Trips & Adventures – 21 November 2019

We travelled by train from Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe, a town 34 miles north west of Manchester. It’s a little known fact that Jimmy Clitheroe (1921–1973) a comedian well known for his radio shows was born in the town.

The name Clitheroe is thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon for “Rocky Hill”, and the town’s most notable building is Clitheroe Castle, said to be one of the smallest Norman keeps in Britain.

Before we climbed the steep hill up to the Castle we stopped off at the “Mechanics Institute”, which served traditional English meals such as steak pie with local homegrown vegetables and sticky toffee pudding with custard.

The climb was worth the effort as the views from the top of the Keep were fantastic. The Castle stands atop a 35-metre outcrop of limestone and is one of the oldest buildings in Lancashire. It is also the only remaining castle in the county which had a royalist garrison during the English Civil War.

According to local legend, stepping stones across the River Ribble near the town are the abode of an evil spirit, who drowns one traveller every seven years. We were lucky though and managed to get back on the train to Manchester.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Transgender Day of Remembrance has been observed annually on 20 November as a day to memorialise those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. Out In The City would like to mention this to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people.