Billington and Langho 1: A ride on the Old Road Over Billington Moor

This is the first post delving into some of the walking territory in Langho and Billington. This post will be a little brief. Earlier in the year, I went on a short bike ride over the old road that crosses Billington Moor, to get a good sense of the landscape and wider surroundings. There are some fine views on this stretch of road.

The start of the ride was the most difficult. I started cycling up York Lane, which is a fairly steep road and I am ashamed to admit that I had to get off and push part way up. At the top of the road is the Lord Nelson pub, which sits at a four lane junction. I'd be heading back here on the route back for a swift pint and I'll say more about it then. Whalley "Old Road" passes the front of the pub and links Blackburn with Whalley. The name of the road is a bit of a misnomer though, for whilst it is older than Whalley Road, which is the main route through the village, the oldest road is the one immediately opposite the Lord Nelson, the "Old Nab Road" and runs over the high ground of the moor before it descends at Whalley Nab. 

After a short bit of cycling on the old road, I came across a public right of way leading further up the moor to a short grit stone formation. I'll be exploring this area more fully at a later date. The road is very narrow and motorists travelling here need to keep an eye out for passing places. But those travelling by car would seldom have need to use this road given the alternatives. This gives it a quietness that is ideal for those travelling by foot or bike. The road was not built for wheels. Its primary use was for carting goods via hill ponies between Blackburn and Whalley/Clitheroe. For most of its course, the road follows the same route as The Ribble Valley Jubilee Trail, a long distance route devised in celebration of the late Queen's Jubilee.

                                      

The Old Nab Road

How about the views? Well, in parts they are rather impressive, on all sides. To the west/south west you can see out to the flatlands toward Blackpool and Lytham. This is where the Ribble's road comes to an end. On a clear day, such as the present one, Blackpool Tower is visible. There are also impressive views of the Bowland Fells. Bowland's southernmost fell, Longridge, rises gradually with a coating of trees on its upper slopes on the south side. You can just make out the more impressive slopes of Fair Snape Fell behind it. Further north are two fells close to one another, of almost identical height. The left of these two fells is Waddington and the one of the right Easington. They even look rather alike, but Easington, by less than a metre, is the tallest of the two and as a result denies Waddington of Marilyn status. The views ahead are dominated by Pendle. Wiswell moor, which connects to the nick of Pendle, is there in the foreground. Just to the right of Pendle is the small wooded Black Hill, which rises above Sabden village. Further to the east there are views over to Hambledon Hill and further in the distance over to the Calderdale Moors. I do feel rather lucky to have such views on my doorstep. 

Over toward Longridge fell with Fairsnape and Parlick rearing their heads behind

View over to Hameldon Hill near Hapton

And over to the star attraction, Pendle Hill

I cycled a couple of miles along the road in the direction of Whalley. Keep an eye out for the "backless benches" associated with Jessica Lofthouse, a writer of Lancashire history and former inhabitant of the area. Lofthouse is commemorated at Langho train station. There is a junction at Brierley's Farm near Whalley Nab. Left would descend rapidly down the nab to Whalley New Road. I turned right and soon after, turned left on a narrow road that leads onto a Bridleway. This encircles Whalley nab in a horseshoe shape, passing a few homes and a sprinkling of woodland. A path to the left leads downhill toward Nab Side farm. From this path there are far fine views across Whalley over to the Bowland fells. Whalley's viaduct stands out as a prominent feature. The view from here is quite brilliant. 

One of the "backless benches"

The view over Whalley

The path leads down to the road near Painters Farm turning left back toward the way I came. To my left there were views up toward Whalley Nab. On route back I stopped for a pint in the Lord Nelson pub in York Village. Langho surprisingly does not have a pub. There was a pub here previously, which in more recent years was an Indian Restaurant, but this closed a couple of years back. The closest places for me to get a pint are the Black Bull in Old Langho, and the Lord Nelson. The Lord Nelson has been around for a couple of centuries. Opposite the pub is an old stone well. It has an impressive beer garden out the back and a decent selection of beers, including ales from the local Bowland Brewery. 

Sources: 

There is detailed information on the three roads linking Blackburn to Whalley in William Alexander Abram's A History of Blackburn. Particularly the chapter "A History of the Township of Billington."

I couldn't find a great deal of information about the Lord Nelson on the internet. But there was an article a couple of years back in the Lancashire Telegraph: "Lord Nelson: Pub has always been a hub for the Community." Lancashire Telegraph. Link: LORD NELSON: Pub has always been a hub for the community | Lancashire Telegraph