Bacup
Bacup is a small town in East Lancashire close to the border with West Yorkshire. It lies within The West Pennine Moors and is part of the Rossendale Valley.
Understand
Bacup is, along with the other towns that make up Rossendale, a textile mill-town community that developed rapidly during the Industrial Revolution. However, in the late 20th century it suffered from serious economic decline from chronic depopulation and urban decay. More recently great efforts have been made to regenerate the town, with some success. Bacup's historic character, culture and festivities have encouraged the town's development as a commuter town and English Heritage has proclaimed Bacup as the best preserved cotton town in England, and its town centre is designated as a conservation area for its special architectural qualities.
Bacup is the base of the Britannia Coconut Dancers, a unique folk dance group of uncertain origin, who appear on Easter Saturday to dance around the town, attracting large crowds.
Get in
By bus
The 464 bus runs regularly and frequently between Rochdale and Accrington, passing through Bacup. http://www.rossendalebus.co.uk/uploads/TT_464.pdf
Get around
Walk - it's a small place, and Lee Quarry is perfect for mountain biking.
See
- Bacup Natural History Museum (near the centre on the road to Todmorden). The Museum is open to the public on Thursday evenings from 7.30pm and Easter Saturdays 10am-3.30pm.. characterful, contains collections of domestic, industrial, religious and military artefacts. There is so much to be seen that only a visit can adequately describe it. The Library has a collection of around 2000 books and copies of Bacup newspapers dating from 1863.
Do
- Walk. in the surrounding hills and quarries.
- Lee Quarry Mountain Bike Trail. Over 8km of technical mountain bike trails have been completed in Lee Quarry
- Watch out for Juliet Bravo locations. The series was largely filmed in Bacup.
Events
- The Britannia Coconut Dancers, or 'Nutters', on Easter Saturday and other local events.
Buy
Eat
- Mario's. Bacup's main restaurant
Drink
- Russian Tea Room. serves over 82 varieties of tea – most from a traditional Samovar. It also serves snacks with a Russian theme.
- There are plenty of pubs, many of which are very basic drinking holes.
Sleep
Connect
Go next
Head east - into West Yorkshire (the next stop), with a picturesque route over the hills or 'tops' to Todmorden, and then on to characterful Hebden Bridge.