Today (22 September) is the Autumn Equinox which officially marks the end of summer.
The days might be getting shorter and chillier but it’s a walkers paradise for those who love to soak in autumnal views of fallen leaves and frost-covered grass.
To celebrate the start of the season we have compiled a list of five East Lancashire walking routes which are perfect for autumn.
1. The Aspinall Arms walk, Ribble Valley
This walking route has made the list because there is a cosy pub to relax in at the end which is ideal after a chilly autumn hike.
The Aspinall Arms is a 19th Century coaching Inn, that sits on the banks of the River Ribble, overlooking the All Hallows’ Medieval Church and Great Mitton Hall.
However, before you can enjoy the pub’s open fires and wooden floors you first need to take on the walk.
Leave the pub car park via the vehicle entrance. Turn left for a few paces and then left again through a wooden kissing gate to join the signed footpath, the Ribble Way.
From here you will pass fields, moorland and walk alongside the River Ribble.
You can find the full route over on the Visit Ribble Valley website:
2. The Brontë’s Trail, Pendle
If you want to watch woodland leaves turning orange and also learn more about Lancashire’s literary history, then this is the ideal walking trail for you.
The Brontë sisters spent a lot of their time exploring Lancashire and the South Pennine Moors.
They also wrote plenty of poems dedicated to the season, such as Emily’s 'Fall, Leaves, Fall’.
This walking route begins in the heart of the Trawden Forest and sees you walk by historic farmhouses and beautiful woodland.
(Photo: Geograph/Kevin Rushton)
Also on the route is Wycoller Hall, which experts say is the model for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre.
The route ends as the summit of Boulsworth Hill.
Want to try this trail for yourself? View the full route on visitlancashire.com
3. Whitaker Park, Rawtenstall
(Autumn in Whitaker Park. Photo: cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Robert Wade - geograph.org.uk/p/1546851)
The 2.75 mile walk, which should take just over an hour includes mild to medium gradients and is aimed towards walkers who are slightly more advanced.
You will start the walk at the bottom of New Hall Hey Industrial Estate while walking through Whitaker Park - which is a notoriously gorgeous places to visit when the seasons start to change.
Full route details can be found on the Visit Lancashire website.
4. Walking With The Witches Trail, Pendle
Autumn is synonymous with Halloween – and nothing is scarier than the real life Pendle witch trial.
There is a walking route dedicated to all things Pendle witches and the routes are 3.5-4 miles long depending on how fit you are.
The routes begin at Barley Car Park and see you walking past Faugh’s Quarry and up Pendle Hill which is notorious for the 16th century witch trials.
The full Walking With Witches trail can be found on the Visit Lancashire website.
5. Witton Country Park, Blackburn
This unique walking route lets you explore the historic Witton Country Park.
The shortest walk is just 1.5 miles long but it could be extended to a 2.5 mile trek if you wanted to get some more exercise in.
On this trail, you will encounter many historic places of interest such as the Ice House which acted as an underground food store for Witton House.
There are some hills on the route, but steps and turnstiles can be avoided making it ideal for families with pushchairs.
Trip Advisor reviewers said it is a great park to visit for “all season” and posted a picture of it looking “lovely” in autumn.
They added: “I try to get to Witton Country Park at least once a week for a walk and sometimes I take my four-year-old granddaughter.”
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