ROVING REPORTERS

 From our roving reporters

A WET WALK

VIC One of our most regular walkers who also takes Daily (and Nightly) strolls around Gimsargh. (He likes to keep feeding his "Fitbit" with lots of footsteps) Took a walk out from Grimsargh to join the Guild Wheel as it drops down the very ( VERY) steep slope through Boilton Wood on it's way towards Brockholes Nature Reserve. Coming the other way were other walkers  who warned him of flooding. Vic is nothing if not adventurous. (Actually he is other things but one must be kind and not libellous 😉)  As he approached the nature reserve a gentleman was putting up signs saying the path was closed and informing Vic that the water had almost come over the top of his wellies. Undaunted, Vic carried and had to clamber up the sides of the path to avoid the deep floods and also to take wide detours to get back.

D.I.Y.

JAMES D. our 86 year old has not been well recently and so unable to join us on our weekly walks.  Well what did he do ?  Spent his time mending gutters and concreting ....I ask you ??? Good News ! James has been the first amongst our ageing band to get the Covid Vaccine.

Recent research has discovered that Neanderthals far from being primitive humanoids were highly intelligent and well organised. The Meanderthals, however, after the passage numerous millenia , do not appear to have progressed very far . Indeed, sometimes, one might think there's  been a regression.

FESTIVE FUN

 RESTIVE FESTIVE

WALKERS :-  None !!!!

Sorry readers but there is no walk to report on this week. I think it might be a sort of "Triple Whammy".

Covid Caution - Who knows what rules we shall be following ?

Christmas Crackers - All alone? With the family? At home? Somewhere else?

Brain Drain - Time to clear the mind before we  start to "Walk into the future"

But with keyboard fingers itching and a clear screen begging to be filled may I offer you a little brain teaser.

Here is a list of places the Meanderthals have visited in recent times. Can you work out where they are ? Some are really easy and some might be trickily obscure.....  If you're not impressed with this (Highly likely) why not send us a contribution or concoction of your own. Email to John W , Anthony or Danny for inclusion in the blog

        1. The Badger

        2.  Fast Forest

        3, Melanistic Puddle

        4. "Charlie" they say.

        5. Dam Buster

        6. Acute/reflex  Noah's

        7. The Virgin's Cousin

        8. --------- and Wise

        9. Belisha Hill

        10. 50's Radio Kid

        11. Tiger Bus

        12. Sheepshank Finish

        13. Naked

        14. Angry  Heavy weight

        15. A land apart.

        16. - - - - Disney on the valley

        17. William's loan

        18. The Theory of Evolution⏬

        19. Compass point Portuguese Wine

        20. Frae't Brig !

Scroll down for the answers......

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        1. Brock

        2.Fleetwood

        3 Blackpool 

        4. Chorley

        5. Lancaster ( We have actually visited a tiny hamlet called "Bomber" )

        6. Anglezark

        7. St Annes

        8. Morecambe

        9. Beacon Fell

        10. Clitheroe

        11. Leyland

        12. Knott End

        13. Bare

        14. Croston

        15.Sunderland

        16. Walton le Dale

        17. Bilsborrow 

        18. Darwen

        19. Southport

        20. Bamber Bridge

THE END 😊

        

Blackpool in lockdown

Being a seaside town, dependant to a large extent on tourism and hospitality, Blackpool has sufferemore than most towns from the Corona Virus epidemic. So although the day was bright and sunny, if a little chilly, there were not as many people about as usual.

Our walk began from the south end of the golden mile. Just south of the Pleasure Beach

                                                            What's That Noise?

The tall structure ahead is the High Tide Organ. We were fortunate on this walk to have the tide in. We have passed this way on previous walks but have never heard it playing.

      The information plaque is a bit difficult to read so this is what Wikipedia has to say.

        The instrument is played by the sea at high tide through eight pipes attached to the sea wall. These are connected, under the promenade to sixteen organ pipes within the sculpture. The swell of the seawater at high tide pushes air up the sea wall pipes and causes the organ pipes to sound. The best time to hear the High Tide Organ is two or three hours before or after high tide.

 

                                 

                  Although there was very little wind today, the sea had quite a swell.

Our morning brew. Martin very kindly supplied us all with cakes to celebrate his birthday.

                        

                             We had our dinner in one of the shelters beyond North Pier.

                                                  Do you like John's snazzy cape?

The rain that was forecast arrived early, but thankfully not hard enough to spoil our enjoyment on our walk back to South Shore. 

                               You speak for yourself I hear the others call.

On arriving back at our cars, Anthony was presented with a trophy for Meanderthalic Services.                                               

                                                                        DK
 

BLACKPOOL

SEA SIDE SANTA SAUNTER  6.5 Miles

WALKERS  :- Anthony, Paddy, Vic, Martin, 

                        Danny, Mike, John W.

