‘Father’ of the Pennine Way to be remembered at 60th Anniversary of Britain’s first National Trail
On the 60th anniversary of its opening, guidebook writer Nick Burton recalls the pivotal role a duo of Pendle Radicals played in the establishment of the Pennine Way.
A Lancashire Lad whose hikes to the top of Pendle Hill inspired him to create Britain’s first National Trail will be remembered at the official celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Pennine Way.
Tom Stephenson, who grew up in Whalley, campaigned for greater access to the countryside and envisioned a ‘long green trail’ across the uplands of the north – a vision that became the Pennine Way.
He is one of the ‘Two Toms’ who were instrumental in campaigning for greater access to the countryside and persuading the post-war Government to create both the National Trails and National Parks. The other Tom is Thomas Leonard, a founder member and President of the Ramblers Association, who was also instrumental in setting up the Youth Hostel Association.
Both are celebrated in the ‘Two Toms Trail’ – a 25-mile hike connecting Whalley, Pendle and Colne with the Pennine Way near Earby – which was one of the ‘Pendle Radicals’ projects funded by the Pendle Hill Landscape Project managed by the Forest of Bowland National Landscape Partnership
Pendle Hill’s role in the long struggle for public access to our mountains and moorlands is now celebrated with a new walking trail linking two pioneers of the British countryside movement. The ‘Two Toms’ – Tom Leonard and Tom Stephenson – were both inspired by the moors above the Lancashire mill towns to campaign for everyone to have the right to enjoy our great outdoors.
Thomas Arthur Leonard (1864-1948), better known as T.A. Leonard, was a pastor in Colne in the early 1890’s, and set up a church rambling club which evolved to provide cheap, outdoor holidays for mill workers – the first one being to Ambleside in 1891. This led to the formation of the Co-operative Holidays Association (CHA) in 1893, managed from T.A. Leonard’s house in Keighley Road. He went on to found the Holiday Fellowship (HF), providing walking holidays in residential centres throughout the UK and Europe.
Tom Stephenson (1893-1987) was brought up on the other side of the hill, in the village of Whalley. At the age of 13, after his very first day of work at the Barrow Printworks, he climbed Pendle Hill and was transformed by the view. It began a lifetime of campaigning for the outdoors, during which he was secretary of the Ramblers, and helped establish our National Parks and ‘Areas of Outstanding National Beauty’ (including the Forest of Bowland) after 1949. Tom Stephenson had even proposed that the Forest of Bowland be considered as a possible National Park. He also came up with the idea of a national trail for walkers along the upland backbone of England. This became the Pennine Way – officially opened in April 1965 – although Tom had originally suggested it thirty years earlier!
The story of the ‘Two Toms’ was researched by volunteers involved in the Pendle Radicals – a history project managed by Burnley-based Mid Pennine Arts, and part of the wider Pendle Hill Landscape Fund. It was clear from the outset that the best way to bring the life and legacy of the ‘Two Toms’ to a new audience was through a walk and so, the Two Toms Trail was born.
This is a 25-mile-long walking trail which uses existing rights of way and moorland access land to explore the southern fringe of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape and the South Pennines. It runs from Whalley to Earby, linking Tom Leonard’s Colne along the way, and connects the village where Tom Stephenson lived with both Pendle Hill and his famous creation: the Pennine Way.
One of the highlights of the ‘Two Toms Trail’ is the Clarion House, hidden in the ‘Happy Valley’ between Newchurch and Roughlee. The tearoom (open every Sunday) was established by the Nelson Independent Labour Party and was often a meeting place for the Pennine Paths Preservation Society. Between the wars they held an annual rally in Downham which was supported by Tom Stephenson.
In April 2025, Pendle Radicals will host a celebration weekend at the Clarion House following a walk along the Two Toms Trail. Members of the Radicals will be re-walking the Trail and continuing on foot to Malham to join the celebrations marking the 60th Anniversary of the official opening of the Pennine Way on April 24th.
Starting out from Whalley, where Tom Stephenson grew up, the group will skirt Pendle Hill, heading to Colne, where Tom Leonard lived and preached, before heading to Earby. Along the route the group will visit Clarion House, historic Earby Hostel and HF Holidays’ Newfield Hall.
Find out more about the Two Tom’s Trail on the Mid Pennine Arts website: www.pendleradicals.org.uk
Posted
27th February 2025
in News