Pendle Hill (Lancashire): access issues and best times to visit

Planning a trip up to Pendle in October half-term with a small group (4 of us). I've read all the usual stuff about the witch trials and the general atmosphere being 'heavy', but I'm struggling to find current info on footpath access and parking.

Does anyone have recent experience here? Last thing I want is to turn up and find everything cordoned off or get stuck in a farmer's field with angry sheep. Also - is it worth doing a daytime recce first, or do people tend to just go at night?

What we're after: EVP recording, temperature readings, the full monty. We've all got decent torches and we're comfortable on moorland. One of our group claims her grandmother had a 'visitation' experience here in 1987 but won't give details, which is intriguing.

Pendle's brilliant but genuinely eerie. The footpath from the village is public right-of-way, no issues there. Daytime recce is absolutely worth it - you don't want to be navigating in the dark. The actual summit is small, relatively flat, but the walk up takes about 45 minutes from the car park.

As for activity - I've done it four times. Three were quiet, one (winter solstice) was genuinely odd. Temperature dropped noticeably around 11pm despite the season. Could've been weather, but felt intentional.

Don't bother with daytime, honestly. Tourist trap in daylight. Go midweek evening if you can - weekends are rammed with hikers. Park in the village (Barley village is closest), walk from there. And get your EVP recorder out early because the wind up there is MENTAL later on, ruins your audio.

One of our group claims her grandmother had a 'visitation' experience here in 1987

This is actually significant. The witch trial energy here is no joke - historical trauma tends to concentrate activity. Get her to describe the experience to the group when you're there. Places sometimes respond to witness testimony, weird as that sounds. Would love to hear what happens, honestly.

Parking: use the Pendle Heritage Centre car park, it's proper and supervised. Farmer's fields are off-limits but they're clearly marked. Weather in October is unpredictable - bring waterproofs even if forecast says clear. Pendle has its own microclimate, always colder and wetter than surrounding areas.