LEYLAND

 WORDEN PARK 

SNAILSPACERS :- Anthony, Mike, Danny

                                  John , Paddy,  Jim.

We are blessed with many fine parks in and around Preston and Worden Park in Leyland doesn't let us down.

After parking in a seemingly up market suburban Road - Parkgate Drive we crossed the bridge from the road into the park. 

"SNAILPACERS" ???    I must remind readers that as the years pass quickly our walking speed does not . Our walking pace is no longer of "Olympic Standard"   Was it ever ???

Paddy can just be seen at the rear left of this photo,

A few directions from John.........         This way Paddy !

before we set off across the top end of the park.

Past the large and attractive children's play area

We briefly considered cycling round the park but didn't fancy the saddles. Seriously, however, what an imaginative  style of bike rests.

Here we are at a junction. Follow the narrow strip of woodland straight ahead of us or follow the tarmac path to the car park in the distance ?

We took the woodland path.

Arriving at the busy car park it looked like some naughty child had been told to "Hop It"

Did I say the Car park was busy ?  well it was BUT one section was closed off . WHY?

This well, and probably expensively, appointed section was closed off. Again WHY

These equally well appointed steps led steeply down to Shaw Brook which was flowing through an understandably soggy wood.

Although the woodland floor on either side was sodden, the path itself remained almost entirely sound and dry.

As well as the ubiquitous bluebells wild garlic grew alongside the path. 

Some of the BLUEbells were WHITE but that is surely an oxymoron and we don't need anymore morons on our walks.

"C'mon" says our erstwhile leader as he forged ahead.

Is this the remains of an old building or simply a folly .

Paddy came to take a closer look.......... I think.

Leaving the rather damp but non the less attractive valley we climbed up and as lunchtime loomed we headed for the cafe complex.

BUSY ?  It certainly didn't appear so from the outside.

The food and drink were all very good but also in my opinion very expensive, In fact the most expensive of the many cafes we have visited.

Paddy was determined to "Kill" his offering before he consumed it.

DOGS !  I shall probably be offending some people at this point. There were a lot of dogs in the cafe.  At one point two them started fighting. This is not good. People are very fond of their dogs and understandably so. I myself like dogs but NOT in cafes and restaurant where non doggy people come for a quiet , undisturbed lunch. During our lunch one dog left it's owner and trailed it's lead round our feet under the table.  As no-one came to retrieve it one of our group (me)  stood up and said in a loud voice "HAS ANYONE LOST A DOG ?" It's owner eventually came to retrieve it without explanation or real apology.

There. That's it . I shall now keep my head down to avoid various flying missiles.

I hope Paddy has another leg !

Here's Mike emerging from the maze. He was the only one of us brave enough to enter it. (After two metres he turned round and came out..... We have all done it several times before i must add)

Rap on the knuckles for John here. He told the group we were visiting the old Yew Tree, WRONG !!!!!  It was a CEDAR OF LEBANON,   That's blown his dendritic credentials completely.

and so to the cars and home. 

"On the trail of the lonesome..... er..Pine?..Ash? ..Willow?....Horse ch?......      ..............TREE !"

JW