Forest of Bowland
Leaving Dunsop’s noisy neighbours to argue amongst themselves, I headed off in search of even more rambunctious animals: wild boar. Bowland Wild Boar Park is situated just two miles outside the charming village of Chipping. A recently opened farm diversification scheme, I enjoyed a pleasant ramble through beautiful countryside with the opportunity to see the aforementioned boar, longhorn cows and deer. With the pretty Lancashire village of Chipping down the road and the most haunted pub in Lancashire residing there, I felt the need to satisfy my curiosity.
A visit to the village is like stepping back in time as many of the buildings date back to the 17th century, but my interest lay in the Sun Inn. Choosing a snug corner, I settled down with a rewarding pint, and listened to a fellow drinker as he proceeded to enlighten me to the ghost of Lizzie Dean.
“A scullery maid in the year 1835, she had the misfortune to meet a local lad who proposed to her in the hope of having his wicked way. His lie proved to be successful and, way having been had, he later informed the infatuated girl that the wedding was off. As if this wasn’t caddish enough, he then proposed to her best friend who agreed to marry him. On the day of the wedding, Lizzie hung herself in the Sun Inn’s attic. A suicide note requested that she be buried at the entrance to the church so her former lover and best friend would always have to walk over her grave when attending a church service. Over the years Lizzie has become well renowned with coach loads of ‘ghost hunters’ eager to catch a glimpse of her and the Sun Inn has even attracted the attention of national TV and radio.”
Finishing my pint, I popped over to the church and found her grave very clearly situated near the old entrance. Unfortunately I didn’t catch sight of her, but I’d only have jumped out of my skin if I had. What did make my heart miss a beat was the sound of a car horn. Turning around with the intention of giving the driver a piece of my mind, I realised it was the storyteller from the Sun Inn. Living in Garstang, he kindly offered to give me a lift to Cobble Hey. Hidden away in rural Claughton, Cobble Hay started out life as a field for grazing sheep but has been miraculously transformed into a tranquil garden featuring ponds, streams, rockeries and lawns. Situated over 600 feet above sea level, the garden offers stunning views over the Forest of Bowland and on a clear day you can see the Welsh mountains and even the Isle of Man.
Being a working beef farm, you can also catch sight of a number of different breeds of cattle and there are also a number of rare sheep breeds too, my favourite name being Zwartbles which sounds like a character dreamed up by George Lucas for the latest Star Wars instalment.Back at the very desirable surroundings of the Inn at Whitewell, and in the new dining room overlooking the River Hodder, I studied the evening menu choosing to start with Rillet of Jim Beary’s Gloucester Old Spot Pork accompanied by homemade piccalilli and crusty white bread. My main course was naturally influenced by the area in which I was staying, so it’s no surprise that I tucked into Roast Loin of Bowland Lamb. But it isn’t just the Inn at Whitewell that’s serving up award-winning food using local produce in these parts.
