The route starts with an ascent of Pendle Hill
A mountain rescue team is challenging walkers to complete a 45-mile route to help it raise funds.
Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team Pendle Way in a Day event will see entrants tackle the 72km length of the trail non-stop – a route that typically takes three or four days.
The challenge will include an ascent of Pendle Hill, timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the notorious Pendle witch trials which saw 12 locals put on trial accused of indulging in sorcery.
A spokesperson for Lancashire team said: “Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team’s traditional long distance walk will be covering ground new to us, around the Pendle Way.
“The walk will start and finish at Barley village hall.
“We’ve decided to give the Rossendale Way in a Day a rest for a while and introduce you to a new route. In addition it is the 400th anniversary of the Pendle witch trials. There will be a series of walks in the Pendle area to take people round the historic landscape, but this will be the most challenging we think.
“This long distance walk will take you through many of the places mentioned in the story of the Pendle witches, but will also be a fine achievement to complete in a single day under your own steam.”
Walkers will need to be fit and able to navigate well, as the entrants will be unaccompanied, though team members will be on hand at checkpoints to support participants.
Food and refreshments en route will be provided, along with a meal at the end of the walk.
The Pendle Way is a circular route ranging from limestone meadows to rugged millstone grit moorland. It passes through hamlets, villages and towns associated with the Pendle Witches and the literary Brontë sisters.
Witch way: walkers will need to use their navigation skills
For those unable to tackle the full route, the rescue team is also organising a linear half-Pendle Way, with transport back to Barley.
Entry fee for each challenge is £10 a person, though Rossendale and Pendle MRT said it would be delighted to receive extra sponsorship money. Walkers are also allowed to obtain sponsorship for other charities if they choose.
Pendle Way in a Day takes place on 7 July this year, with the full route challengers setting off from Barley at 6am, and half-route walkers at 9am.
Details are on the Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team website.
