The Meanderthals: PENWORTHAM

1. 2. 3. NAUGHTY ! 4 Miles

LAWLESS LADS :- Martin, John W, John R.

Martin and John met up in the car park just over Penwortham Bridge on Liverpool Rd.

Quite by coincidence a local resident, who also happened to be a Meanderthal, was walking in the same direction as ourselves. (Those of you who are regular readers of this blog will recognise a fairy tale when you read one !)

You will also recognise John Russell returning to the fold. (quite accidentally of course)

We crossed over the busy Liverpool Rd. and immediately dropped down to the path past Penwortham Holme Playing fields.

It wasn't long before we came to the end of this track and joined another busy road through Lower Penwortham passing as we did some bright patches of Daffodils.

Once on the road we paused on a barely noticeable bridge over a small brook. Indeed non of us had ever noticed it before.

We were quite intrigued by this and wondered whence it's name had been derived. What was the "Fish House" ?

As we paused we looked back to our starting point at Penwortham Bridge.........

.....and forward to the ancient bridge carrying a cobbled street across the river.

The road alongside it must have caused much head scratching and debate before they settled for this most imaginative name.

We turned away from the bridge to walk just a few metres before crossing the road to our next footpath. As we did so we passed this cafe and which again had us wondering. Why a Penny Farthing on the wall ?

The footpath we needed was just to the left of the rather handsome, quasi-gothic Methodist church (Chapel ?)

Here it is.

Our later starts during the pandemic mean that coffee time comes quite quickly. Some way along this footpath we left it to cross an open area and make use of some rather solid benches.

Come off it John. That is not a proper "bridge" photo.

The reader will have noticed that even though we were stretching the.rules (only a little) we did observe some social distancing.

As we left this spot a phone call from Anthony (Danny and himself were taking a different route in the same area) informed us that they were just on the far side of the bridge we were about to cross.

The dual carriage way taking traffic from Lower Penwortham up to Cop Lane

Once across the bridge we came across the cemetery. This is the children's corner.

John R cheerfully pointed out the plot in a further spot which he had already chosen for his final resting place. How well organised !

And there, making their way through the cemetery, were Anthony and Danny.

Can you spot them ?

We met up briefly to compare routes and then set off again in opposite directions.

Our route was to take us through Hurst Grange Park.

Just like many of the parks we have visited during Lockdown this one was equally well maintained and attractive.

A wonderful new children's play area.

As we passed the Old Coach House, (Being upgraded) we came across this rather alarming HOLE. It was safely fenced off and might have been an old well. Quite a mystery.......

....but in the words of the old joke. The Meanderthals were "Looking into it".

Lunchtime !

Lunch over we made our way out of the park past the old park keepers house.

Across the road a large track took us downhill towards Lower Penwortham and the river through a very affluent part of Penwortham.

At the bottom of this track the road split - going right to cross another part of the dual carriageway or left to follow a footpath toward Penwortham hill and the Priory, We took the path to the left ......Aaaargh !!! This was to prove a bad move.

Here we met our only stile of the day. A householder doing his garden showed us where the stile was and helped us cross as it was rather a difficult one.

Beyond the stile afterr a short stretch of pathway there was a SWAMP !!!!!

The whole of the field was either thick clinging mud or trickling water courses about a foot deep. Skirting around the edge helped but we still all had wet feet by the time we had struggled through.

The thick mud did not release it's grip till we climbed up onto Penwortham hill. It was exhausting !

As we walked up the hill heading to our final visit - Penwortham Priory, we passed the War Memorial which in itself was most reflectively attractive. Close by was a smaller and very poignant reminder of lost lives.

The writing is the first line of a favourite poem of your writer's and I hope you will indulge me if a continue with the first verse.

If I should die think only this of me

that there's a corner of a foreign field that is forever England

There shall be in that rich earth a richer dust concealed.

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware

Gave once her flowers to love her ways to roam

A body of England's breathing English air

Washed by the rivers, blessed by suns of home.

Rupert Brooke

When we arrived at the Priory we found the gates into the churchyard were chained and padlocked.

We found our way through a side path and sat by the church doors to finish off our flasks.

On leaving the church John R told us there was a more interesting way back to the cars rather than returning to Liverpool Rd. He led us through the rather upmarket area of housing down to the riverside park. The site of the old power station.