Photo of the Forest of Bowland, a National Landscape in England.

Forest of BowlandPhoto Robin Cross / Unsplash

Places to explore near Blackburn

Cotton wove Blackburn into a mill town of tall chimneys and terraced streets, ringed by the moors that gave it the soft water and fast becks it ran on. The West Pennine Moors climb straight from the southern edge towards the tower on Darwen Hill and the reservoirs and terraced gardens of Rivington. Northward the land opens into the Ribble Valley, with the long whaleback of Pendle Hill beyond, heavy with witch-trial history. The heather uplands of the Forest of Bowland fill the horizon to the north.

92 places within 25 km — the standouts first, nearest first within each group. 1 is a national icon.

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Worth the tripnational icons and local highlights within reach

Photo of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, a 127-mile canal running from Leeds to Liverpool, England.

Leeds & Liverpool Canal

The longest single canal in Britain, crossing the Pennines by Bingley's Five Rise Locks and the moors above Burnley.

0.4 km SE · spans 5 counties

Photo of Hoghton Tower, a Grade II registered house & garden near Mellor, Lancashire, north west England.

Hoghton Tower

House & garden near Mellor

A Grade II-listed historic park and garden in Lancashire.

6.3 km W

Photo of Samlesbury Hall, a house in Lancashire, north west England.

Samlesbury Hall

House near Samlesbury

Black-and-white timbered manor of 1325 near Preston, reputedly haunted, with craft shops and a bee centre.

6.4 km W

Photo of Northcote, a restaurant near Langho, Lancashire, north west England.

Northcote

Restaurant · With rooms near Langho

Ribble Valley country-house hotel and restaurant on the edge of the Forest of Bowland.

7.1 km N

Photo of Ribchester Roman Museum, a visitor attraction in Lancashire, north west England.

Ribchester Roman Museum

Attraction near Ribchester

Village museum on the Roman fort of Bremetennacum, home to a replica of the famous Ribchester parade helmet.

7.7 km NW

Photo of Ribchester, a village in Lancashire, north west England.

Ribchester

Riverside village built over a Roman fort, with a Roman museum, the columned White Bull and Stydd chapel close by.

8 km NW · Lancashire

Photo of the Forest of Bowland, a National Landscape in England.

Forest of Bowland

National Landscape near Slaidburn

Wild heather moorland and the Trough of Bowland.

9.7 km N

Photo of Whalley, a village in Lancashire, north west England.

Whalley

Medieval Ribble Valley village of independent shops, a great railway viaduct and the ruins of Whalley Abbey.

9.9 km NE · Lancashire

Photo of Stonyhurst College, a Grade II* registered house & garden near Hurst Green, Lancashire, north west England.

Stonyhurst College

House & garden near Hurst Green

A Jesuit school behind a 16th-century gatehouse, its formal gardens and canals dating from about 1700.

10.9 km N

Photo: Jeffrey Hill (Longridge Fell), a viewpoint in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, north west England.

Jeffrey Hill (Longridge Fell)

Viewpoint near Longridge

Roadside viewpoint on Longridge Fell with a sweep across the Ribble Valley to Pendle and the Bowland fells.

12.6 km NW

Photo of Anglezarke Reservoir, a reservoir near Rivington, Lancashire, north west England.

Anglezarke Reservoir

Reservoir near Rivington

Picturesque reservoir edged by woods and moorland trails in the West Pennine Moors above Chorley.

13.4 km SW

Photo of The Swan with Two Necks, a pub near Pendleton, Lancashire, north west England.

The Swan with Two Necks

Pub near Pendleton

A whitewashed village local below Pendle Hill with a rotating cask range and a stream running past the door.

13.6 km NE

Photo of Pigeon Tower, a folly near Rivington, Lancashire, north west England.

Pigeon Tower

Folly near Rivington

Slender three-storey folly tower on the Rivington Terraced Gardens ridge, a landmark of the West Pennine Moors.

14.4 km S

Photo of Bowland Beer Hall, a visitor attraction near Clitheroe, Lancashire, north west England.

Bowland Beer Hall

Attraction near Clitheroe

Bowland Brewery's cavernous beer hall at Holmes Mill, Clitheroe, with one of Britain's longest bars and brewery tours.

14.5 km NE

Photo of Rivington Terraced Gardens, a garden in Lancashire, north west England.

Rivington Terraced Gardens

Garden near Rivington

Lord Leverhulme's atmospheric hillside gardens on Winter Hill, terraces and follies half-reclaimed by woodland.

