WALKERS :- Anthony, Mike, Danny, Martin, John R,
Vic, Harry, Lawrence, John W, Mick.
With a cutting wind being a major factor in today's walk I hope the reader will be indulgent in allowing me to quote a poem that came to mind as we walked.
"I must go down to the sea again to the vagrant gypsy life
To the gull's way and the whale's way
where the wind's like a whetted knife
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover
And a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over ."
John Masefield
We are all rather amused by Danny's very practical answer to "Booting" up at the start of our walks.
Much easier to find a parking spot this week and we were soon gathered and ready for off --- No we weren't. Mick was nowhere to be seen. A series of phone calls eventually had us deciding to meet at Lytham Hall.
So off we set and were soon tramping our way along the Green Drive.
The slightly out of focus photo is caused by tremblingly cold hands (good excuse John !). The density of the dog population in this area might delight some people. As for me ................... !
At the end of the green road we came across evidence of serious flooding or perhaps an exceptionally high tide.
The wall in the photo was the boundary of the Lytham Hall estate and we only had to follow it for a few minutes before arriving at the impressively arched entrance to the grounds.
Once in the grounds the road snaked away into the distance with woodlands to our left and open fields to our right.
Walking in the middle of the road as illustrated above was not to be recommended as this small road proved to be remarkably busy and we were constantly being forced onto the grassed verges. On rounding one of the corners the handsome facade of the Hall itself appeared before us.
The reader's suspicions that a warm cafe at the hall would would entice us to stay would be well founded. Well C'mon ..... a bunch of old f**** erm.. fellows at 11am ? What else would you expect.
Thank you whomsoever it was that paid.
Coming out of the cafe we chatted briefly to some of the volunteer workers before continuing in search of the fabled "Snowdrops". We were perhaps a week or so early but there was still enough white visible to make a display.
We continued through the grounds passing as we did a small lake.
and so out of the grounds and into a modern(ish) housing estate. Here slight confusion followed (very slight) as such conurbations can as the song says................." all look just the same." Our leader's instincts however wove us in the right direction until a tall Leylandii hedge caught our attention as being rather more than a domestic hedge. Indeed it was the lead into to the footpath through the woods. Not Just any woods but "WITCH WOOD"
This section of our walk was of course spellbinding even magical as we walked through. Something appears to have stopped Danny and Mike in their tracks. There was an abundance of flora evident though a surprising absence of brooms.
There were also one or two mysterious things to be seen. Here is one standing next to a wooden object.
And could this be a member of the legendary "Wood Elf" fraternity ?
.
The wood soon ended and our next terrain change took us through the golf course were Anthony briefly became a paparazzi on a close encounter with Prince Andrew. Here we passed a notice warning Mrs May (our beloved Prime Minister) to take care.
Out of the golf course and back into the urban environment where we became aware of the preponderance of large, expensive homes in this eminently prosperous area. One home we passed brought forth diametrically opposed opinions. Those for and those against "PLASTIC GRASS"
A Well Hoovered Lawn !
We continued on our way passing many more examples of expensive Edwardian and Victorian as well as Elizabethan ( the II of course) homes.
The wind was by now quite definitely "like a whetted knife" as we reached the coastal strip. Before us appeared the famous profile of a "Spitfire" as it set itself to do a low pass over Fairhaven Lake.
It is our normal practise on walks in this area to have our lunch alongside this aeroplane but not being fierce fighter pilots or savage S.A.S soldiers we wimped away from the wind blasted picnic tables and opted for a nearby shelter.
Hurrah ! We're not stopping here.
It was sad to see elderly gentlemen reduced to sitting on cold floors surrounded by so few possessions on such a cold midwinter's day.
Lunch was taken rapidly and we were soon on our way along the main Lytham, St Ann's road past Fairhaven Lake.
It was now a matter of heading into the centre of Lytham before turning inland to follow Green Drive back to the cars. You will know of course from past "Match Reports" that our walks are never over until the keys are turned in our cars ignitions.
Could this be an invitation to shed excess baggage ?
I feel sure that St Cuthbert, as he rested close by, would not have been so unchristian as to suggest that our group would have ANY superfluous items.
And a good place for your writer to rest and finish this report. Well done and thank you Anthony for the 3rd successive leading of our walks ....and there's more to come.
A few more photos :-
A few more photos :-
Is that Vic in a state again ?
Our ever helpful friends
If you look closely you will see a white disc driven into the tree on the left. Many of the trees in Witch Wood bore these discs. Why ? We could not fathom.
Our friends look as if they have not yet warmed up after a chilly lunch stop,Look
Looks like a draw. Wall 0 - Tree 0
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