The Singing Ringing Tree

Wednesday 2nd February 2022

Crown Point road, Burnley, BB11 3RL

I was planning to see my family, so I decided to do something for my blog in the local area. There is a lot of potential in Rossendale for hikes and walks, and a lot of history there to. I’ve been to the Singing Ringing Tree a handful of times before when I was younger, so I felt that after all this while, I should visit it again.

I packed a bag and got the X43 from Chorlton street in Manchester, and got off at the Waggoners Inn in Clow Bridge. I was immediately hit by the wind and was glad I brought several layers. Once I felt that nothing was going to blow away, I headed up the footpath into the hills.

It was a sharp incline to get away from the road, then I just followed the footpath on top of the moor. I tried to take as many photos as I could because the views were impressive, however, I was a bit worried about the wind whipping my phone out of my hands. I got to a point where I could see the tree in the distance, on the peak of another hill. It was very striking, and I could clearly see my route ahead. I had to drop down towards the road first, then climb back up. I tried to stick to the more scenic course of the footpaths as much as possible, because I wanted to stay away from any cars.

As I got closer to the tree, near the top of Crown Point, I found a memorial forest called ‘Life for a life’. It was a cool and interesting idea that I wasn’t aware of before, and it was fascinating to see all those trees in different stages of growth. From this point, it took about two minutes to finally reach the tree.

Once I arrived, it was incredibly windy. I also completely forgot how the tree got its name, and I was surprised to hear the song of wind whistling through the pipes! I’m pretty sure I could see the whole of Burnley from the top of Crown Point. It wasn’t long before I started to get a bit chilly, so I started to turn back. If I stayed any longer I might have been blown over by the gusts!

On the way up I had noticed some other footpaths, and figured that I could take a short cut down to the road. I took a more direct path back to the road, and entered a field where I had to jump across several streams. So I’m not sure if it was really a shortcut or not. I got to witness an attractive sunset as I walked back along Burnley road. I hopped on the bus at Loveclough for a few stops before arriving at my parents’ house, feeling very windswept.

I marked my walk on the OS maps app and called it ‘The singing ringing tree’, and I covered 5.89km (3.7 miles). I considered this walk difficult, because there were a few steep inclines to get the blood pumping, and the incessant wind didn’t make it easy.

The singing ringing tree is a panopticon constructed in 2006. It was part of a project by the East Lancashire Environmental Arts Network, and it was one of four sculptures. The architects were Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu, and their design won the national award of the Royal Institute of British architects in 2007.

The life for a life memorial forests is a non-profit charity which focuses on providing comfort to grieving communities, conserving the environment and giving aid to other charities. The Crown Point memorial forest has been there since 2003, and is an ideal location as it’s a popular spot for ramblers. Not far from this site, Dunnockshaw woodlands has been developed. Crown Point is becoming a natural haven for wildlife, designed by humans.

Website links to interesting points in the area are below.