Lower Ribble Valley
The Lower Ribble Valley offers dramatic scenery as it cuts through the Pennine hills, and much of the locality falls within the Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The ruins of Whalley Abbey are well worth a visit, as is the prosperous market town of Clitheroe. Pendle Hill is famous for the so called witches, who were executed at Lancaster Castle in the early 1600s, and these days also has a great reputation for outdoor pursuits, and is particularly popular with hang-gliders, skiers and walkers.
2009 marks the 250th anniversary of Scottish poet Robert Burns' birth. Burns was a poet and a lyricist and is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland.
The Burns Supper was started a few years after his death by a group of his friends; they held the supper to honour and remember Burns. The tradition caught on and the ritual of Burns Supper is now held all around the world.
His life and work will be celebrated throughout the year at many Burns-related events.
