A NEW tourism trail to attract visitors to Pendle is being launched in time for the summer holidays.

The Pendle Witch Trail is a journey through historic Lancashire and brings to life the true story of the witchcraft trials of 1612.

The trail was devised after Pendle Council threw in its lot with the Ribble Valley and Lancaster to emphasise the area's beautiful countryside from Barrowford and through the Trough of Bowland to Lancaster.

Cash towards the cost of the project has come from the Rural Development Commission and the European Regional Development Fund.

Visitors following the trail can begin their journey at the Heritage Centre in Barrowford and visit the witch villages of Newchurch and Downham before going on to Clitheroe and Browsholme Hall, the home of the Parker family for 500 years.

The journey to Lancaster, where the witches were imprisoned and stood trial in the castle, takes tourists through the Trough of Bowland, with its views of the sea and the Cumbrian mountains.

At Lancaster there is chance to see the Judges' Lodgings and the home of Thomas Covell, the notorious keeper of Lancaster Castle during the witch trial.

And, as a finishing touch, there is even the Golden Lion pub, where the Pendle Witches were allowed to have a final drink before their execution.

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