ABOUT TURN 3 Miles
RETURNERS :- Mike, Jim, Anthony, John.
With hearts aglow and spirits high we parked up at CONDER GREEN ready for a short but brisk walk in search of Ashton Hall. The last time we used this car park the ticket machine didn't work. No change then ! Unintended word play there.
The day had started cloudy and grey but soon into our walk the sky turned blue and a warm sun (later becoming a HOT sun) beamed down upon us.
Wild flowers bloomed in profusion
and in the distance was a clear view of an old friend - GLASSON DOCK.
After about half an hours walking we halted for a conflab. You will notice in these two photographs that there is much tapping of phones as we search on our various map "apps" for an exit leading to Ashton Hall our destination. There doesn't seem to be one! As for "Hands in pockets Mike". No worries.
On our maps a road is shown going over this bridge and past the golf course to the hall, BUT........ there is no way of accessing this bridge.
Mike as usual remains cool and calmly detached.
As we waited for a decision to be made we noticed a group of geese at the side of the River. (Flying geese = a Skein On the land = a gaggle in the water = no idea.) They were mainly Canadas with a sprinkling of Greylags.
On investigation I discovered that geese have numerous names depending on where they are and what they are doing. What have geese got that other birds haven't ? "Group" being the commonest and easiest to remember.
The search continues. No suitable exit is found.😕😧
Then a ray of hope as there appeared to be a footpath alongside this area where "Burrow Beck" (I think) flows down from Scotforth to join the Lune. But - again we could find no access to it.
By now we had done several U-turns and had passed a large house on the river side of the track three times. The house - Waterloo Cottage - obviously used the bridge as a driveway to come and go.
As there was no access to it from the track we decided , as a last throw of the dice, that we would cut through to the riverside path and follow that in the hope of finding a way to the Hall.
The lady of the house was in the garden mowing the lawn and in spite of pathetic pleadings 🙏 she insisted that this was PRIVATE PROPERTY and there was no way she would allow four sweaty (the sun was HOT by now) old reprobates access to her private driveway to the hall.
So we continued our tramp along the shoreline back towards the cars. This was not without it's pleasures e.g. the wild flowers and a cooling breeze coming off the sea. As we walked we passed large clumps of Common Sea Lavender. A salt marsh species.
As we approached the car park Mike spotted a gap in the hedge which allowed us back on the track and back to the cars.
Mike shows us the way off the shore to the track and Anthony brings up the rear.
By this time your writer's brain was completely addled with most of it's synapses fused. From here on he completely forgot to take any more photos as we drove round to Ashton Hall, our days destination.
So No Photos of.........The lovely garden centre
The beautiful flowers within it
Some friends of John's we met
The incredibly expensive secateurs (£80 to £100+)
And the lovely lunch we enjoyed.
Ah well..... you can't win 'em all
and so to home
THE END
JW
p.s. John has a pair of those ridiculously expensive secateurs which he "acquired" about twenty years ago.
A bit battered now but still working very well and certainly the best of the three/four pairs he has. Made in Switzerland. But £80 + . Not likely to buy another pair.
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