"Back To The Trough of Bowland." Slaidburn by nickandchris

We had booked a Camping Club CL (certificated location only allowing 5 units on site) just outside Slaidburn, Lancashire, for the August Bank Holiday Weekend. We were so looking forward to getting away in the motorhome before winter set in, sitting out and enjoying the Hodder valley views. Ummm, well, we shouldn't have presumed. From the moment we set off we suffered strong winds and torrential rain. Everywhere was soaking wet, the ground well and truly saturated. What had we let ourselves in for?

Everything turned out ok, as the site actually had hard standings (very much needed as to leave the hard ground encountered sinking into the boggy ground which would have made it impossible for our motorhome to get off the site.) We were joined by two caravans, two campervans and a tent!! Crikey, they were brave but seemed to know what they were doing in such dreadful conditions and actually stayed longer than us in the end!

Trough of Bowland scenery

We had a few lulls in the weather which enabled us to get out on the motorbike and explore the beautiful countryside. It really is a stunning part of the world and is extremely popular with cyclists and walkers alike. Cycle trails lead into Gisburn Forest, offering a range of trails for differing abilities. There are also some marvellous roads in this area, taking in the surrounding fells and pastureland and many of them are"quiet lanes" which are particularly suitable for walking and cycling. Certainly, I have never seen so many well maintained footpaths.One popular walk is the circular one around Stocks reservoir.

Hark to Bounty in Slaidburn.

Slaidburn is in the Hodder Valley in the Trough of Bowland and is classed as An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Surrounded by the protecting Bowland Fells and sitting on the banks of the river Hodder, time seems to have stood still here.Many of the houses belonged to Bowland estate and were occuppied by farming tenants for over 200 years.Today, farming is still Slaidburn's primary industry but properties are privately owned, with some now being holiday accommodation.

The Hark to Bounty pub is a pretty sight in summer, with hanging baskets and flower displays creating colourful displays on the the quaint old building's exterior. Upstairs is still home to the Moot courtroom of the Forest of Bowland where meetimgs are held. We sampled a bowl of soup at the pub, one lunchtime and thought it a pretty pub, far more extensive than we had first thought.

Opposite the pub is a sort of wooden cupboard built into the wall. This was a first aid box and used to contain a stretcher for injured fell walkers.

Slaidburn boasts a post office and village store, the pub, tearooms, a couple of gifty type shops and a prominent youth hostel. There is also a Heritage Centre, which we somehow missed!

Nearby are Stocks Reservoir and Gisburn Forest, where ample cycling and walking opportuniies await, as well as permit fishing.

A bus service runs between Slaidburn and Clitheroe, some run as far as Settle.

Our weekend in this area was spent touring on the motorbike, enjoying a couple of pub lunches and a spot of boggy walking! This beautiful area seems to be much overlooked by the tourist industry and we were very pleasantly surprised how quiet everywhere was. Mind you, that could have been something to do with the apalling weather.......

• Pros:So many walking opportunities.....
• Cons:Can be very wet and windy!
• In a nutshell:An old fashioned village in a beautiful location.