6, Blackburn – Great Harwood, Accrington and Blackburn

Leaving Blackburn Bus Station, the bus rolls through a mix of old and new, Victorian buildings shadowed by modern glass fronts, market stalls bustling with shoppers. As it climbs east out of town, rows of red-brick terraces stretch like ribbons across the hills, with occasional gaps revealing sweeping views over the West Pennine Moors.

At Rishton, opposite the War Memorial, the town feels still and proud. The cenotaph stands tall against the backdrop of the canal and distant factory chimneys, silent reminders of Lancashire’s industrial past. Nearby, fields open up briefly, dotted with dog walkers and the odd grazing horse.

The bus continues to Great Harwood, stopping by Wordsworth Drive, where neat post-war estates sit side-by-side with grander stone houses. A glimpse of Memorial Park offers greenery and well-tended flower beds. Further along Blackburn Road, high street shops come and go, traditional butchers, corner cafes, and takeaways wafting the scent of spice into the air.

Into Clayton-le-Moors, the road narrows, flanked by terraces and the occasional derelict mill. Opposite Sparth Road, chimneys pierce the skyline as the bus dips into Accrington, where the occasional steeples and rooftops tumble together under brooding northern skies.

Out of Accrington the bus makes its way, past stone houses, towards Oswaldthistle Mills, passing the Civic Arts Centre and with the Tinker and Budget pub on the right. The majestic Holy Trinity Church soon comes into views, then the Hare and Hound hostelry before fields emerge and cattle grazing. The slow, gradual descent into Blackburn commences, down the Accrington Road, passing independent shops and the ornate Moss Hall Terrace, built in 1884, with St Jude's Church on the right.

Closer we descend to Blackburn, past The Salvation Army centre, which dates from 1925, before the green artistic hedgerow surrounding Blackburn Bus Station appears and provides a classic finale, with a sense of occasion to this great trip, with the cathedral in the backdrop, as the bus nestles in its destination, a stones throw from the Market.