The Meanderthals: A STILISH WALK ( STYLISH ? )

GOOSNARGH 5.6 miles

WALKERS :- Jim, Martin, Danny, Vic, John R
Mick, Harry, John W, Anthony.

We drove a short distance to do a short walk. A very welcoming fishery down Langley Lane were happy for us to park on their property. Thanks !

Out of the fishery car park and briefly along the road before turning off to follow what turned out to be very little used footpaths.

As we left the road the obviously "fifties" (maybe older) style of the tall concrete posts showed where a government enclosure had once been sited. Possibly an observation Station. (Cold War ?) A reader of the blog has, since it's publication, informed the writer that the site was an R.S.G. "Regional Seat of Government" from which government personnel could operate in times of national emergency (Thank You H.S.)
It is now occupied by a large and flourishing Veterinary practice.

We had to walk about fifty yards down a narrow overgrown alleyway of a footpath before being informed, by a strikingly blue sign, that we were on the "Whittingham Walk". At this point the leader informed the group that the walk was intentionally short (ish) and that the highlights and points of interest were........... non existent. He was proved to be not entirely correct.

That few people passed this way soon became abundantly clear as the long grass of the fields had no footpaths to help us through and the footpaths themselves were invariably narrow and overgrown.

With it being a short walk we took an early coffee break where Martin appeared to be setting up a tripod and we were accosted by a refugee from the Boer War !

As we sat drinking we noticed a rope attached to branch over our heads it had obviously been there for some considerable time. Indeed the Boer War poked itself into the mind once again. ( "Excuse me. They didn't have plastic rope at the time of the Boer War." "Er...um...Yes you're right." )

The long grass of the untrod fields and the overgrown footpaths were now being joined by stiles. AWKWARD STILES ! The fields were short in length and joined by either a stile or a bridge ( often with stile.) These, too, were, in the main, overgrown and neglected. Therefore difficult to negotiate and a real challenge for legs of less than olympic standard.

Crossing the fields before coming to an abrupt halt as we waited to tackle an obscured and overgrown stile

(Traffic Jam)

Even when the stiles were not overgrown they still proved a challenge to some of the walkers.

Though Harry seems to be slipping through well enough.

For a short while we left the fields and walked along the main street of Goosnargh Village. Here John R regaled us with tales of his courting days when " 'er indoors" lived in Goosnargh. We are, of course, far too sensitive to repeat such revelations for public consumption.

Leaving the main road we walked down the lane which was once the trades men's entrance to the now vanished "Whittingham Mental Hospital. This would take us to the bowling green where two of our group regularly played.

LUNCHTIME !

Lunch was taken, for the second week running, in what for Meanderthals were very luxurious conditions.

Here we are eating lunches overlooking the Whittingham Bowling Club Green. It was far too comfortable and it took a while to get the ********** on the move again.

Lunch over we retraced our steps for a couple of hundred yards (Oh. I forgot to say the fact that there was a warm, comfortable toilet with hot water and an excellent hand dryer added to the attractions. It's an age thing you understand.)

Our path lay though the gaps in a group of buildings it was not at first clear but then .......IT WAS !

This definitely looks like the footpath.

The footpath led us out into open fields once more. Not quite as open as they at first appeared. We were surrounded by electric fencing which the blade of grass test revealed as active. We climbed over it with great caution. Many of us are receiving treatments for various frailties but no-one wanted E.C.T. (Electro Convulsive Therapy !!!!! ) I will leave the reader to surmise upon the results of a gentleman slipping whilst straddling a live electric wire. 😆 Before leaving the field a rather more comfortable method of surmounting an electric fence was used. A cow watched in fascination. Perhaps hoping for a slip.

Across the rest of the field and over another difficult stile before arriving next to the historic, moated Chingle Hall with its priest's hidey-hole , once feted as the most haunted house in Britain. Now it appears to be an expensive and well maintained Des-Res.

On the other side of the track was a barn conversion with perhaps an OTT gate defending it's door.

As we crossed the next field we found ourselves objects of great curiosity to a herd of young cows (stirks). "Vic the Vaquero" held them at bay.

They were a determined bunch, however, and only came to a halt when we came to the next stile.

Having escaped the Bovine Bovver Boys (girls) we once more came under attack from a nettle filled footpath.

This led us past a ridiculously expensive looking house

complete with it's own helicopter housing. £1.8 Million we were told by a neighbour.

We were to pass several more houses whose owners were obviously somewhat well-heeled to say the least. A wealthy, little settlement it would seem. One of these houses had a private garden with a wall Peeping Toms would just love. ( Or peeping Micks ! )

A small road led away from this "Golden Gathering" and with the odd envious glance back, we followed it.
We were nearing our end game so decided to rest awhile and finish our flask. A warm fragrant corner of a hay field was our chosen spot. So warm and fragrant was it that Danny decided to lie supine in it's atmosphere.

Ohmmm... Ohmmm... Ohmmm.. 'as 'e turned Buddhist ?.

Whilst Jim enjoys the field in a more conservative way.

So did a little frog.

After one last stile. Yes of course. awkward ! We were now to finish on tracks and roads stopping to chat to a couple of friendly donkeys.

"I knew we could get them over to the gate if we pretended to be friendly " said the donkey "They're suckers for a cute animal."said the other.

Almost home now just a short cut down...........

A quick visit to the vets....................

And the final presentation to the walker of the week......

..........for services to cow herding .

Finally apologies to various persons who found upwards of a dozen stiles rather a challenge. A challenge, I must add, that was faced and conquered. Well done those to whom I refer.

Some unused photos :-

An unusual crop in the field which Anthony identified as "Bamboo".