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Witchcraft, Ghosts and The Hangman; A Tour To Remember.

  • 7 July 2017
  • 5 comments
  • 2.8K views
  • Elizabeth

Stirk house Gisburn,

 At the beginning of April, I was lucky enough to take part in The Pendle Witch Tours, organised by Stirk House Hotel, on behalf of Aspire Magazine.

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tours, village of Downham

 As wonderful as it sounds on paper, (two days of guided tours around the Ribble Valley region of Lancashire, with lunch, dinner, bed and breakfast and afternoon tea at Stirk House), it’s only by experiencing something like this, that I can write a genuine and insightful review, but as jobs go, this one was rather special, made more so because my boyfriend Ian was invited too.

 You might remember that I wrote about the background and history of Stirk House recently, but in brief, it’s located on the A59 in Gisburn, just 10 minutes from Clitheroe, 15 from Skipton and 20 from Settle. It has spectacular views over Pendle Hill and it’s the Pendle area around which the tours are centred.

 At the start, I knew very little local history and even less about how in the early 1600s some women were tried and hanged, because they were believed to be witches. It was little to do with curses and spells and everything to do with James I’s paranoia and scepticism about witchcraft and its prevalence among the common people. I was shocked and saddened to learn about the way in which women were treated, simply because they demonstrated courage and intelligence.

Day One

 The tour began at Stirk House and were greeted by our tour guide Simon Entwistle and coach driver Steve. Our first port of call was the breathtakingly beautiful village of Downham, which is where Whistle Down the Wind and Born and Bred were filmed. Here, Simon gave us some insight into the local area and explained that the village was where one of the Pendle Witches, Alice Nutter was believed to have spent time, having hailed from the nearby village of Roughlee.

 From there, we continued along to get this spectacular view of Pendle Hill …

View of Pendle Hill

Then on to Roughlee village, where we stopped to see a statue of Alice Nutter, immortalised in 2014 to commemorate the 400 years since she was hanged for witchcraft.

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tours, statue of Alice Nutter

 Following a visit to the Pendle Heritage Centre in Barrowford, we returned to Stirk House for a fabulous buffet in PRIME Restaurant.

 Lunch

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tours, Prime Restaurant

Prime restaurant, Stirk House

 It was excellent and it particularly lovely because everyone taking the tour sat together. It was an ideal time for introductions and explanations, (in particular, why I take so many photographs). Lunch, tea and coffee are included in the package price, but Ian and I made it even more special by ordering a glass of Prosecco from the bar. The homemade, super-fresh mini beef-burgers, the sandwich selection and the mini goats cheese tarts, served with salad and fries were all divine and exactly what we needed to refuel before starting the afternoon tour.

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tour, buffet lunch

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tours, buffet lunch at Prime restaurant

 We spent the afternoon at Samlesbury Hall in Lancashire, a beautiful stately home. Again, Simon conducted the tour which told of the Samlesbury Witches and he described the history of this magnificent building.

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tours, Samlesbury Hall, Lancashire

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tours, Samlesbury Hall, external Lancashire

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tours, Samlesbury Hall, Lancashire, view through the window

Stirk House Gisburn, Pendle Witch Tours, Samlesbury Hall,great hall, Lancashire

 The Manor Suite at Stirk House

 Back at the hotel, Ian and I checked into The Manor Suite, which is in a lodge detached from the main building. It has far-reaching views of Pendle Hill and of the 22 acres of woodland in which Stirk House is set. The soft furnishings and decor are gorgeous.

Stirk House Gisburn, room 51, lodge, suite bedroom

Bedroom in room 51 suite at Stirk House, Gisburn

The suite has a separate sitting room with its own dining area; private dining, overlooking the picnic terrace, is available in all suites for a true “get away from it all” experience.

Suite 51, living room, Stirk House, Gisburn

The fireplace in the sitting room of Suite 51, Stirk House, Gisburn

The view from the sitting room of Suite 51, Stirk House, Gisbur

Stag blind in room suite 51, Stirk House, Gisburn

 The bathroom is stunning with a large roll top bath and walk-in shower

Rolltop bath in suite room 51, Stirk House, Gisburn

 Dinner

 Lunch, dinner and afternoon tea can be taken in a choice of places at Stirk House including the Fire Lounge (see the photograph below), on the Champagne Terrace, (which overlooks Pendle Hill), in the conservatory and in the private dining room, (photograph below). We chose to dine in the award-winning restaurant, PRIME which is where we’d eaten lunch earlier.

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn, prosecco and dinner

 A three-course meal is included in the price of the tour and for my starter, as I often do, I chose fish: smoky fishcake and a soft-poached egg with green herb salsa. It was poached-egg perfection and the perfect accompaniment to the delicate smokiness of the fish.

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn, fishcakes starter

 Ian chose a dish with very local provenance: Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese with roast beetroot and spiced walnut salad. The mellow beetroot worked perfectly with the slightly sharp cheese and the spiced walnuts added crunch to the other softer textures.

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn, beetroot salad starter

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn, starters

Fillet of sea bream with purple sprouting broccoli and lemon buttered shellfish were too much to resist despite the fact I desired everything else on the menu. The shellfish were both sweet and tangy and the bream was cooked perfectly, (though I’ve come to expect nothing else from the very talented head chef Chris Dobson!)

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn, fish main course

 PRIME restaurant is renowned for its steaks and several people had recommended that we try one, so Ian ordered an 8oz Sirloin with slow-roast tomato, Portobello mushroom, triple-cooked chips, watercress and a crushed peppercorn sauce. It almost goes without saying that it was cooked exactly as he likes it and was locally sourced.

