Hurstwood Reservoir, Burnley Walk

A nice easy walk for today.  6km around Hurstwood reservoir.

We took the pram today and set off from Worsthorne church.

How freaking adorable is this outfit!?!

A long walk up the hill.

With some stunning views.

Pendle hill from the other side.

It's a fair climb.

All the way to the top.

Before descending down to the reservoir.

Little Miss had tired legs - not surprising after pushing the pram most of the way!

Check out those Maxaloones protecting her knees from the sun.

Alongside the reservoir.

And onto the wood.

Which was stunning.

There are some benches just beyond the wood where we stopped for a picnic.

Before continuing through Hurstwood.

And along the road back to Worsthorne.

Shibden Park Walk

I grew up spending my childhood summers at Shibden Park so of course I bring Little Miss here to explore it too.

On this occasion we took a little stroll around the grounds.

Visiting features I've not seen before.

And some familiar views.

Witton Country Park Walk

Witton Country Park comprises of 480 acres of beautiful mixed woodland, parkland, amenity grassland and farmland.

It's overlooked by a large wooded hill 

with a pushchair "accessible" path.  

The word "accessible" is open to a great deal of interpretation.  I'm very glad I had borrowed a Sleepy Nico toddler carrier from West Pennine Slings.

The view from the top was spectacular.

The bluebells were just starting to make an appearance.

Little Pickle spent most of the walk clutching his Slingamebob - I had to share the cuteness!!

His big sister really enjoyed the adventure playground.

Spring Wood, Whalley Walk

Spring Wood is a small area of ancient woodland once owned by nearby Whalley Abbey.

The walk starts with a short climb to the top of the wood.  

Little Miss took to using a stick to help her along.

Then back down the other side of the woodland.  

The usually accessible path was undergoing a major renovation, thank fully we didn't bring the pram today.

The digger was a highlight for Little Miss.

Cuerden Valley Park Walk

A little blowing away of the old cobwebs with a walk around Cuerden Valley Park.

It was a wet and dismal day but plans had been made so we made the best of it.

We stopped for a brew at the cafe.

Followed by dinner at the Ley Inn.

Pushchair Walk - Entwistle Reservoir

It's freeezzzing cold but the worst of the snow has finally cleared and the temperatures nudged above zero so it's time for baby Pickle's first adventure.

I need to to take some time to build my postnatal fitness so I've reached for this book.  I much prefer to use a sling instead of a pram but these pushchair walks tend to be quite easy going without much in the way of bogs, styles or big hills, perfect for getting back into the swing of things.  

This 3 km stroll around a reservoir is just the thing to start with.  The path is wide and flat with no need to navigate.

A little art at the half way point.

And here's the grey and dismal view from the opposite side.

I really should have walked a little closer, you can just about see one of the many reasons I babywear, even on a walk like this, the recent storms had brought down a large tree which was completely blocking the otherwise accessible path.

But with Little Pickle snuggled up nice and warm I just climbed over the tree branches.

I'm hoping to get a fair few more of these walks under my belt over the coming months.  I'm sure I'll get bored of them when I eventually build up my fitness levels but for now, nice and easy is the order of the day.

Hike Up Pendle Hill

The stunning landscape here is dominated by Pendle Hill.  At 557 metres above sea level it's just 53 metres short of a mountain.  And of course mountains are there to be climbed.

It's an exhausting climb up a heck of a lot of huge stone steps.  

But the feeling of exhilaration when you get to the top is amazing!

This is the first time I've carried Little Miss all the way up.

She wasn't happy with the windy conditions at the summit.   

We stopped for lunch and a few photos at the top, followed by a well deserved pint at the Pendle Inn which is at the bottom.  

Here's the walk route:  http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-1267-introduction

Downham Circular Walk

A nice little walk through and around the village of Downham. 

It was chilly so we wrapped up warm.  

Daddy carried Little Miss for a change.

The views of Pendle Hill were spectacular.  

And obviously the Pupster enjoyed himself.  

The destructions come as a free handy pdf which you can download to your phone or print out for old fashioned navigating.

Here's the link to download it:
http://forestofbowland.com/files/uploads/pdfs/walks/DownhamCirc2.pdf

And some more walks in the area:
http://forestofbowland.com/walking_routes

Great Mitton Circular Walk

An impromptu walk to blow away the cobwebs after an indulgent Christmas.  

An interesting little walk.

In an area we don't normally walk so it made a nice change.

With the hubster in charge of Little Miss for another change.  

And me with the pupster.

Here's the route we followed:

http://www.thethreefishes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/The-Three-Fishes-Great-Mitton.pdf

We parked up at the Three Fishes planning to stop for a drink but it was very busy and rather posh looking, as we were anything but posh - totally caked in mud, we thought they'd prefer we didn't!

Annual Walk up Darwen Tower

Every New Year we blow away the cobwebs with a hike up to Darwen Tower.

It's a hell of a hike.

But not for Little Miss.  

It's a relief to get to the top.  

But it's worth it.  

Until next year . . . .