The Meanderthals

BLACKPOOL January 8th

Stanley Park and Layton Cemetery (6 to 8 miles ?)

Walkers:- Vic, Anthony, Mike, John R, John W, Martin....... and Kath ?

John W was beguiled (conned) into believing that Layton Cemetery was a place of great interest. (Some of our party will recall the "Fascination" of Winmarleigh Moss ???)  So 9.30 saw us heading out along the motorway to Blackpool. Both Mike and John R professed profound knowledge Blackpool and it's environs so we put our trust in them as our "indian" guides. 20 minutes later we were turning through the main gates of Stanley Park and quickly found a parking spot with a boot-fitting park bench close by. Once suitably accoutred we turned back towards the main gate and skirted the walls of Blackpool Cricket Club before turning back into the park near to the sports centre. A short distance and we were confronted by an elegant circular pond which we were informed once served as a plunge pool for.........Kath ! To our left was the rather splendid Art Deco facade of the park's cafe building. We turned our backs on this and walked the short distance to the Memorial Clock Tower. A few minutes spent examining this before we set off again heading towards the boating lake, home to many and varied waterfowl. As the sun was shining delightfully we chose two of the many benches on offer and settled to our "Brew" time. This as always (bless you Martin) included a warming glass (?) of mulled wine. As we sat, several dog walkers passed us. One stopped to give us a detailed description and natural history of his particularly striking dog -- a Siberian Husky -- a beautiful dog (that's something coming from me) Two passing Community Support Officers helpfully pointed the way to the nearest toilets before we turned towards the bridge over the lake. As we passed the lake the police were handling an inflatable boat and we learnt that they were searching for someone (in the lake ?)  Out of the Park and following the road to the Hospital. Here we left the road to detour through the hospital grounds where at least one member of the group took a rather suspicious interest in the nurses' homes. A brief stop at "The shrine" a disused church which was built to celebrate the fact that no churches in the diocese were damaged during the war. Crossing the busy junction we walked west to Kingscote Road where a right turned led us through a small park (here it started raining) and so on to our original target - Layton Cemetery. Here John's gullibility showed it's hand. A number of prominent citizens had been buried here but could we find them ? ....Ah well it's good to let the dead rest in peace. The weather had decidedly deteriorated and we took a rather draughty, chilly lunchbreak huddled in the lee of the victorian chapel. We did find Aida Queen of the Gipsies (note the spelling) and George Washington Williams, a black civil rights worker who at the behest of King Leopold of the Belgians searched for Stanley and Livingstone only to discover that they were both thoroughly unpleasant gentlemen. In the cemetery an initialy pleasant but eventually sickly smell filled the air. It came from Burtons Biscuit factory close at hand. After a somewhat fruitless search of the headstones we abandoned the operation (after finding the Polish airmens graves and one for John Russell !) and left the graveyard to return to the cars, seeing as we rambled back the new Devonshire Road Primary School which replaced the hugely gaunt victorian school destroyed by fire some years ago. At this point KATH intervened. The end of our walk was lengthened by a search of Kath's childhood stamping grounds in search of "TRAMS" We found (hope your noting this Kath) a Pig Farm. ---- and so to the cars and home. 

A reasonable first walk after the festive break.