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn, steak main course

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn, wine

Ian and I dine out regularly and we have lost count of times that we would like every dessert on the menu. This was no exception and we finally decided upon warm treacle tart with clotted cream and spiced caramel syrup and orange creme brulee with chocolate shortbread. We shared them and truly, couldn’t decide which was the nicer, both being simply exceptional.

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn,treacle tart dessert

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn,creme brulee dessert

Day Two

Breakfast, also included in the price of the tour, is buffet style with orders for tea, coffee and hot food taken at the table. Ian chose an omelette which was light and fluffy and the perfect way to start the day. As well as hotel residents, there were some non-residents at breakfast- the convenient location of Stirk House makes it ideal for business meetings at any time of day, several of which I noticed taking place throughout our stay.

Breakfast in Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn

 Day two of the tour started with a picturesque drive to Dunsop Bridge through the Trough of Bowland where we stopped for elevensies at the charming Puddleducks café.

Dunsop Bridge post office

Dunsop Bridge post office

Puddleducks tearoom, dunsop Bridge

Ducks at Dunsop Bridge

From there, we headed to Lancaster Castle for a guided tour during which we learned more about the witches, (it was there that the Pendle Witches were tried), and about the legal system both then in the 17th century and in the present day. It was truly fascinating and very insightful. Being both a working criminal and a working, civil court, photography inside the castle is, understandably, prohibited so I can’t show you the civil courtroom which is particularly spectacular.

Lancaster Castle

Lancaster Castle, entrance door

 Simon Entwistle our tour guide was absolutely brilliant. His knowledge of the witches and their plight along with that of local history is amazing. He captured our attention throughout and welcomed questions while showing a genuine interest in each and every one of us on the tour. He works for the Lancashire tourist board and as a native Lancastrian, (I was born in Preston), I cannot think of a better advocate to promote my home county. The tour wouldn’t have been the same without him and his enthusiastic personality.

Simon Entwistle, guide for Pendle Witch Tours, Stirk House, Gisburn

Afternoon Tea

Our final destination was back at Stirk House for afternoon tea, again included in the price. Comprising of a selection of seasonal sandwiches, hot homemade sausage rolls, mini brie and cranberry open sandwiches, scones, mini cheesecakes and all sorts of other sweet delights; the perfect way to end the tour

Prime restaurant, Stirk House, Gisburn,afternoon tea

 I can’t finish without sharing a few more photographs of  Stirk House. Over the last eighteen months, Stirk House has undergone a significant and sympathetic refurbishment and it has been wonderfully executed.

 This is the bar area…

Stirk House, Gisburn,reception and bar

 And this window can be seen on the right of the photo above. It looks into a private dining area, is ideal for a family occasion or similar.

Window into private dining area, Stirk House, Gisburn,

 And this is the Fire Lounge, perfect for morning coffee, pre-dinner drinks, informal business meetings, and any other occasion one can think of.

The Fire lounge, Stirk House, Gisburn,

The two day Pendle Witch Tour is absolutely fascinating. For just £295 per couple, lunch, dinner, bed, breakfast, afternoon tea and of course, the fascinating tours are included. It was thoroughly enjoyable, very informative and something different. To stay in a beautiful hotel with an award-winning restaurant and glorious views is something to behold and I recommend it wholeheartedly. It is fabulous and is excellent value for money. The next one takes place on 17th and 18th October. Visit the Stirk House website for more details.

Stirk House Hotel

Gisburn
Clitheroe
Lancashire
BB7 4JL
01200 445581

www.stirkhouse.co.uk

Simon Entwistle
Tour Guide and Professional Storyteller.
www.tophattours.co.uk

Stephen (our driver).
Green Leaf Travel
Private Hire
www.greenleaftravel.co.uk

 

Disclosure:

Like many bloggers and content creators, I use affiliate links. I identify these with an asterisk. I identify gifted items within the body of the post. I am a paid ambassador for STEPPER Eyewear and for MAC Eyewear. For links to my current clothes, accessories and homeware, click here. Thank you for reading

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Elizabeth

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5 comments
  1. Michelle Tyler says:
    9 July 2017 at 4:49 pm

    Firstly can I just say that Simon is a bit of a dish 😉
    What an amazing tour Liz, I love learning this type of stuff when I visit a new place. There's so much history & you're absolutely right it's definitely best hearing it from a local. Thanks for an intriguing review xx

    Reply
    1. Suzy Turner says:
      10 July 2017 at 11:28 am

      LOL Michelle, you're right though, he is rather handsome! 😉
      Suzy x

      Reply
    2. Elizabeth Yeowart says:
      11 July 2017 at 7:25 am

      Thank you Michelle. It was fascinating- so much more than I anticipated and I learned so much about so many things. Simon was a wealth of knowledge and certainly full of charisma. He held everyone's attention beautifully! xxx

      Reply
  2. Suzy Turner says:
    10 July 2017 at 11:30 am

    What a fabulous experience, Lizzy! I'd definitely going to bookmark this page and maybe show it to hubby, drop a few hints for our next visit to the UK. I've always been fascinated by witchcraft so this is right up my street!
    Suzy xx
    http://www.suzyturner.com
    p.s. not sure if you noticed yet but you've got a teeny spelling error in your headline! xx

    Reply
    1. Elizabeth Yeowart says:
      11 July 2017 at 7:27 am

      Suzy- thank you thank you thank you! I hadn't spotted the typo. I have amended it! It's truly fascinating. I didn't realise that it would touch me in the way it did and it was really rather horrific how some women were treated but it was enlightening in so many ways and I highly recommend it. The hotel and food is amazing too xxx

      Reply

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