FLEETWOOD

FISH & SHIPS Miles 5 (walked) 1(Tram) 1/2 (walked)

Condiments :-  Mike, Anthony, John W, Vic, Danny.

TODAY'S ROUTE

Fleetwood, once a major fishing ports is now an empty echo of it's former self. As we walked today the ghosts of seafaring days were all around.

We parked in a corner of the "Freeport" car park and once "booted" up

we set off to follow the rivers edge towards the sea.

After passing a group of men repairing drainage channels we arrived at the mud filled quays where once many fishing boats had been moored.

Along the edge, at regular intervals, were  rusting bollards which once had been polished clean by regular use of  ropes holding boats to the quayside.

A scattering of small boats evidenced some life amongst the rotting hulks abandoned in the estuary.

As we progressed along the path a modern footbridge took us over some indeterminate obstacle.

Some parts of the quayside did indeed look in good repair and would presumably be used when the tide allowed. The Isle of Man ferry has long since ceased to operate though.

Some of the posted messages we passed did little to raise the spirits.

At this point the quayside path ended and we turned inwards towards the town.

The forecast sunshine had not yet materialised so we left the gloomy clouds outside and went into the "Ferry Cafe" for a welcome coffee.

Having , so far , painted a rather gloomy picture of our visit to Fleetwood, the day and the surroundings now brightened up considerably. The sun now shone brightly completely changing the feelof the seaside town. Young men even held the door open for us as we left the cafe. (Do we look THAT old ?)

A much brighter and cheerful aspect !!

After following the trail of fishes along the prom........

...... and noting that even the homeless had castellated buildings to shelter in. (Not really a positive that though)

We arrived at what is possibly your writer's favourite public statue. A young family waiting for the homecoming of "Daddy" after a long and perilous trip out on the ocean.

Nice that someone had put some flowers in her arms.

We were now following the promenade as it took us west before turning south towards Cleveleys

We left the prom briefly to take a look at the Marine Hall gardens. The Hall is in the background.

Across the road from the gardens was the "Mound".  I'm not sure what the building is called or it's purpose.    Do you know ?

Drop your pace ? You must be kidding. Reverse is the only gear we have left !

We stopped briefly to look at the boating lake where Marine rescue was practised .

Ahead of us, in the distance, we could now see the extraordinary building that housed the coastal watch service (Coastguard)

It's falling down !.... No it isn't.

LUNCHTIME 

Behind us as we ate our lunch was a rather busy golf course.

Something is amusing Mike !!

What on earth was the architect thinking ? Get out lads before you get squashed.

From very modern building to creatures from aeons ago....... Surely that's a dinosaur. Isn't it ?

No it's a piece of driftwood from the sea.

A quick chat with a passer bye before we continue our walk along the prom.

The sea which was far away and out of site is now encroaching the groynes as the tide comes in.

The stumps you can see protruding from the sand are the remains of the original coastguard station.

At this point we left the prom and climbed over the sea wall to join the footpath alongside the golf course.

New , delightfully carved, handrails had been fitted to the stile since our last walk here 2/3 years ago.

As we walked along a series of identical but puzzling "Sculptures" could be seen against the sea wall.

No idea what they meant or represented.

As we came to the end of the golf course we had a decision to make. Cut back through the town to the car park (Danny's Choice) or continue along the new footpaths towards Rossall School.  which the rest took. Maybe not the best decision and JW should keep his nose out of other people's walk plans.

The footpath at this point either led down to the road or crossed this rather intriguing bridge, the pool beneath which held goldfish , to continue along the sea wall.

We dropped down to the road and took a left turn which led us down to the tramway .

We didn't have long to wait before the next tram arrived.

A short stretch on the tram (we did actually get off one stop too soon) before we were once again wending our way back to the car and home.

JW

HEST BANK

TODAY'S ROUTE (23rd March)

 WET ! WET ! WET !     6+ Miles 

DRIPS :-  Vic, John W, Mike, Danny, Anthony.

Wet Wet Wet !  No, not the name of a 7's pop group but three wet Thursdays in a row.

We started from an almost submerged car park

.....and headed south along a wet and windy shoreline.

With Danny in the lead as usual

And raindrops on the lens already

The rain, though not just at that time heavy, was relentless and we were glad when a cafe hove in sight.

