Well worth the effort. And it does involve effort. From the moment you leave the village of Barley and set off towards the forest, where the sculptures are located, it is uphill. And steeply so when one enters the wood from the approach road. The sculptures are varied and worth the effort though I had expected rather more of them than there were. When we visited in March the areas around the individual sculptures were, in some cases, very muddy and could not be approached closely. The Barley Picnic area where one parks has a very good restuarant and..a RARE find these days...a public toilet, well maintained. Well done Barley. Voluntary donations, as little as 20p, are requested to cover the annual maintenance costs of £7000. The local authority had intended to close it but the village kept it open. A very reasonable request in my view. Parking is also cheap at £1.50 for 3 hours.
Lisel J145 days ago
Have visited before and bit sad to see some of the sculptures needing some tlc, still amazing though and love the new additions. Bit of a steep walk at first but well worth it, there is a bench half way up. Highly recommend.
Hazel Roberts206 days ago
Prepare yourself for quite a long walk to get to the start of the trail (past the reservoir) and then an uphill walk in the woods for quite a way before you see the first sculpture. But after that the sculptures are great - interesting and high quality
Woolly Blue206 days ago
Quite fun to wander round and kids would love it. The only downside is it's about a miles walk from Barley itself, so wouldn't be great for anyone with mobility issues
Anna Duncan206 days ago
Quirky little trail with some good sculptures to look at, although the route was a little confusing (and steep!). Definitely need your wellies too if it's been raining.
Alexandria Green267 days ago
Great walk . Sculptures were great and keep kids driving on . Some steep hills but my 2 year old managed it .
Rachel Bondarenko1 year ago
Great for kids and was lovely to do in autumn. Enjoyed the little clues and riddles to solve along the way. Managed to fit in Pendle Hill afterwards too - total from Barley for both trips was 13km and about 4.5 hours with my 7 year old and 39 week bump.
John Lancaster2 years ago
An excellent experience for the family. A nice walk up a tarmacadam lane from Barley with views over to Pendle Hill. Only the last short part is on rougher ground so inaccessible for a wheelchair. Sculptures are fascinating scattered around the wood. The children, though just loved exploring the trees and playing.
