MORECAMBE

MORECAMBE & WISE 5 Miles

WALKERS :- John W, Mick C, Anthony,
                       Martin, Danny, Vic.

Morecambe and Wise ?  Oh yes !  We went to Morecambe and it was a Wise choice on one of the hottest days of the summer. It was a flat, shortish route with a sea breeze to keep us cool. 

Here we are, on the front at Bare, ready to set off.
(Is that Martin's boot lid flying through the sky ?)

As this was a familiar walk we had no need of maps or GPS systems. The route was obvious. Just keep the sea  to our right. Don't get your feet wet . Keep walking straight ahead.

Although this was a familiar walk we had not done it before in summer so the promenade whilst certainly not crowded was busier than we had seen it before. 

It didn't take us long to reach what I think must have been the coastguard observation post where we stopped to look at the wildlife (birds) and topographical panorama boards.

Here a local gentleman warned us that the promenade was closed for resurfacing beyond the Midland Hotel. We had some way to go before we got to that point so on we walked.

Just a little further along the prom we passed the quite fascinating steel sculpture which was in the form of silhouettes of the distant shore and the mountains and hills of Furness and the Lake District.

As we said....  it was a HOT day and though, scientifically, there is no cooling value in having an Ice-cream. It is still enjoyable.

Ice creams consumed we continued our walk and of course we could not pass by "Eric" without paying our respects.

Morecambe and WISE  ? …. in this instance I fear not !

Soon after saying goodbye to Eric we arrived in the vicinity of the Midland Hotel and STONE JETTY.
 But what is this we see on the path ?

Ah …. Mystery solved …

It was the shadow of another delightful artwork. This time the silhouettes of a flock of Golden Plover. here portrayed as they come in to settle or roost.

As well as the famous Art Deco Midland Hotel the "Para-Pier" .. Stone Jetty, had been reached.

End of the Jetty

Half way along the Jetty is the building containing the café which Mick C informed us was once a railway station from which passengers changed transport modes to board ferries to Ireland (?) and the Isle of Man.

The lighthouse which formed part of the old railway buildings.

We returned along the pier to where work was being done to resurface the prom. Beyond this was the whiteness of the much vaunted Art Deco. Midland Hotel

Although we could no longer follow the shoreline we were only a few metres inland and as DINNERTIME arrived (Lunchtime is NOT a North-Western seaside appellation !!!! ) we found an area of picnic benches and settled down to open our "Butties" (Got to be butties not sandwiches after the preceding sentence.)

That's not a butty Mick.

Aah !....It's an orange.

After lunch, sorry,  Dinner, in the hot sun, what did we need next ?...… That's right.   Cool, clear water... and here it is.

Who mentioned second childhood ?

The already much admired sea front in Morecambe has been stylishly embellished by further stonework and children's play areas. Well done Morecambe & Lancaster  Council.

Here is a wonderful example of a..er...um.. a..Whatsit.

After dinner, drinks, ice-cream and cooling water  what do all old gentlemen require ?

EXACTLY !

Off again.  Now heading along the final, quite long, stretch of the promenade towards Heysham which turned out to be quite interesting.

A tastefully coloured house

One of two wandering troubadours

A local gentleman who explained that the house above was not the one Eric Morecambe lived in but the one used to represent it in a film about his life.

and Danny's detachable shadow

In the distance we could now see the low promontory of Heysham Head. The end of our walk.

A field full of sturdy ponies held our attention for a while. leggy foals are always attractive to photograph and the "Dead" horse turned out to be a "Lazarus"

We had now reached the absolute end of the promenade and a flight of stone steps delivered us up into the quaint little streets of this seaside hamlet

From here it was just a short distance to Heysham's ancient church.

 On previous visits the church has been closed. On this occasion there was a "Guide" who told us something of the history of the church and how it was believed to be the oldest church, in continuous use, in Europe. 

 It certainly had Viking connections as a "Hogback" stone had been found in the grounds beneath which bones had been buried.

Leaving the picturesque little church we climbed up (not much of a climb) to visit St Patrick's Chapel on the headland and once again marvel at the stone cut graves.

We finished our walk by sitting outside the Church's café with very welcome coffees (Thanks Anthony)  and then walking through the pretty main street to the bus stop and the bus ride back to Bare and the cars.

Danny wittily suggested that the village might still have it's own lamplighter.

For such a short walk this one contained a remarkable number of points of interest. 

It was also something of a record in the annals of our walks being the first walk on which ALL the members wore shorts. Fear not dear readers. Vic's legs will be suitably clad as soon as the weather resumes it's normal Britishness.

THE END

p.s. Not everyone was enjoying the sunshine. As we drove home down the M6 we could clearly see clouds of smoke billowing from the moors near Manchester over 40 miles away on the horizon. Saddleworth and now Winter Hill.