The Local Area - Pennine Lancashire
Visiting Lancashire
Lancashire is one of the premier tourist areas of the UK. It is bound by sea to the west, the Pennine Hills to the east, the Lake District to the north and the River Mersey and towns of Liverpool and Manchester to the south. With a culture all of its own you can come and discover the beautiful Lancashire countryside of the Ribble Valley and Pendle Hill- home of the famous Pendle Witches and Europe's largest seaside resort - Blackpool - with its scaled down version of the Eiffel Tower, visible for miles around. Explore Lancashire's bustling towns and chic cities or the heritage sites of its industrial past.
Roughlee is set in the Forest of Bowland (AONB) which is a nationally protected landscape and is internationally important for its heather moorland, blanket bog and rare birds. The AONB is managed by a partnership of landowners, farmers and voluntary organisations, wildlife groups, recreation groups, local councils and government agencies who work to protect, conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of this special area. For more information about the Forest of Bowland, visit the website at www.forestofbowland.com.
Visiting Roughlee
Roughlee is famous for the Pendle Witches - the witch connection goes right back to the beginning of the 17th Century during the reign of James I. He lived in fear of rebellion and his suspicious nature led to an obsession with witchcraft. In 1612, nine local people were hanged for witchcraft in Lancaster in front of huge crowds and since then scores of books and stories have been written about the Pendle Witches.
Roughlee Old Hall was once believed to be the home of famous Pendle Witch Alice Nutter and some rumours have it that she or her relatives may have lived at Dam Head Farm!
The village also housed the first school in Pendle, opened in 1852, and which sits at the bottom of the garden facing Pendle Waters with its famous waterfall.
