Earby

Earby sits right on the seam between Lancashire and the Yorkshire Dales, a small former textile town tucked into the valley of Earby Beck a few miles north of Colne and within sight of Pendle Hill's long ridge. It grew up around cotton weaving, and the streets of stone terraces, chapels and mill buildings that climb the hillside still tell that story, even though the last looms fell silent decades ago. Walk a few minutes out of the centre in any direction, though, and the town gives way abruptly to green fields, drystone walls and the rising moorland that marks the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales.

That edge-of-the-Dales position is what makes Earby worth a visit. It has none of the crowds of Skipton or the honeypot villages further into the National Park, but it shares the same limestone and gritstone countryside, the same network of quiet lanes and bridleways, and the same big skies. Kelbrook and Thornton-in-Craven, the neighbouring villages, add their own scatter of old farms and packhorse bridges, and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes within a short walk, offering a level towpath route towards Barnoldswick and Salterforth. For a weekend based on walking, quiet pubs and unhurried countryside rather than tourist sights, Earby is a good base and a genuinely local one.

Top things to do in Earby

Earby is a small town, so its appeal is mostly about what surrounds it rather than a long list of attractions in the centre itself. That said, there is enough within a short drive or walk to fill a few days.

• Sough Bridge and Earby Beck — the old mill site here, once home to Nathan Smallpage and Son and later the Kelbrook Mill Company, marks the heart of Earby's weaving history; the beck and surrounding lanes make for an easy short walk from the town centre.
• Pendle Hill — the distinctive 557m hill made famous by the 1612 Pendle witch trials rises a few miles south-east of Earby and offers one of Lancashire's best-known summit walks, with views stretching to the Yorkshire Dales and beyond on a clear day.
• Thornton-in-Craven and Booth Bridge — this neighbouring village retains its old bobbin-mill site at Booth Bridge, once powered by a waterwheel, and makes a pleasant target for a countryside walk from Earby.
• Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Salterforth and Barnoldswick — the canal's summit level runs close to Earby, with a flat, well-maintained towpath ideal for walking or cycling towards the historic mill town of Barnoldswick.
• Sharp Haw — part of the Dales High Way, this 1,171-foot hill north of Earby is a popular shorter climb with wide views over the southern Dales.
• Wycoller Country Park — the ruined 16th-century manor house at Wycoller, along with its collection of old clapper bridges, lies within easy reach to the south and is a favourite spot for walkers.
• Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes — Earby once had its own mining museum, the Yorkshire Dales Lead Mining Museum, but when it closed its collection of tools, wagons and lead-mining artefacts was transferred to the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, where it now forms part of the "A Rich Seam" exhibition on lead mining and textile heritage.

Getting to Earby

Earby lies just off the A56, roughly halfway between Skipton and Colne, making it an easy drive from either the M65 to the south or the A59/A65 corridor to the north. Skipton is around eight miles away by road and is the nearest hub for shops, rail connections and a wider choice of services. Earby lost its own railway station when the Skipton to Colne line closed to passengers in 1970, but regular bus services connect the town to Skipton, Colne and Barnoldswick, with the journey to Skipton taking under twenty minutes. From Skipton, trains run regularly to Leeds and onward to the rest of the national network.

Best time to visit Earby

Spring and summer bring the best of the surrounding countryside, with the moorland above the town at its greenest and the longer evenings ideal for walking Pendle Hill or the canal towpath. Fine autumn days are excellent for hill walking too, when the bracken turns and the views from summits like Sharp Haw and Pendle Hill are often at their clearest. Winter has its own appeal for those who enjoy quieter trails and cosy pub fires, though the exposed moorland walks are best saved for settled weather.

Where to stay in Earby

Earby itself has a modest choice of accommodation, with a handful of pubs offering rooms and bed and breakfasts in the surrounding villages. Its position between Skipton and the Ribble Valley means visitors often base themselves here for easy access to both the Yorkshire Dales and the Forest of Bowland, without paying Dales National Park prices. Self-catering cottages in Kelbrook, Thornton-in-Craven and the wider Pendle area are a popular option for longer stays, particularly for walking groups exploring the surrounding hills.

Food and drink in Earby

The Red Lion Inn on Red Lion Street is the town's best-known pub, a CAMRA-listed, dog-friendly local known for its real ale selection and regular live music sessions. A handful of other pubs and takeaways serve the town centre, while a short drive brings you to the wider choice of cafes, restaurants and traditional Yorkshire pubs in Barnoldswick and Skipton, both well used to feeding walkers coming off the surrounding hills.