The day as they say, "Dawned Fair" (first time this week) and the Meanderthals had agreed to meet in front of Blackpool's Solaris Centre opposite the giant glitter ball on the prom. But the glitter ball was absent. (gone for repairs apparently) so here's one of our own. 

We crossed over the road and the tram tracks and climbed up to the promenade.

It was a familiar walk and one we had done before, ( Remember we are still in Covid conditions).  Our target was The "Tower" But then a thought occurred to your writer .  ( What if they've also taken the Tower away for repairs ?) No problem we have one of those too.

Yes,  Yes.  I know it's the Eiffel Tower but it'll do.

We continued our walk along the prom as one of Blackpool's many famous attractions loomed before us. The "Big One", like most of Blackpool  was closed . No squeals of delight (or terror) came down to us.

As we pottered forward along the front we came across a group of fishermen flagrantly disobeying the rules.  It clearly says "KEEP OUT".

We suspected they were French or maybe Dutch. Definitely Europeans taking our fish out of our waters. We must tell Boris !

It was only a few minutes before we had passed the "Big one and arrived at that marvellous contraption the "Tidal Organ".  This wailed and moaned as the sea pounded against the shore forcing air up through the structure

We stood around for several minutes listening to the eerily melancholic sounds. 

And then we saw it.   There it was on the horizon. It had not been taken away for repairs. .........  THE TOWER.

In his excitement the photographer has managed to give it a lean .  Oh Dear !

Soon it was time for a brew.... and a very special brew it was too. Today was Martin's birthday . so in true Meanderthal tradition the  Birthday Boy had brought cake !

and to accompany the cake was a shot of "firewater" which Martin often dispenses on our cold winter walks. Wonderful !

 As we sat with our cake and coffee Mike (ex-Blackpool) informed us that the rather artistic stainless steel pipes behind us were actually the vents for the main sewer pipe going out to sea. This lent a certain piquancy to our food and drink.

The promenade was, as you might expect, fairly quiet, but still, as we walked along, all wearing Santa Hats,  we were greeted with smiles and shouts of  "Ho ! Ho! Ho's"  from passers by. One Italian couple also stopped us to take a photo of the group to send back to Italy. (These eccentric Brits you know !)

The next building we came to was the lifeboat station. It had two curios alcoves built into it's wall. What were they ? We decided (erroneously we suspect) that they resembled guard posts.  So we guarded them. 

Just as well. There were some shadowy characters about including some really dodgy ones.   Like this fearsome being.

 

Close by was a shopping/hotel (?) complex which was being refurbished. . Shopping here when it is finished might not be easy as there appears to be a very long queue already.

At last we arrive at the World Famous tower. Look at that sky !

In front of the tower is the " Comedy Carpet " with quips , jokes and quotes from many of the comedians who have appeared in Blackpool. 

The group carried on now looking for somewhere to have or lunch. But what is this ? Two of our friends, Martin and Mike, are still enjoying reading the Comedy Carpet.

"C'mon you two were looking for a place to have lunch."

Just beyond the Tower the promenade widens to accommodate the War Memorial and the "Metropole" hotel. Here there was room for shelters one of which we occupied to devour our sandwiches and whatever other delights we had in our picnic boxes. Usually a chocolate bar (small)  for energy, of course.

Our sandwich site. One of the shelters. 

As we sat in the shelters  Paddy noticed that just in front of us an information board told us that one of Lord Nelson's boats, the "Foudroyant" (?)  had sunk just out from the shore at this point. Rather an ignominious end for such a ship. Anthony, a mine of information, told us that one of it's mast is preserved in Avenham Park Preston

Did you notice in the photo of the shelter we once again had a little friend begging for a share of our lunch ?  Here it is again.

Now we had a decision to make....

Plough on northward along the promenade for a further three or four miles and then catch a tram back to the Solaris Centre or....

Simply turn around and walk the three or so miles back to the cars ?

Our leader chose the latter. A wise choice as the sky was no longer a delightful blue but was becoming ominously grey.

The sea, too, was beginning to look a sombre grey and although there seemed to be very little wind it was getting quite boisterous.

As we walked back we passed a building of a quite unusual design. Your writer had not noticed it on the way out and on discovering what it's purpose was did not feel suitably impressed . Perhaps and age/generational thing.

The building behind our trio of walkers is the "Wedding Chapel".

As we walked back this sign caught our photographer's attention especially in our times of Covid. Perhaps it echoes past times and looks forward to the future.

As we approach the end of this years walks one person stands out as having been an ever present and had in effect kept the group going. So someone took the liberty of presenting him with a magnificent trophy. 

"WALKER of the YEAR"

Anthony with the magnificent solid Gold (coloured) "Walker of the Year" trophy,

THE END

PRESTON 5 PARKS

 NOW YOU SEE 'EM - NOW YOU DON'T 

8 Miles

Walkers :- Anthony, Martin, John W, Danny, Vic, Dave, Paddy.

