History
Holmes Mill is a former cotton mill that’s been lovingly restored, enhancing its heritage to create a splendid leisure destination. The mill was established in 1823 and underwent several changes of use and ownership until manufacturing ceased in the 1970’s. James’ Places acquired the buildings in 2015 and embarked on a stunning £10m programme to convert it into a superb leisure hub making the most of the Grade II listed buildings and retaining some of the old machinery as a fascinating reminder of its past use.
Location
The mill is located in the delightful market town of Clitheroe situated in the heart of the beautiful Ribble Valley, east Lancashire. The town boasts a Norman castle which towers over the high street lined with many independent little shops and cafes. With a generous three hours of on-site free parking and several longer stay pay and display car parks nearby, Holmes Mill is a lovely place to spend a few hours or to book a stay at its award winning Spinning Block hotel.
Exploring Holmes Mill
Bowland Food Hall
I suggest starting with a wander around Bowland Food Hall which is an epicurean delight. It’s part farm shop, part deli and part cafe all mingled into one and home to some of the finest foods found in Lancashire. The butcher’s counter is filled with locally sourced cuts of beef, lamb and pork whilst the cheese stall has such a tempting range from the delights of Creamy Lancashire through to more exotic local varieties such as Blackstick Blue.
I love the way that the tables of the Food Hall Cafe are set within the food hall itself. Open all day for morning coffee and pastries, brunch and lunch, it offers a menu ranging from sharing boards to Buddha bowls and hearty dishes such as traditional Lancashire hot-pots.
The food hall also offers a wide range of gifts, local cook books, beer, wines and spirits so make sure you bring a shopping bag as if you’re anything like me you’ll be easily tempted into stocking up with lots of goodies to take back home.
Bowland Beer Hall
Linked to the food hall is the magnificent Bowland Beer Hall featuring one of the longest bars in Britain at 105 ft 4 inches (32 metres) to be exact. It’s home to around 42 hand pulled ales and beers brewed in-house just behind the beer hall in Bowland Brewery. Don’t worry if you’re not a beer drinker though as all tastes are catered for.
Bowland beers are a favourite with my husband and although I’m not much of a beer drinker myself I’m attracted to their names which are inspired by the local landscape and wildlife of the Ribble Valley. With varieties such as Hen Harrier, Deer Stalker, Pheasant Plucker and Hoppy Hedgehog who could resist sampling some of these ales. Tours of the brewery take place on selected Fridays from 6.00 p.m. to include tutored tastings and 3 thirds of Bowland ales. Bowland Brewery Tours.
The beer hall continues through into the Engine Room where you can sit in comfortable tweed upholstered armchairs overlooking the steam engine that powered the mill in its hey day. A wide selection of pub fare is served in the Beer Hall including classics such as fish and chips, burgers and pies, all reasonably priced.
Boiler House Bowling
A more recent addition to the site saw the conversion of the old boiler house transformed into a bowling alley. I was intrigued to take a look at this as it’s not conventional 10 pin bowling but rather Duck Pin Bowling which I hadn’t come across before. This uses smaller balls, is easy to learn and you don’t need to wear special shoes. Being petite and having small hands I preferred it but as the balls are smaller I found it to be even harder to achieve a strike! Nevertheless, it’s great family fun and with ample seating, teams of players can enjoy snacks from the Boiler House menu which includes burgers, nachos and loaded fries. Duck Pin Bowling. Also on site is an Everyman Cinema so whatever the weather there’s always something fun to do.
The Spinning Block Hotel
The oldest building on the site has been converted into a stylish hotel with 39 individually designed rooms, a bar and grill. The adjacent Cotton Room is a sought after wedding venue but as a wedding was taking place during our visit I wasn’t able to take a look inside but hopefully I’ll be returning before too long to review a stay so all will be revealed then. Spinning Block Hotel.
Walks with Taste
Holmes Mill is part of the Ribble Valley’s Walks With Taste initiative with printed leaflets of walks from numerous local hostelries. We popped on our walking boots and followed the 4.2 mile (6.8 km) walk which starts and finishes at the mill. Leaflets include step-by-step instructions and an ordnance survey map of the route to avoid getting lost.
This was the third Walks With Taste trail that I’d followed with this one being an easy stroll through town, climbing up to the Norman castle ramparts before reaching the path along the scenic River Ribble.
On our return to Holmes Mill around two hours later we’d worked up an appetite so enjoyed a delicious lunch in the foodhall cafe.
It was also lovely to be able to meet up once again with colleagues from Visit Ribble Valley who I’ve had the pleasure of working with numerous times since starting my blog.
Before setting off home, I stocked up on local cheese and sausages whilst my husband added a few bottles of Hen Harrier to the shopping basket. The Ribble Valley is a hidden gem with the Forest of Bowland being an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and as you can tell from this post, it’s also a foodies paradise so do visit if you get chance as I’m sure you’ll love it too.
