YOU can see Pendle's Panopticon Atom from a long way off, whether you are approaching Wycoller Country Park from Colne, or walking over the hill from Trawden.

Nestling on the edge of a grassy knoll close to the Haworth Road Car Park, high above the valley floor, this modernistic structure – representing a molecule – bears some resemblance to a sea-worn pebble, but with the strange inclusion of rounded apertures, from which atoms have supposedly tumbled to their fate in the peaty waters of Wycoller Beck far below.

If the sun is shining from the south, there is just a chance that you will catch a glint of reflected light from one of the four round openings in the sides of the Panopticon. This may be the first hint a visitor gets that there is more to this artwork than first meets the eye.

Closer inspection reveals a large stainless steel sphere in the centre of what proves to be an otherwise empty room. This represents the last remaining atom in this particular molecule.

One has only to look out from any of the openings – or view them in miniature on the surface of the steel ball – to appreciate the panoptical

qualities of Peter Meacock's design. As the word "panoptical" implies, you really do see everything!

The bronze finish of the Panopticon's metal-based paint blends in perfectly with the colour of its surroundings and it is easy to imagine that this object has long been part of the landscape.

This walk comes courtesy of Pendle Borough Council and Lancashire County Council. For more walks in the area, log onto visitpendle.com

Step by step

1. The walk begins from a waymarked post between the car park and Atom where a footpath takes off along the side of the valley towards Foster's Leap. The path is very narrow and soon divides into two.

2. Take the right hand path to descend towards the farmhouse and former barn of Foster's Leap Farm. From the second kissing-gate there is a good view of Foster's Leap Rock poking its nose out above the stand of sycamore trees next to the barn. This outcrop is referred to in Colne church records of 1714 and is believed to be named after Foster Cunliffe, a relative of the Cunliffes of Wycoller Hall who claimed King Charles II as his godfather. He made a daring (some would call it insane) jump across the gap from the cliff behind on to the top of the rock.

3. On entering the garden of Foster's Leap Barn, you can see an attractive pond boasting some unusual creatures, such as a pink hippopotamus. However, this is private property and walkers are expected to cross the lawn, on the route indicated by the yellow waymarking arrow, to join the metalled road linking the barn with the farmhouse further down the valley side. Next to the latter is a gate.

4. On entering the field here, follow the wall to the left and cross into the next field by means of a ladder stile.

5. The gateway next to it is usually open. Two more posts show the right of way downhill to a footbridge over the stream next to the 18th-century farmhouse of Parson Lee Farm.

6. Close by a stile at the end of the barn there is a great view of the Panopticon. It really does seem as if it is about to roll down the hillside at any moment and – when people stand next to it – looks not unlike a massive boulder abandoned by the retreating glacier which formed this valley. Attractive waterfalls and some superb specimens of European Larch and Common Beech are highlights of the walk down the farm track to 'Water Meetings'.

7. Here, two unnamed tributaries unite to form Wycoller Beck which, a short distance further downstream, is crossed by the prehistoric Clam Bridge

8. Beyond the Clam Bridge, follow the path to Copy House Bridge, rebuilt in 1992.

9. Here there is the choice of walking through the live willow tunnel in the Conservation Area, or heading through the picnic area with its duck pond to the Old Coach Road behind the Aisled Barn Visitor Centre. The willow tunnel is worth a detour as it is one of a set of willow structures, including a life-size horse and rider, constructed by local people working with professional artists to enhance the wider Panopticon site.

10. Either way, the old road should be followed uphill to the Haworth Road Car Park, where this walk began.

11. But if you are in need of refreshment before the final stretch, you may want to call in at the Wycoller Craft Centre and Tea Rooms, which serves a range of snacks and home-made cakes.