A downpour on Whalley Nab

Whalley Nab is a well-known and prominant little hill overlooking the small town of Whalley, only a short drive from where we live. We'd left the car at a picnic site just outside Whalley, but started our walk on the outskirts of Great Harwood, about 4 miles away, with the Nab the biggest obstacle in between.

The early part of the walk was through pleasant countryside, in parts following the Great Harwood Nature Walk, and then taking us through fields around the back of Bowley scout camp. The path led through fields and woods, leading close to the River Calder, but although despite the scenery the weather was changing, with dark clouds forming overhead. As we started down through some denser woodland, the heavens opened and we were glad for the shelter of the trees.



The shower lasted longer than we'd hoped, and eventually the trees couldn't hold the water any longer and we became soaked. Fortunately by this time we'd had plenty opportunity to don the wet gear. Just as we decided we may as well carry on, the rain petered out, but the air was now much more humid as we began our climb up the Nab.


The view from the top, although impaired a little by the cloudy skies, was still impressive, looking across to the Bowland fells with the landmark local viaduct, Whalley Arches, taking centre stage in the foreground. The viaduct was built in the 1840s and comprises 48 arches spanning the Calder valley alongside the village.

Our walk then took us down the steepest side of the Nab into the centre of Whalley, and we made it to the car by following another woodland path up to the car park. A wet yet enjoyable afternoon, which was rounded off at the excellent Calf's Head in Worston, a few miles further up the A59.