Hodder Valley

River Hodder
The River Hodder is one of the most peaceful and unspoilt rivers in the north of England. It begins life high in the fells, 400m above sea level, where it drains much of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and feeds the large Stocks Reservoir, which provides much of Lancashire’s water.

The river rises on White Hill and flows for approximately twenty-three miles to the mighty River Ribble, entering at its largest tributary, and passing through the Duchy Estate owned by Her Majesty the Queen. It takes in the picturesque villages of Slaidburn and Dunsop Bridge, the spectacular Inn at Whitewell and the Stonyhurst estate, where it is believed author J.R.R. Tolkien was inspired to create the ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’, in which several local names feature. The river then passes under the iconic Cromwell’s Bridge, which dates from 1561 and earned its name after Oliver Cromwell’s 8,000 strong Parliamentary army crossed the bridge during his march from Skipton to intercept the Royalists in 1648.