Yarrow Valley Country Park

It's a bit cloudy this morning. As we set off from this excellent car park at Yarrow Valley Country Park, it being the school holidays, there were quite a lot of cars on the car park, but it was by no means full.

              Immediately on leaving the car park we passed the children's play area.

We were all taken by this wild flower garden alongside the lake. The ever sociable John got into conversation with the lady across from him, who was a keen bird watcher.

                                It's always nice to see a family of swans.

As we set off along this broad flat path, we were lulled into a false sense of security. It has to be admitted, some of the paths were very good, some not so good, and some challenging, but it all ads to the fun of it.

This path or should i say track, (for I don't thing this has been done just for walkers) seems to have been constructed from pebbles and bricks from the sea shore. Because of the amount of bricks in the mix, we wondered if it had come from the beach near Formby where they dumped a lot of the bomb damage from Liverpool after the war.

Our next path, to get here was much narrower and involved crossing a brook. The hefty steps which had been laid to provide an easy crossing for visitors had succumbed to subsidence, so care was needed on the slippery steps to get here safely.

Dry Bones Cottage had a large pair of heavy wooden gates blocking the entrance. The origin of the name I don't know, but the cottage was burned down in 2010 in an arson attack. The fire engine was unable to get down the bumpy road, to get to it, and the cottage had no water or electricity supply.

                                        Our path climbed up away from the river.

                                                            Then back down again.

                                   As always there is the must have bridge shot.

                                                                     Oh !! Sorry.😉.

                               There must be some very large beavers in this area.

Some of the steps we encountered would have caused no problem for us in our younger days, (but, dare I say, in our twilight years), for those with artificial joints, they do pose a problem. But it would take more than that to deter Vic.

Dinner in a shady Glen. After dinner we backtracked a short way to an alternative path which led up a bank, away from the river, from the start, the path was muddy. As we progressed it got very muddy. As we started the climb up the bank, the wooden steps which were likewise very muddy, were all but rotted away. Not deterred but beginning to have second thoughts, John and I who were in the lead became aware that our companions, nay, friends, were not following our adventurous example. Looking down, then looking up, we decided that we had come too far to turn back. John shouted back to the others to take the alternative path, and we would meet up with them further on were the paths meet. The final part of our climb was even worse, as the bank got steeper, but eventually we triumphed over adversity, as the saying goes.

We met up again on the edge of a housing estate. The path from here back to the car park posed no problem and we were soon sat outside the cafe alongside the car park enjoying an afternoon brew. Thanks for a good walk John, very enjoyable, for my part the muddy bank added to the fun.                                         DK

 

CHORLEY YARROW VALLEY

 "YARROW TO DRYBONES"  4 Miles

Yarrow Yokels :-  Jim, John W, Mike, Anthony, Danny, Vic.

Plenty of easy parking at the country park (Hurray) and off we go. First being greeted by a greenwood "Giant" ?

Country Parks do offer good footpaths to walk along.

and just look at this fabulous display of wild flowers.

The first part of our walk took us along the banks of a large lake full of birds not to mention also being full of birdwatchers.

The path now took us away from the big lake.

To a smaller reed filled "pond" rather reminiscent of last weeks trip to Leighton Moss.

For  a while the well made paths continued to offer a good surface underfoot.

Only a short while after, however, a left turn took us out of the woods, through a kissing gate and onto a more natural path leading uphill. " You told us there were no hills" came the inevitable cry.

A text earlier that morning from John W's daughter had warned that sticks might be wise on parts of this walk. She was right. We came to the first "Tricky"  bit as we dropped down into a small but deep and slippery gully.

The ever helpful Danny waits by to lend a hand to others as they negotiate the mud and slippery rocks.

Once past that first obstacle.  Brewtime !

Soon after we set off again we came to the gates of "DRYBONES HOUSE"  The origins of the name Drybones for this area eluded us. Perhaps you , kind reader, could elucidate us. (Email addresses at the top of the blog )

From here the path became considerably more difficult and the sticks ever more useful.

"What's this 'ere ?"   a useless stile or an even more useless seat (Can you have something MORE than useless or is "Useless" the extreme condition ?)

Whatever,   it is trapped between two trees.

"Where's Wally ?  er... no.... Where's Vic ?  He's there. Can you see him ?

For most of our walk the River Yarrow was our close and picturesque companion.

What's Jim doing ?  "I talk to the trees but they don't listen to me." (Paint Your Wagon)

 

We now found ourselves following a narrow footpath along the edge of the woodland where fields of Golden corn were ripening . Seemingly very well.

The lack of whiskers (Barley) would seem to identify the crop as wheat.

Onwards and upwards

That looks a rather large fishing rod Danny !

Here we have one of natures wonders. A Dendritic Danny.

Not really.  He was just positioning himself to take a "Bridge" photo. 

See Danny's blog.

Our next encounter with a tree came as a rather scary "Troll" like root system which actually look quite aggressive.

Totally harmless, of course. as it belonged to this decidedly dead tree.

The modern woodland management practise of leaving fallen trees in situ to slowly rot, not only provides homes and sustenance to a myriad of creatures but also adds interest for  walkers such as us as we  we pass by.

"I think that I shall never see  a  poem lovely as a tree"

A deeply sentimental poem written by Alfred Joyce Kilmer and made into a hit song by Patti Page

LUNCHTIME......... Deep in the forest something stirred. Or was it tummies rumbling ?

Lunch over we set off to climb up and out of the woodlands.

Vic looks hesitant at the bottom of the steps up and out of the wood. Rightly so. The steps got steeper and steeper. They were rotten and often hidden in deep mud. Danny and John who had managed to scramble half way up called back that it would be better to turn around and follow the path at the bottom of the valley. Both paths would meet as we entered the houses of Chorley.

Danny and John continued upwards by clinging to the undergrowth as going back down looked even more perilous. (no photos. Needed both hands to stay upright)

PHEW !  Back on "Terra Firma" and joining up with the others on the outskirts of Chorley.

Our perils were not yet over and John is taking no chances

Turned out to be a big "softie"

Our walk was now drawing to an end as we followed a broad footpath back towards the car park.

Almost back at the car park we met this "young" lady who told us that she and he husband had, for over forty years, two dogs. Always an Airedale and a lurcher.

And then we found a "Random " Teasel plant.

Which Mike found most intriguing.

and so back to the Car park

Here we spent twenty minutes sitting at a picnic table drinking coffees and laughing hilariously as we discussed..............................................our DEATHS !

All sorts of angles and ideas were brought up each more amusing than the last. Vic (the accountant) brought up the idea of a "TONTINE" (John W had to admit he did not know the word). 

It is an agreement that each give a similar amount into a "pot" and the last man standing gets the lot. I had my 2p ready but the idea did not flourish.

I think we remembered the adage 

" By the time you have money to burn the fires gone out."

THE END

(not yet though)

JW.