Wycoller Country Park

Wycoller is a tiny, atmospheric hamlet tucked in a wooded clough on the eastern edge of Lancashire, below the open moors that roll toward Boulsworth Hill. Its ancient clapper and packhorse bridges over Wycoller Beck and the romantic ruin of Wycoller Hall - said to be Charlotte Bronte's 'Ferndean Manor' - give aerial work a distinctive, storybook subject, framed by dry-stone walls and rough pasture climbing to the moorland skyline. The valley itself is a Lancashire County Council country park with no vehicle access to the village, so check the park's byelaws before flying and be mindful that the wooded, steep-sided clough is tight for line-of-sight; the open access moorland just above the hamlet gives far more room and cleaner air. Take off from open ground rather than among the buildings or crowds near the bridges, and keep clear of the aisled barn and the small car park visitor flow. It is a quiet spot on weekdays, busier on fine weekends with walkers and history visitors. Wind off Boulsworth can be brisk on the tops but the valley is often sheltered. Autumn brings rich colour to the clough; a crisp morning gives the clearest moorland backdrops.