14.7 km S

Photo of Rivington, a village in Lancashire, north west England.

Rivington

Scattered West Pennine village below Rivington Pike, with a green, two churches and Lord Leverhulme's terraced gardens above.

14.7 km S · Lancashire

Photo of Rivington Reservoirs, a reservoir in Lancashire, north west England.

Rivington Reservoirs

Reservoir near Rivington

String of reservoirs below the West Pennine Moors, ringed by walking, cycling and riding trails.

14.8 km SW

Photo of Clitheroe Castle, a ruined castle in Lancashire, north west England.

Clitheroe Castle

Castle near Clitheroe

Tiny hilltop Norman keep over the Ribble Valley.

14.8 km NE

Photo of Peel Tower, Holcombe Hill, a folly near Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester, north west England.

Peel Tower, Holcombe Hill

Folly near Ramsbottom

Tall Victorian monument to Sir Robert Peel crowning Holcombe Hill above Ramsbottom, with wide Pennine views.

15 km SE

Photo along the Pennine Bridleway, a 205-mile National Trail running from Middleton Top or Hartington to A683 at Cote Moor, England.

Pennine Bridleway

The Pennines for horse and bike — old packhorse trails and drovers' roads.

15.4 km E · spans 6 counties

Photo of Browsholme Hall, a house near Bashall Eaves in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, north west England.

Browsholme Hall

House near Bashall Eaves

Tudor-fronted country house near Bashall Eaves, home to the Parker family for over five centuries.

17.2 km N

Photo of Towneley Park, a garden near Burnley, Lancashire, north west England.

Towneley Park

Garden near Burnley

Burnley's grand 440-acre park of woodland, lawns and lakes around the Grade I hall, gallery and museum.

17.3 km E

Photo of Waddington, a village in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, north west England.

Waddington

Picture-postcard Ribble Valley village with a stream running beside the street, flower displays and the riverside Coronation Gardens.

17.3 km N · Lancashire

Photo: Pendle Hill, a 557m hill near Barley in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, north west England.

Pendle Hill

Marilyn near Barley

Brooding whaleback of witch-trial fame.

18 km NE

Photo of The White Swan at Fence, a gastropub in Lancashire, north west England.

The White Swan at Fence

Gastropub near Fence

Pennine village pub near Pendle Hill with a strong beer and food reputation.

18.3 km NE

Photo of Downham, a village in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, north west England.

Downham

Stone estate village at the foot of Pendle Hill, kept free of aerials and road markings and often called the loveliest in Lancashire.

19.1 km NE · Lancashire

Photo of Pendle Sculpture Trail, a visitor attraction near Barley in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, north west England.

Pendle Sculpture Trail

Attraction near Barley

Woodland trail above Barley studded with carved witches, hares and goblins, telling the Pendle story.

19.4 km NE

Photo of Alice Nutter Statue, a landmark near Roughlee in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, north west England.

Alice Nutter Statue

Landmark near Roughlee

Bronze of accused Pendle witch Alice Nutter by the water at Roughlee, marking the 1612 trials.

20 km NE

Photo: Trough of Bowland, a viewpoint near Dunsop Bridge in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, north west England.

Trough of Bowland

Viewpoint near Dunsop Bridge

Dramatic high pass winding through the empty heart of the Bowland fells, likened to a slice of the Alps.

22.2 km N

Photo of Rufford Old Hall, a house & garden in Lancashire, north west England.

Rufford Old Hall

House & garden near Rufford

Tudor timbered hall with a great hammerbeam hall.

24.7 km SW

Also nearbygood places nearby, nearest first

Photo of Corporation Park, a Grade II* registered house & garden near Blackburn, Lancashire, north west England.

Corporation Park

House & garden near Blackburn

A grand Victorian park of 1857 with two lakes and a Roman-style triumphal arch.

1.2 km NW

Photo of Witton Country Park, a country park near Blackburn, Lancashire, north west England.

Witton Country Park

Country park near Blackburn

A country park in Lancashire.

1.9 km W

Photo of The Millstone, a pub near Mellor, Lancashire, north west England.

The Millstone

Pub near Mellor

Smart coaching inn with rooms in hilltop Mellor, a well-regarded Ribble Valley dining stop.

4.3 km NW

Mrs Dowson's Farm & Ice Cream

Farm & farm shop near Salesbury

Working dairy farm near Bashall making its own ice cream, with animal encounters and a parlour.

