Bolton-By-Bowland

Bolton-by-Bowland has no large hotels of its own, but what it lacks in scale it makes up for in character. The centrepiece is the Coach and Horses, a beautifully restored Grade II listed coaching inn on Main Street with seven individually decorated bedrooms, an AA two-rosette restaurant and its own on-site microbrewery - a genuine destination in its own right for a short break rather than just a stopover. Booking ahead is recommended, especially at weekends, since rooms are limited and demand from walkers and diners exploring the Ribble Valley and Forest of Bowland is steady year-round.

Beyond the village boundary, the wider Ribble Valley area around Clitheroe, Grindleton, Slaidburn and Waddington offers a good spread of farmhouse bed and breakfasts, self-catering cottages converted from old barns and outbuildings, and small independent country hotels, many set on working farms with views towards Pendle Hill or the Bowland fells. This makes Bolton-by-Bowland a good base for exploring on a self-catering basis while still being within a short drive of pubs, shops and larger towns for supplies. Clitheroe, roughly six miles away, has the widest choice of chain and independent accommodation in the immediate area along with a train station for those arriving without a car, while Skipton, just over the county boundary, offers a larger selection still for those happy to stay slightly further afield and drive in.

Whichever option you choose, the appeal of staying around Bolton-by-Bowland is the same: quiet, unhurried countryside, dark skies, and quick access on foot or by short drive to some of the best and least-crowded walking in the Forest of Bowland.

Bolton-by-Bowland rewards slow exploration - much of what makes it special is on foot, within a short walk of the village centre.

• St Peter and St Paul's Church — A church has stood here since at least 1190, though the current building was largely rebuilt in the 15th century by Sir Ralph Pudsay. Inside is the striking Pudsay tomb, carved with the effigy of Sir Ralph in armour alongside his three wives and twenty-five children, plus a font dating from around 1500 bearing the arms of the Pudsay, Percy, Tempest and Hammerton families.
• The village greens — Bolton-by-Bowland is unusual in having two greens rather than one. The smaller of the two still holds the remains of a 13th-century stone cross and the old village stocks, while the old Court House nearby once settled disputes over rights to dwell in the Forest of Bowland.
• Sawley Abbey — The ruins of this 12th-century Cistercian abbey lie beside the River Ribble a couple of miles downstream, an easy short drive or a longer riverside walk from the village.
• Forest of Bowland National Landscape — The moorland, valleys and drystone-walled fells stretching north and west of the village are protected for their landscape and wildlife, including breeding hen harriers, and are laced with public footpaths and quiet lanes.
• Pendle Hill — Famous for its association with the 1612 Pendle witch trials, this distinctive standalone hill lies within easy driving distance and offers one of the best-known summit walks in Lancashire.
• Skirden Beck and the surrounding footpaths — The beck that runs past the village is a tributary of the River Ribble, and the footpaths that follow its course and the neighbouring farmland give gentle, waymarked walking straight from the village street.
• Bolton Hall estate — The historic seat of the Pudsay family from the 14th century until 1771, whose parkland and woodland still shape the landscape immediately around the village, best appreciated from the public footpaths that skirt its boundary.

The Coach and Horses is the heart of the village's food and drink scene: a restored coaching inn with a cosy bar, an AA two-rosette restaurant, and its own on-site Four Mice microbrewery producing Coachman Bitter. The kitchen focuses on local Lancashire and Yorkshire produce, and the inn has built a strong reputation well beyond the village, drawing diners out from Clitheroe and further afield. For anything beyond the pub, the market towns of Clitheroe and Skipton are both a short drive away and offer a wider spread of cafes, restaurants and Ribble Valley producers, from butchers and bakeries to farm shops selling local cheese and cured meats.

Bolton-by-Bowland sits at the edge of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and camping here means fells, drystone walls and quiet farmland rather than a seaside crowd. As with anywhere in England, wild camping without the landowner's express permission is illegal, so stick to licensed sites - there are several working farm campsites and touring caravan parks in the immediate area, offering grass pitches for tents alongside hardstanding for tourers and motorhomes, typically with basic facilities such as electric hookups, showers and washing-up points rather than resort-style extras.

The terrain around the village is classic Bowland: rolling sheep pasture giving way to open moorland and gritstone fells such as Pendle Hill a little further south, cut through by Skirden Beck and the River Ribble. Ground can be soft after rain even in summer, and the higher moorland paths are exposed to wind and low cloud, so it is worth choosing a pitch with some natural shelter and packing for changeable weather whatever the season. The best months for camping are from late spring to early autumn, roughly May to September, when daylight hours are longest, paths are drier underfoot, and the evenings are mild enough to sit out - though the Ribble Valley's relatively low rainfall by Lancashire standards means shoulder-season trips in April or October can also work well for those prepared for cooler nights.

For anyone who wants the Bowland scenery without the tent-pitching, a small but growing number of glamping options - shepherd's huts, safari tents and static camping pods - have appeared on farms around the wider Ribble Valley, giving a warmer, more sheltered alternative with proper beds while keeping the same views over the fells and farmland that make this corner of Lancashire worth visiting. Dark skies and minimal light pollution also make it a rewarding spot for stargazing on a clear night, whichever type of pitch you choose.