said:

“Amazing, crystal clear views and dry, sunny weather have been the hallmark of this year’s Festival.

“Walkers could see the Lake District fells from the top of Pendle Hill, looking out over an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“People commented on the beautiful long distance views on all our walks,” he said.

“The Pendle Walking Festival, now in its 14th year, got rave reviews from ramblers from far and wide.” explained Pendle’s leader for tourism, Councillor Eileen Ansar. 

Bridget Lee from London said:

"I was brought up in Nelson in Pendle and always enjoyed the fact that we had the countryside on our doorstep.

“A free walking festival is a brilliant idea and I certainly hope to come back next year.”

Arlette Lebel was one of eight walkers from Pendle’s twin town of Creil near Paris who took part in the Festival.

 She said: “I have visited Pendle before but I finally got to walk up Pendle Hill!  

“It was a great experience and I will definitely be returning to do more walking.  Everyone was very friendly and Pendle looked so green!” 
Another walker from Creil, Chair of the Creil Twinning Association, Nicolle Saudrais, added:
 
“I really enjoyed the walks in the Pendle countryside which is a very different landscape to Northern France.”
 
Roger Lee, a local rambler, took part in the Pendle Way Challenge and said:

“The Festival showcases our beautiful countryside, with walks led by experienced walkers.  I found the Pendle Way a challenging but enjoyable experience.”

Pendle Council asked all the walkers to fill in a short survey on all aspects of the Festival and 
87 % rated their enjoyment of the walks as 9/10 or 10/10 with one of the walkers saying it was “the greatest free walking festival in England!” 
 
Pendle’s Tourism Officer Mike Williams said:

“We’re all passionate about our beautiful area and it’s open all year!

“During our Walking Festival we celebrated the 30th birthday of our 45 mile Pendle Way and have just completed a new short video about it, available on http://www.visitpendle.com/pwvideo

“And we have a huge range of walks, from the easy to the challenging, which can be downloaded from our website www.visitpendle.com 
 
Councillor Ansar added:
“Pendle’s varied open countryside with miles of footpaths is a major asset to our local tourism economy which is worth £106 million to the each year.”