Songs of the Pack Horse Trails - Todmorden day pilgrimage with Jennifer Reid

Join Lancashire dialect folk singer Jennifer Reid on a unique journey following ancient pack horse trails, exploring themes of movement, connection, labour, burden, and community. With BPT's Dawn Champion.

8 miles, Bacup to Todmorden

Inspired by Frank Ormerod’s book on the Bacup packhorse trails down into Todmorden, Jennifer Reid explores the evocative landscape with songs and poems about nature and rambling by 19thC Lancashire dialect poets and authors.

We meet in Bacup, one of the best preserved mill towns in Lancashire, and quickly leave the modern streets behind. After ascending the hill, we'll follow two historic paths to traverse the moors. The Limers Gate trail has its origins in prehistory, an upland route across the Pennines, marked by ancient tumuli, burial mounds, and standing stones. Flower Scar Road is believed to date back almost 3,000 years to the Bronze Age. By the Middle Ages, these trails were heavily used as a packhorse routes to connect across the high moors, but other travellers could be found along these roads, stepping out of the way of ponies carrying wool from monastic farmlands off to throughout the land and even as far as Spain. In the industrial era the route became vital for transporting limestone and lime, which were packed by ponies to sweeten acidic moorland soils, or as essential access for the area's 19th-century coal mines and quarries.

Today the ringing bells of packponies have stilled, and the open landscape is meditative in its peacefulness, with only the sound of birdsong and footsteps to punctuate the wind. As we head towards the valley, we follow the pack horses successors, tracing the Rochdale Canal sheltered by the vast brick walls of the railway embankments.

About your guide

Jennifer Reid sings the songs of the Industrial Revolution — Lancashire dialect and Manchester street ballads — carrying voices from the mills and cobbles into the present day. Sixteen years into this work, she moves easily between archive and stage, academia and folk club, treading the same paths as the singers who came before her. Her research has taken her from Manchester to Venice, New York and Dhaka, tracing the threads of industry, weaving and memory across borders — and in 2025-6 she carried these songs further still, touring Aotearoa and Australia, where she was honoured with the Dennis Dubetz Award for her contribution to Tasmania's Cygnet Folk Festival. She has sung alongside Eliza Carthy, opened for Pulp and John Cooper Clarke, performed for Chanel's Métiers d'Art, and appears as Barb in Shane Meadows' The Gallows Pole. Oxford-trained and rooted in oral history, Jennifer teaches, performs, researches and advocates in equal measure — keeping alive the stories that refuse to be forgotten, and inviting others to walk alongside her into the tradition. Read more about Jennifer's work

See Jennifer Reid discussing the archaic folk revival at our Gathering event in 2025 with Jeremy Deller

Timings & What to Bring

Meet at the small garden next to Bacup Museum at 10am. The pilgrimage will finish in Todmorden town centre before 5pm. Bring sensible footwear, a packed lunch and drink, weather protection for sun and rain, something dry to sit on (a carrier bag is fine) insect repellent and whatever you may need for calls of nature.  

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FAQ’s

Travel arrangements - Nearest train stations are Todmorden or Burnley. Bus route is number 8 from Burnley. or number 7 from Todmorden. Note that buses connecting Todmorden and Bacup are infrequent on Saturdays but there are taxis from the train station for a 10 minute transfer. There is free parking throughout Todmorden. We will coordinate lift/taxi shares via WhatsApp group for those that need to transfer to Bacup at the beginning or end of the day.

Toilet Facilities - There are no toilets in Bacup or in the hills, but there are some public facilities in Todmorden. We know some good spots for a “wild wee”. Please bring anything you might need for calls of nature along the way.

Who can come? Anyone over 18 (or under 18 with parental guidance, bearing in mind the walking distance).

Is this religious? This is a faith-neutral pilgrimage including a variety of traditions and practices.  We operate a “Bring Your Own Beliefs” policy, where pilgrims can choose when to engage and participate. We ask that all pilgrims respect one another, whatever their beliefs.

Will I be asked to share my feelings with the group? We like to keep things light and breezy, so there will be no group emotional sharing moments, even though people may be coming for emotional reasons. If you want to share your feelings in personal conversation when walking with others that is up to you, but certainly not compulsory.

Are there fitness or access limitations? This route involves stiles, some steep hills up and down, some road walking, and conditions may be muddy underfoot in places. Pilgrimage is moderately intense; if you find walking all day a challenge, this type of pilgrimage may be an unsuitable activity for you right now. Unfortunately this pilgrimage is not suited for mobility-impaired people or those requiring wheeled access due to the terrain. If you have other access needs please get in touch to discuss how we can best include your individual requirements.

Can I bring my dog? Sadly not - we can’t accommodate dogs on our guided pilgrimages. However, if you have a registered assistance dog, they are welcome.

Do you offer concessions? We offer some free or discounted places to pilgrims on certain types of income-related Universal Credit, PIP, DLA ESA , JSA etc. Contact us to find out if you qualify.

What does the price cover? This pilgrimage is a fundraiser for registered charity British Pilgrimage Trust. 20% of the ticket fee is VAT. 10% of funds raised are donated to the places we visit along the route. Around 50% of your ticket covers the costs of providing the journey, including research and route surveys. Any remaining funds support our charitable work including thousands for free resources to enable people to make their own journeys. For more details about our charitable activities, please check here.

What is your refund policy? See our full policy on cancellations, postponements and ticket transfers here: https://www.britishpilgrimage.org/resources/guided-pilgrimage-refund-policy

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