24 Hours in The Ribble Valley

The Ribble Valley’s stunning landscape and rich heritage is integral to the food grown and produce made here. Enjoy a delicious 24 hours eating your way around this bountiful part of Lancashire.

The Red Pump is a picturesque country inn in the tiny village of Bashall Eaves, within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Stone flag floors, oak beams, crackling open fires and eight boutique bedrooms complete with French antique beds and powerful wet room showers, make this a real luxury B&B experience. Recommended in Alastair Sawday’s Secret Places and the Good Pub Guide, you’ll have a fantastic night sleep and great food.

After breakfast it’s time to explore. Start with a visit to the renowned Melt Candle  shop, Chandlery and Reading Room. Renowned for their exquisite fine fragranced hand poured candles, Melt have been making and exporting candles in the heart of the beautiful Ribble Valley since 1999. Each candle takes up to 36 hours to produce – resulting in a unique and beautifully fragranced candle. 

Drive down to the River Ribble, the area’s namesake, to The Aspinall Arms, right on the banks of the river overlooking the medieval All Hallows Church and the 14th Century Great Mitton Hall. With terraced and landscaped gardens outside, and fl agged floors and open fires inside, it’s just the place for walkers, cyclists and anglers to mingle with the locals.

Have a short walk along the Ribble before you settle in for a delicious lunch. After lunch head into Clitheroe to the town’s castle keep and museum that stand high on Castle Hill and have dominated Clitheroe’s skyline for over 800 years. The Castle Keep itself is free to explore and enjoys panoramic views across the valley and over to Pendle Hill.

The museum tells the story of Clitheroe and its surrounding area from the formation of the land 350 million years ago to the people who have lived in the area and the areas famous legends and folklore. Clitheroe itself is a unique Lancashire market town with a proud range of speciality shops including the cellars of the famous Byrnes Wine Merchants, the amazing range of coffees available at Exchange Coffee and Cowman’s renowned sausage shop.

For dinner we recommend driving to the conservation village of Dowham and the award winning Assheton Arms. Boasting stunning views of Pendle Hill, this traditional country inn has a great atmosphere and serves up the best of local and British produce whilst specialising in seafood.

After dinner head back into Clitheroe to the Beer Hall at Holmes Mill, the longest bar in the UK and home to at least 24 different cask ales, including beers from the on-site award winning Bowland Brewery. Finish the day by raising a glass to the beautiful and bountiful Ribble Valley!

For more information go to visitlancashire.com/ribblevalley