The Meanderthals

CLITHEROE 6 Miles

Walkers :- Anthony, John R, Dave, Martin, Vic, Frank,
Lawrence, John W, Mike, Mick, Jim C, Paddy.

Once assembled the "Dirty Dozen" set off on the road to Clitheroe. A small market town on the A59 as it heads out towards foreign parts (Yorkshire). Ducking under the railway near the station (even inside cars it felt like "ducking") we were soon parked in a surprisingly cheap car park (£2.50 for the day)

We retraced our route back to the High Street up to the gates of the early 12th Century castle which has, reputedly, the smallest Keep in England.

A steep but short plod and we arrived at the information centre (closed) and the cafe (open) Guess what ? yes you're right and here we are.

Some of the group chose not to enter the cafe but went immediately to explore the castle.

Here they are on the walkway high up on the Castle's keep. Below can be seen the Bandstand were oft has tootled, Lawrence, renowned trombonist, seen in the foreground. Inside the small keep the trio ponder the access to the upper storeys of the building, now no longer easily mounted.

Behind them can be seen the large holes which once contained the beams supporting higher floors.

It was now necessary to return to the cafe to encourage "Movement" as they had obviously settled far too comfortably.

With the whole of the group reunited we dropped down from the keep into the park below

There appears to be a large bottle brush stuck in a bin some distance down the path

We were sorely tempted to follow the paths of the Labyrinth but resisted and struck out across the park to the far gates.

Once out of the park a left turn took us back towards the road upon which we had entered Clitheroe barely an hour before. We crossed this road waving our thanks to a lady driver who very kindly stopped to let us pass. (Perhaps she didn't realise what a large and slow moving group we were.)

From here our route followed the busy bypass road as it led eastward towards Salthill Road which in turn would take us to Salthill recreation ground and the "Geology Trail" Our leader had warned that at this point there was a plethora of footpaths and choosing the right one would be something of a lucky dip. This proved to be the case and our leader, much to his shame, showed loud and vocal irritation at the barrage of advice which was offered. "SHUT UP !" was, I think the Zenith to which his eloquential efforts rose.

Decision made we resumed our walk. For those with extra-sensory vision a "thinks" bubble could be seen above John W's head saying " mmmm..I hope this is right !" The route sufficed and we made progress passing some of the points of geological interest. These, unfortunately, in spite of our tame geographers efforts, failed to excite the interest of his seemingly unimpressed colleagues.

These small outcrops of Limestone were "Alive" with fossils, mostly crinoids. Our own, homegrown fossils, however, preferred not to engage with their millions of years old predecessors..... Philistines !

The trail continued confined between the fences of an industrial site and the Limestone cliff edge (a "Cill" maybe ?) until it opened out at a by-road which we crossed to an exposed hill looking for a lunch spot. Topping the crest of the hill we found ourselves overlooking a rock-strewn valley. It too, was littered with fossils. Ah Well.................. ! There were also benches to be used. LUNCHTIME !

Down in the Valley

Up on the hill.

Lunchtime over the upper and lower parties joined up to partake of Martin's "Firewater". Always welcome but particularly on days when a cutting easterly wind is blowing.

Lunch over, we turned back towards the road we had left and soon joined a further road leading us towards the cement works which has for decades dominated the landscape around Clitheroe. At the entrance to the works we crossed another road and then a railway branch line which seemed to be dedicated to the cement works. Immediately beyond this a public footpath sign showed us the way through the woods towards Brungerley Sculpture Park and Brungerley Bridge. Alongside this path was a precipitous drop towards the river and opposite, a very large industrial site owned by "Johnson Mathey" whose business is - Chemicals and Sustainable Technology". Whatever that is !

We were now on the last leg of our walk (On our last legs ???) and the footpath was made interesting by the sculptures we encountered.

First was this magnificent Sylvan Scene,

Mick had the gall to suggest that this was probably an expensive sculpture as it was certainly "TWO DEER"

Oh Dear !!

This was an very well maintained path and we made rapid progress along it still passing a variety of sculptures.

Who or what or When was B.C. Perhaps not as new as it looks for you will notice it is receiving a friendly hug from the tree.

One has to wonder why this well equipped Meanderthal (a qualified Geographer no less) still manages to get lost even though in possession of both Map and GPS .

The path opened out into a more cultivated and regulated piece of parkland and still contained wonderful assortment of sculptures. Some more fun than others.

"Finish the flasks off ?" was the question at this point "Yes" so we sought a sheltered spot. Meanderthals may be old but apparently not wise as the shelter they chose was rather chilly. The walls were NOT draught proof.