COMING from Burnley, my husband has long been familiar with Pendle Hill and the surrounding area.

In fact, one of his aunties is convinced his side of the family are distant relations to Alice Nutter, one of Pendle's most famous witches -- which would explain a lot.

However, the tale of the infamous 17th century Pendle Witches still stirs the imagination and this is why I allowed myself to be dragged there for a day's exploring -- although the promise of a hearty pub lunch also helped persuade me!

It's believed the ancient Britons (who named it pen, meaning hill) climbed Pendle Hill to bury their dead and the Romans worshipped their gods here and evidence of this remains of a Bronze Age burial site called the Beacon on the top of the hill.

We visited on an early autumn day of brilliant sunshine and crisp air and from our vantage point at the summit we could see the north Lancashire fells, Bowland fells and the Irish sea.

There really is a wealth of things to see and do around Pendle and it's especially good for walkers along the Pendle Way.

Try the five mile walk from Newchurch through Pendle Hill and onto Barley or the three-and-a-half mile one from Barley to Barrowford. You can pick up leaflets for all walks from Pendle Tourist Information Centre.

This time though I didn't fancy joining the many walkers, I wanted to go on my very own witches trail -- I needed to find out if my marriage had provided me with the delights of being distantly related to the legendary Alice Nutter.

Newchurch village takes its name from St Mary's Church, established as a chapel in 1544 to serve the outlying parts of Colne Parish.

The village remains little changed from the early 19th century -- it was originally a weaving and farming community -- and offers some stunning scenery.

Legend has it that the body of Alice Nutter is buried in the graveyard of St Mary's church but we couldn't find her grave so decided to leave that legend to live on.

Before you leave, glance up at the tower and see if you can spot "the eye of God" a unique piece of mason work designed to watch over the church and protect it from witchcraft!

By the way, if you are ever in Newchurch and wish to visit St Mary's, refer to it as "T'kirk" which is how it's known locally.

Nestling in the foothills of Pendle Hill, which incidentally is just 51 metres short of being a mountain, is Witches Galore -- a wonderfully spooky specialist shop.

It's also affectionately known as "The little shop with a big reputation" and it stocks hundreds of souvenirs of Pendle Hill and its witches.

We spent a good hour in the shop becoming lost in its many books on the fact and fiction of this mysterious area.

The shop is open every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

By now all this witch hunting had given me an appetite and we headed off to pretty Barley -- known in the 13th century as Bareleigh which means infertile lea or meadow.

Barley has been a farming community for centuries and really does boast some stunning scenery.

During the summer the picnic sites do get very crowded but they are well spaced out so never appear to be too busy. There is also a children's playground near the bus turnaround. This day however, we decided to eat lunch at the Pendle Inn in Barley -- a popular place for walkers and "lunchers" alike -- where we had a delicious meal and a couple of drinks.

A stroll to Barley Information Centre, a browse round the shop there and a coffee in the tea rooms and we decided to make our way back to the car.

There really is much more to see in the Pendle area -- the nearby towns and villages of Colne, Nelson and Roughlee (home of Roughlee Hall reputed to be the house of Alice Nutter) -- but you need to plan your route well so as not to miss anything.

I still don't know if Alice Nutter is some distant aunt or anything, but judging by her surname she could well be!

FACTFILE:

Alice Nutter was the enigmatic gentlewoman who was hanged as one of the Pendle Witches in 1612.

Pendle Hill stands an impressive 1,831 feet above sea level and its brooding shape dominates the countryside.

In the 19th century, the Bronte sisters explored the Pendle moors and the ruins of nearby Wycoller Hall are believed to be Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Bronte's Jayne Eyre.

The Quaker movement started in Pendle after the founder, George Fox, climbed Pendle Hill in 1652 and had a vision of "a great people waiting to be enlightened and gathered in".

Pendle Hill is still a magnet for visitors -- druids flock there at Summer Solstice and many people visit on, what else, Halloween!

Pendle Tourist Information Centre 01282 661701. Barnoldswick Tourist Information Centre 01282 666704.