WFV, Tuesday 19th August, Ball Grove Local Nature Reserve and Wycoller Country Park

Tuesday 19^th August Ball Grove Local Nature Reserve and Wycoller Country Park

Just 5 people made this interesting trip into Lancashire with Julia kindly offering to drive. Unfortunately, Kevin who had planned the trip was unable to make it.

We explored two areas one of which was completely new to the group namely Ball Grove Nature Reserve owned by Trawden Forest Parish Council, the other being Wycoller Country Park.

What did we do?

 Ball Grove Nature Reserve consists of a park, lake, picnic area, café and surrounding grassland and woodland. We approached it from the Keighley Road. We completed a circular walk around the lake and grassland and enjoyed our lunches on a picnic bench besides the lake.

A large tannery was located here from 1927 to 1977 when it was demolished. The Colne Water flows over the bands of gritstone alongside the park, also it is part of the Bronte Way (see Marje Wilson’s publication The Bronte Way with descriptions of walks along its length). It is possible to continue to walk to Wycoller from here.

What did we see?

Birds: mallard, black headed gulls, kingfisher, the tits coal, long tailed, nuthatch, robin.

Flowers: mimulus, purple loosestrife, silverweed

Trees: Weeping lime, Japanese alder, 5 types of gall on oak.                     

We drove over the moorland with extensive views including of Pendle Hill to the Trawden Road car park for Wycoller.

What did we do?   

We walked down hill on a tarmacked path into Wycoller and then explored this medieval hamlet with ruins of Wycoller Hall and ancient bridges including the Pack Horse Bridge, Clapper Bridge, and Clam Bridge (of possible neolithic origin). Wycoller was a thriving hamlet in the 18^th and early 19^th century, full of hand loom weavers however it fell into decay following the industrialisation of the woollen industry. It has been regenerated today with several beautiful stone houses. We walked around the grounds of Wycoller Hall (said to be haunted by the ghost of a headless horseman) with its origin in the 16^th century and extended by Squire Cunliffe in 1774. The Hall is said to be the model for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. We continued our walk to the Clam Bridge and then returned to the car park along the route we had come along.

What did we see?

Birds: goldfinch on the moorland walls, grey wagtail in the beck.

Flowers: Tutsan, Wall lettuce, Hawkweeds.

Liverworts in the stream bed, also ferns growing on walls and trees namely polypody and harts tongue.

To round off our day we visited the Atom a panopticon (a new word for me), accessed from the Haworth Road car park. The Atom is curved architectural structure made of glass fibre reinforced concrete, painted with a metal-based paint. It offers shelter also extensive views of the Lancashire countryside including the Wycoller Valley and Pendle Hill.

Nearby was a good example of medieval standing stones erected as a barrier to cattle to keep them in vaccaries or cattle enclosures (another new word for me).

Our journey home took us over the moors to Haworth past Watersheddler and Ponden reservoirs whose walls were lined with perennial sow-thistle and goldenrod, a lovely sight. On the moors heather was starting to bloom.

A very satisfying day for our group which included Julia, Amanda, Alice, Vera and myself.

Margaret