Posted on the cafe window was this rather ominous warning.

With the tide at it's height and a stiff wind dashing it against the shore the path which continued along the shore, was not passable and we were forced to cross the rail lines and continue along the highway.

After  we had walked in the direction of Morecambe for a short time, a narrow alleyway led us away from the road, back over the railway down to the shore again.

As we cross the rail bridge we discovered that Anthony had admirer(s) in the area.

Bright sunlight flooded the lens in this photo and falsely promised an end to the rain. NOT YET though.

Back on the edge of the sea the rain increased dramatically. Even briefly turning to hail. The wind blown sea itself was quite turbulent with large waves crashing into it's rock defended edge.

here's Danny exposing himself to a blasting from the wind and rain as he looks back to see where the rest of the group had gone.

They soon emerged from the shelter of a large building.

The rain finally began to ease as we again joined the road just North of Happy Mount Park.

The rain had not entirely stopped as you can see from the drops  misting the camera lens.

Groups of waders waited on the rocks for the tide to expose the sand and mud where they feed, Redshank , Sanderlings and Knots seem to be amongst them . 

I think this group consisted of Redshank and then the possibility of Turnstones, Sanderlings or Knots but It would take a real ornithologist to properly identify these very similar (To amateurs) birds

A group of anglers were catching small flatfish called dabs (Plaice) as we passed by.

The fish were only small and were returned to the sea.

A little further down the prom and we met up with Venus.

"Don't forget. No swinging Danny"  "I can assure you I am NOT swinging. Just tickling Cupid's toes." 

Once in Happy Mount Park we soon found a suitable place to shelter as we had lunch

Our eco-friendly Danny often brings bird food to distribute as we dine.

It invariable brings the birds. In this case, Wood pigeon, feral pigeons, bluetits, Coletits, and magpies.

Lunch over we continued through the park

Here, to everyone's amusement, a little girl was splashing through the puddles.

I am not sure that elderly gentlemen should be taking photos of young children but grandad was with her and we did ask permission.

The above photo was taken by Mike. I think the tree moved !!!!!

This brave and cheeky squirrel outfaced us until we were only about 3 yards away.

After leaving the park we followed a WET path cross country towards the canal crossing two railway lines.

As John trespassed (minimally) on the railway to take this photo the roar of an approaching train behind  gave him a real scare until he realised it was on the other track a little way off.

Did I say this footpath was WET !

The next bridge we came to had even more water underneath it. But it was supposed to have.

We were now following the Lancaster canal through Slyne as we headed towards Hest Bank.

Dwellers on canal banks often enjoy creating a "Theme". This one is somewhat OTT   but nevertheless amusing and entertaining.

As we stopped on a bench to finish our flasks we somehow began talking about childhood TV shows.  Do you remember these ?

Skippy the bush Kangaroo

Lassie

...............  the dolphin (what was it called ?)

We even sang the theme tunes to......

Maverick

Cheyanne 

Wagon Train

The Lone Ranger (with Tonto)

Gunsmoke

Wyatt Earp  etc.

Can you recall any others ?

Can you see any Meanderthals in this photo ? NO !   Neither can I.    I had been abandoned.  A brief stop to reorganise my rucksack and they've gone. Leaving me Bereft !

I shall give them a piece of my mind when I catch them up. 😔

However, when I caught up with them, my piece of mind had to stay where it was..(probably just as well as there isn't a lot to spare)  Mike had suddenly remembered the name of the Dolphin... FLIPPER !  Well done Mike.

                                                              🐬

Our conversations usually highly intellectual (if you believe that ?? ) can sometimes descend to the trivial.  As on this occasion.    AND WHY NOT ?

We left the canal by another narrow alleyway.

What's that plant ?

It's possibly a Wood Spurge or Spurge Laurel

 Back on the coast road we walked North till we came to Pasture Lane.

Which would in turn take us to Shore Lane and the car park.

Could that be the "Lone Ranger" we mentioned before. No, of course not.

Have you have been watching the murder mystery "The Bay" on TV ?

If so you will recognise this place.

You may have noticed that after we left Happy Mount Park  the photos show the sun is shining, After a thoroughly wet morning the afternoon became warm and sunny.

JW

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