The group gathered in the shadow of St Thomas's ( St  Tom Finney  😃otherwise known as the Preston North End stadium. ) and were soon on our way.

As we passed the Old Grammar school (boys)  and the Park School (girls) Vic regaled us with tales of his encounters with the girls who had pinched.......... ............his cap ???  You must ask him yourselves if details are desired.

But what's this ?  WALKING in WELLIES, Well wet weather wear I suppose. See if you can spot the wellie wearer as you read through.  Easy !

.... and look at that footwork ! Has our walker had Ballet Training ?

The Park School.

As we reached the end of the driveway which took us along the edge of  Moor Park, Martin and Danny left us to drive to our next destination - Haslam Park.

The rest of the group crossed over the busy A6 and followed the maze of streets through the terraced houses eventually ending up at the far end of Aqueduct Street. ( "Accadock" as previous generations of Prestonians have pronounced it.) 

Only a short distance further on and we turned right to climb up to the end of the shortened canal. The aforesaid Aqueduct having long been demolished.

A rather sticky trek along the wet, muddy towpath took us to Haslam Park where we were to meet up with Martin and Danny for our customary Coffee break.

Blimey... that's the second plastic Heron we've seen in two weeks. The beggars must be breeding !

By the time we had finished our coffees the duo had not appeared. Phone calls established that path closures had hampered their progress. As we packed up and set off again they appeared over the horizon.

Look there they are !

After a brief chat Martin and Danny left us and both parties headed by different means to the docks.

Leaving Haslam Park we joined the side road which took us under  a bridge and shortly to Blackpool road beyond which was  Ashton Park. Down through the park and across the busy Watery Lane/ Riversway and onto the quayside of the Albert Edward Dock - once the largest single dock in the country (possibly still is)

Martin and Danny arrived at exactly the same time as we did. We ambled further along the dock as they turned inland in search of somewhere to Park.

Here we found Dave who had come along to join us for lunch and share the last part of the walk with us.

At this time of year, sitting next to water and with a chill wind blowing we didn't dawdle over lunch but with a lingering look at the dock and it's environs we set off on the penultimate leg of our walk.

We walked round the Western end of the dock basin, over the lock gates and alongside the railway. Ignoring the railway crossing which would have taken us to the Bullnose, the curiously named limb of land between the dock and the river, we stuck closely to the quayside. 

Some distance down the dock a narrow gap in the rows of modern apartments led towards the River Ribble and on to a section of the Guild Wheel. (Preston's circular walkers and cyclist route which, since it's creation, has proved a tremendous asset to the town.)

Once again Martin and Danny left us to make their different way to our final destination, Miller and Avenham Parks. 

Through the gap in the apartments and across the volunteer run riverside Railway,

....and so onto the Guild Wheel.

We followed the Guild Wheel until it arrived at Strand Road then across the A59 Liverpool Rd and onto Broadgate.

Some way along Broadgate we stopped to look at a stone wondering why it was there.

Dave, who lives close by, said he thought it was to mark a point exactly a mile from the geographical centre of Preston. Another curious stone in the embankment wall had GB 1844 carved into it. ( ?? )  Strangely the two 4's had been carved backwards. Was there a reason for this or was the stonemason subsequently sacked ?  I rather hope not as he has amused and entertained us.

As we walked Danny and Martin passed us by in their separate cars looking for parking space to rejoin the walk.

Here, Dave , a local residents, points the way to suitable parking spots. 

All together again we set off into Miller Park and on into Avenham Park.

Coffees and hot (very hot) chocolates all round from the cafe except for these two dubious characters who lurked by the cafe wall.

Martin and Danny left us to walk back through the parks whilst the other group set off up a well remembered hill.  (Cath. Coll. games afternoons when this hill felt like a mountain after an afternoon chasing round a muddy field)

Past the Japanese gardens. Then on through Winckley Square and a look back to a building which was part of the Preston Catholic College, the "Alma Mater" to at least four of the group. Not all with fond memories of it.

 Can you believe that during the sixties Preston's dim-witted council had plans to turn Winckley Square into a car park. Recent councils have had much greater vision and Winckley Square is a joy today.

We now made our way into the town centre to catch the bus back to Deepdale, walking as we did up the rather nicely revamped Cannon Street.  Revamped as a desert by the look of it.

A short wait, bus passes in hand, and on the bus back to our cars.

THE END

JW

p.s One of our group (your writer) managed to lose his wallet on the bus. It was handed in at the Preston Bus office minus about £50 recently drawn from a cash machine. Everything else was still in it, including bank cards but these had been cancelled and he is now waiting for new cards and pin numbers. Very inconvenient at this time of year. Just hope the person who took the money needed it. If so Happy Christmas to you whoever you are.