Wycoller Country Park

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Lancashire, North West, United Kingdom

Wycoller Country Park is one of the prettiest country parks in Lancashire and is famous for its association with the Bronte sisters.  The village is located four miles east of Colne in the Borough of Pendle.  If arriving by car leave the M65 at Junction 14 and follow signs for Keighley and on reaching Laneshawbridge take a minor road to the right signposted Wycoller.  Only residents vehicles are allowed into the village but there are two pay and display car parks on the edge of the village where a token charge of £1 per day is payable, fees going towards the upkeep of the village.  The absence of cars and the preservation of many of the old buildings in the village makes it an attractive place for a stroll and to settle down for a relaxing picnic.  Wycoller was known as the Valley of the Seven Bridges but just three remain unchanged today, these being the Clam, Clapper and Pack Horse.  They have varying ages but the Clam is thought to be more than 1000 years old.

Stone cottage with horse mounting steps in Wycoller Country Park
Stone cottage with horse mounting steps in Wycoller

We followed a leafy narrow path from the car park to the village taking around ten minutes.  The village is quite small and comprises a handful of attractive stone cottages, some of which have been turned into holiday homes and B & Bs.  In the above photo the stone steps outside the front door can be seen which were used when mounting a horse.

Wycoller Craft Centre and Cafe
Wycoller Craft Centre and Cafe

In the village centre we came across the Wycoller craft centre and cafe.  Here we found a selection of local arts and crafts for sale and a cosy tea room with an original Victorian range.

Crossing the ford at Wycoller
Crossing the ford at Wycoller

The area has several marked trails to the local beauty spots of Bank House and Wycoller Beck.  The paths weaving their way over seven old stone bridges across the rambling stream with the most famous being the Pack Horse twin arched bridge in the village centre and a shallow ford.  Towards the end of the nineteenth century the village and its surrounding land was bought by the local water board with a view to flooding the area to create a reservoir to power the local mills.  However, these plans were abandoned and in 1940 the Friends of Wycoller were established with the aim of preserving the desolate village and its Hall.

Pack Horse Bridge, Wycoller Country Park
Pack Horse Bridge, Wycoller

In 1973 the village was declared a conservation area and the surrounding 350 acres of farmland were designated a country park.  Approaching the derelict remains of Wycoller Hall we learnt from information boards that the Hall had been built at the end of the 16th century by the Hartley family.  Charlotte Bronte is thought to have been a frequent visitor to the Hall on her regular walks over the moors from nearby Haworth.  Parts of the Bronte Way run between Haworth and Wycoller on the same route that Emily, Charlotte and Anne would have travelled over 150 years ago.  The Bronte Way is a 43 mile long distance footpath starting at Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham, Lancashire and finishing at Oakwell Hall in Birstall, West Yorkshire linking the locations associated with the lives of the Bronte sisters.

The remains of Wycoller Hall
The remains of Wycoller Hall

The Hall is believed to be ‘Ferndean Manor’ in Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre and the building was actually used to illustrate the 1898 edition of her book.  Wycoller Hall remained reasonably intact until the early 1900’s when it became unoccupied and neglected.  Adjacent to the Hall is the Five Aisled Barn which has been converted into a visitor centre with informative displays detailing the history of the village and its surrounding wildlife.  It wasn’t staffed when we visited but it was well stocked with useful leaflets and walking maps.

Wycoller Visitor Centre
Wycoller Visitor Centre

Continuing our stroll through the country park we found plenty of picnic tables overlooking the village duck pond making it a tranquil setting for a lazy afternoon in the east Lancashire countryside.  On our way back to the car we stopped to admire the ancient clapper bridge.

Ancient clapper bridge, Wycoller
Ancient clapper bridge, Wycoller

I would recommend a visit to Wycoller Country Park if you are visiting Haworth, Hebden Bridge or parts of East Lancashire.

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68 thoughts on “Wycoller Country Park”

  1. Pingback: Day 3. Exploring Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley – Love Travelling Blog

  2. Liz

    Fantastic pictures, it’s such a beautiful place.
    This is a place my parents used to take me quite often as a child. It’s been many years since I have been and will be visiting again. I wondered would you recommend this for a dog walk on or off lead and can you still paddle in the river?

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    1. Hi Liz, thank you for taking an interest in my blog – it’s so nice to hear from you. Wycoller is a beautiful tranquil place and I’m certain you can take your dog for a walk there and paddle in the river. That would be a perfect way to spend an afternoon along with a picnic.

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  9. parikhit dutta

    I admire the Bronte sisters!! I should make it a point to visit Lancashire. Thank you so much for this post and the beautiful pictures.

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    1. It’s my pleasure Parikhit, it’s so nice to read you enjoyed it. The country park is so tranquil and will be a perfect place to,visit once the travel restrictions come to an end. You might also like to combine Wycoller with a visit to Haworth which isn’t too far away whilst on the Bronté trail. Thanks for commenting.

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    1. Wycoller is like time has stood still and an oasis of calm. It’s less than an hour’s Drive from my home so I’m looking forward to visiting more often when the coast is clear. I’m shorter than average too being just over 5′ tall and taking a size 3 (36) shoe but I’m very happy being petite.

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  24. This is such a beautiful place! Reading your post made me think of planning a trip there, of course when everything gets back to normal. I love English countryside and the old cottages. Thank you fo sharing this with us! 🙂

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    1. Thank you Gwen. Wycoller is a quiet backwater less than an hour from my home and a pretty beauty spot. AHope your week is progressing well. I enjoyed your Anzac posts. One year I remember being in Sydney on ANZAC day as it must have fallen in the Easter holidays.

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  30. I really enjoyed this bit of illustrated history. What a good idea to restrict vehicular traffic so the village does not become just another developer paradise. Thank you for this charming visit. We are still enjoying the railway series on YouTube around the UK with interesting reports on places visited.

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    1. I’m so,pleased you enjoyed my visit to Wycoller Ian, it’s such a tranquil beauty spot. I think those railway journey programmes are one of the best things on television. Nowadays we have so many channels but most of it isn’t anything I’m interested in or would want to watch!

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