HASLEM PARK - COTTAM

 MISSING MEANDERTHAL MYSTERY

5.5 Miles

Present and Correct :- Anthony, John W, Danny

                                        Martin, Mike, Don. (Vic ?)

The car park  at Haslem Park does present difficulties when finding it or rather accessing it. So with the clock ticking on past our meeting time we eventually decided to set off.

But where was Vic ?  We decided that Vic knew where we were going and the points at which we intended to stop so he would have the "Nous" to find us. We also welcomed back a Meanderthal who walked with us at their very inception sixteen years ago..... DON.

First find our way through Haslem Park to the canal.

Here we find Danny - on the ball as ever !

As we dropped down to the canal there was VIC. Well done Vic.  A nasty accident on the Preston/Grimsargh road had snarled up the traffic and other road closures had forced him to detour through Broughton.

Is he suggesting we follow social distancing rules are telling us about the Duck family on the canal.

That will be hard work for Mum and Dad. 15 ducklings.  Sadly they will almost certainly not all live to adulthood.

A little further along the canal an unusually bold heron stayed at the waters edge as people passed by. 

 Heron's are known to take ducklings so maybe it was contemplating a meal ?

We continued along the canal with the UCLAN sports complex in our minds as a place with seating to have our morning coffees.

I suspect that this scene will appear in Danny's version....... the evidence is there 😀

Before we reached the sports complex a small diversion took us past the basin of the Ribble link.

.....   and close by we came across a real version of an "Old Goat".

....... and look.  There's that cheeky heron again !

The next bridge we came to took us underneath "Tom Benson Way" and immediately afterwards we left the canal to follow a footpath next to the University playing fields.

The blackthorn bushes are in beautiful full bloom. Is Vic simply admiring their beauty or thinking of the "Sloe Gin" that can be made from their fruit later in

the year ?

Coffee time. The "Final Whistle " cafe is not open yet but there is plenty of seating nearby.  Martin and Don missed our turning point but joined us from a gate only a few metres further on.

After coffee a rather attractive old bridge took us over the canal, away from the sports complex and onto part of the guild wheel.

The Guild Wheel has been an enormous success. It is in constant use by both cyclists and walkers. The stretch we followed now seemed particularly well constructed and attractive.  Even the Kissing Gates were strongly and attractively constructed.

This part of the "Wheel" accomodated horse riders but I don't know how much of the rest  is available as bridleway.

By now we had arrived in Cottam the "Zenith" of our walk. Just across the road from St Andrew's church is a field. I think it could hardly aspire to be a "Park" though it was certainly open for public access. Perhaps "Cottam Green" might be it's title.  Here we stopped for our lunchtime break. 

As we sat in the sunshine people walked past .  Some came along the path but others took to the grass to give us a wide birth, Could one blame them ?

As well as St Andrews church the green was surrounded by a wide varirty of "Des, Res's" 

One in particular seemed quite incongruous leading us to wonder how planning permission had been granted.

Although sitting in  the warm sunshine was so beguiling we eventually had to leave and set off on the return journey.

Whist often railing against the unprecedented amount of building going on around Preston's fringes we have to admit there is often great effort puy in  to make these "Estates" attractive,

Here a pond has been retained and "Prettified" .

Now we followed the road.....

 ..... as it took as past the "Ancient Oak" pub. Hardly ancient !  Last time we came here the pub was closed and deserted. Today it's outside area was buzzing with customers.

At the roundabout where the road joined Tom Benson Way we once again left it and followed the footpath alongside.

What's this ? A close up of John W ? Wearing dark glasses so that no-one will recognise him.

Couldn't resist this reflection.

Again we were walking through well maintained and attractive "Parkland".

These paths took us back to the university playing fields and here we dropped back to the canal towing path.

Where a swan had it's feathers ruffled in a threatening gesture designed to keep us away from it's partner who was probably on a nest nearby.

We walked along the canal till we came to the junction with the Ribble link at which point we left the canal. Martin and Mike, some little distance behind, had been busy chatting and failed to notice that we had left the canal.  After waiting for about ten minutes we realised that Martin and Mike were Missing.

No. they're not coming. the path is empty.

A phone called established that they had somehow managed to cross the canal but were unsure exactly where they where. They agreed to carry on and see us back at the , by now close, Haslem Park.

We decided to carry on along our planned route but then . Where's Vic. 

Vic had vanished too.

After another ten minute wait the decision was taken to let them, as grown, sensible !!!! men , find they're own way back. So we carried on along the planned route. Someone (ahem) was heard to comment that after forty years of dealing with Nursery and Infant children he knew which was easier to manage. 

We walked past the very deep locks and the wonderfully imaginative sculpture.

Danny waited at the top of the locks to give us some idea of "scale"

Once past the locks we followed the somehow tatty and forlorn path back to the gates of Haslem Park.

From where we followed the long avenue back to our cars.

Where we waited patiently ( Oh yeah ! ) for our missing companions to arrive which they did  in due course.   All safe and well and.............. say n'more !!

THE END

JW