6.6 km N

Photo of Huntley's Country Stores, a farm & farm shop near Samlesbury, Lancashire, north west England.

Huntley's Country Stores

Farm & farm shop near Samlesbury

Big Samlesbury food hall with an in-house bakery, butcher, fishmonger, deli and forty ice-cream flavours.

7.4 km NW

Photo along the Ribble Way, a 70-mile long-distance path running from Longton to Ribblehead, England.

Ribble Way

Long-distance path

Sea to source up the Ribble valley, from the marshes at Longton to the high fell country above Ribblehead.

7.5 km NW · Lancashire, North Yorkshire & Cumbria

Photo of The White Bull, a pub near Ribchester, Lancashire, north west England.

The White Bull

Pub near Ribchester

Ribchester village pub whose porch is propped on genuine Roman-era stone columns.

7.8 km NW

Photo of St Saviour's Church, Stydd, a church near Ribchester, Lancashire, north west England.

St Saviour's Church, Stydd

Church near Ribchester

Lonely Grade I Norman chapel near Ribchester, the last survivor of a Knights Hospitaller foundation.

8.4 km N

Stydd Gardens

Garden near Ribchester

Walled nursery garden with plants, a farm shop and cafe on a quiet lane outside Ribchester.

8.5 km N

Everything else within 25 km (53) — reserves, earthworks & places to check before travelling

Whalley Abbey GatehouseAbbey9.3 km NE
St Mary's Church, WhalleyChurch9.5 km NE
The Shireburn ArmsPub9.8 km N
Hurst GreenVillage9.8 km N
The Aspinall ArmsPub11.1 km N
The Strawbury DuckPub11.4 km S
The Three FishesPub11.4 km N
All Hallows Church, Great MittonChurch11.4 km N
Cuerden Valley ParkCountry park11.5 km W
Great MittonVillage11.5 km N
Stubbins EstateCountry estate12.1 km SE
Winter HillMarilyn13.3 km S
Bronte WayLong-distance path13.5 km NE
Gawthorpe HallHouse & garden13.6 km NE
Smithills Country ParkCountry park13.6 km S
Jumbles Country ParkCountry park14 km SE
Avenham ParkHouse & garden14.3 km W
Lever ParkCountry park14.3 km S
Moor Park (Lancashire)House & garden14.4 km W
Terraced Gardens Rivington Country ParkCountry park14.4 km S
Bowland Food Hall at Holmes MillFarm & farm shop14.6 km NE
Miller ParkHouse & garden14.7 km W
Yarrow Valley Country ParkCountry park14.9 km SW
ClitheroeVillage14.9 km NE
Pendle WayLong-distance path15 km NE
The Clog & BillycockPub3.3 km W
Harper Clough and Smalley Delph QuarriesSSSIaccess unclear4.9 km NE
West Pennine MoorsSSSI5.6 km S
Darwen River SectionSSSIaccess unclear6.5 km W
Ribchester Roman fortRoman archaeological siteaccess unclear7.7 km NW
St Wilfrid's Church, RibchesterChurch7.8 km NW
Beeston Brook PastureSSSIaccess unclear8.7 km W
Cock Wood GorgeSSSIaccess unclear8.8 km NE
Whalley Cistercian abbeyAbbeyaccess unclear9.3 km NE
Portfield hillfortHillfortaccess unclear9.7 km NE
Red Scar and Tun Brook WoodsSSSIaccess unclear9.7 km NW
The Freemasons at WiswellPub10.8 km NE
Hapton CastleCastleaccess unclear11 km E
Scholes Height & Bull HillCounty top11.6 km SE
Light CloughSSSIaccess unclear11.7 km NE
LongridgeVillage11.9 km NW
Hodder River SectionSSSIaccess unclear12 km N
Pike StonesChambered tomb12.2 km SW
Cheetham CloseStone circle12.6 km S
SabdenVillage13 km NE
Longridge Fell - Spire HillMarilyn13.2 km N
TurtonVillage13.2 km SE
Goodshaw ChapelChapelaccess unclear13.3 km E
Hodge CloughSSSIaccess unclear13.3 km SE
Gale Clough and Shooterslee WoodSSSIaccess unclear13.5 km S
The Derby ArmsPub13.6 km NW
River Ribble at Edisford BridgeSwimming spot14.1 km N
Lower Red Lees PastureSSSIaccess unclear14.4 km SE

Ordered by how far each place is worth travelling for, then by distance. Distances are straight-line to the nearest edge of each place — paths wind, of course.