Sedgwick and Hincaster

Sedgwick and Hincaster   5.25 miles

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That walked with us upon this Thursday.

(apologies to Will Shakespeare)

Walkers: Danny, Mike H, Dave and Anthony

'Booting Up' in the picturesque village of Sedgwick,
south of Kendal.

Leaving the village, we passed under this bridge carrying the West Coast main line. 

This farm has a 'maze' of maize.

Passing through Crosscrake (so small we didn't notice it apart from the primary school) we ascended Skettlegill Hill, still swathed in the early morning mist.

.....but the sun was showing signs of breaking through as we ascended to Skettlegill farm and Summerland beyond.

Time for 'morning coffee'

Continuing along a rather muddy track towards Eskrigg Wood

We arrived, eventually, at the most northern section of the Lancaster Canal. The creation of the M6 motorway and the A590 dual carriageway has meant that sections of the canal have been lost for posterity.

The Stainton Aqueduct on the canal is being repaired and consequently is inaccessible. 

Looking on the brighter side, a short stretch of the canal to the west of Stainton is being restored.

The two workmen have 'clocked off' for their lunch.

The Hincaster Tunnel on a disused stretch of canal.

There's light at the end of tunnel  - about 350yds away.

Some luscious looking blackberries.
("No room in the freezer" says Danny!) 

Tree of the Week

Someone has spent a lot of time placing some children's toys in interesting locations along the path that follows the disused canal.

Are these relations of John W?

Everyone knows 'Peppa Pig'. (Don't they?)

Crossing back over the A590 and heading back to Sedgwick

Sedgwick House - formerly a boarding school, now 21 residential appartments.

A canal bridge....but no canal!

Fortunately, the defibrillator was not needed.....but good to know it's there!

Footnote: This walk was voted 'The Best Walk of 2019' by all the participants.

Caption Pic 14th Sept

"I'm sure it's ticking!"
 "Well he's smiling ..... something must be making him happy!"

Three Rivers 2019

The Three Rivers Walk

(The Ribble,  the Hodder and the Calder)

5.25 miles

Walkers: Harry, Danny, Martin, Vic, Jim D and Anthony

Booting Up on the Community Centre carpark in Hurst Green
(Yes, we did make a donation, as requested, for the upkeep of the carpark)

Setting off towards the River Ribble
and passing the Bayley Arms.

The Butterfly and Bee Garden in Hurst Green
(See the next pic for an explanation)

The floral display at the cross roads

Heading towards the Ribble valley

This week's bridge photo.

'Mist Over Pendle'
(See the end of this post for a summary of the book)

"I've got a seat for you, Vic!
No, it doesn't contain TNT!"

Spot the fisherman...

.....There he is.

Hacking Hall - on the bank of the River Ribble

Hacking Hall is a Grade I listed, early-17th-century house situated at the confluence of the rivers Calder and Ribble in Lancashire.

It is thought that J. R. R. Tolkien ('Lord of the Rings') may have taken inspiration from the ferry here for the Bucklebury Ferry over the Brandywine river in his book, as it was still operational when Tolkien visited nearby Stoneyhurst College.

(Wikipedia)

The confluence of the Ribble (left) and Calder (centre)

Tree of the Week

St. Peter's church, Stoneyhurst
(Yours truly was christened here in 19?? )

One of two huge lakes in front of the college

The main entrance to the college

The Almshouses in Hurst Green

The names of the 'parishes' served by the Almshouses...
Aighton, Bailey, Chaidgley, Riblechester and Dutton.

ALMS HOUSES AT HURST GREEN

With the founding of nearby Stonyhurst Hall, by Richard Shireburn in 1592, Hurst Green began to develop and once Stoneyhurst College was founded in 1794 growth continued until by the early 20th Century, the village had established its current size. 

Shireburn donated these impressive Alms Houses to the village.

Back at the cars and just about dry!

'Mist Over Pendle'

by Robert Neill

A classic tale of witches, first published in 1951, and based on a real 17th century trial and execution

Seventeenth century England is a place of superstition and fear. 

Deep in the Forest of Pendle, people have been dying in mysterious circumstances. The locals whisper of witchcraft, but Squire Roger Nowell, in charge of investigating the deaths, dismisses the claims as ridiculous--until a series of hideous desecrations forces Roger and his cousin Margery to look further into the rumours. 

What they discover brings them face to face with the horrifying possibility that a coven of witches is assembling, preparing to unleash a campaign of evil and destruction.

 Robert Neill's novel is a classic tale of witchcraft set in a wild, inaccessible corner of England and in a time when the ancient fear of demons and witches was still a part of life and death.

(Google Books)

Caption Pic 7th Sept

"Is that the Lunch-Pack of Notre Dan?"
It looks like an old geezer from the rest home being taken for a walk!

Calder Vale & Bleasdale

Calder Vale to Bleasdale (and return) 5.25 miles

Just 4 walkers again this week- Paddy, Vic, Jim D and Anthony.

The road into Calder Vale, to the east of Garstang, culminates in a large car park in the centre of the village.
Unfortunately there wasn't room for two more cars so we had to park on the road leading down into the village.

For some reason the village telephone kiosk had some 'internal growth'! 

The village was founded by Quakers Jonathan and Richard Jackson and in 1835 a cotton-weaving mill, the Lappet Mill was built, powered by the River Calder.
The mill and mill pond still exist and Lappet Mill is still working as a cotton mill.
One of its main products is the red, black and white checked cloth used for Arab headscarves and it was said that Yasser Arafat's headdresses were made at the Mill. (Wikipedia)

The original mill cottages

The mill pond

A raft of ducks on the mill pond come to welcome us...

......and presumably hope to be fed. Sorry to disappoint you, guys! 

A series of small weirs on the River Calder

The footpath rises steeply from the village towards the church and primary school so a chance for a break....

The C of E church of St. John

Looking across the Fylde. Blackpool Tower can just be seen on the extreme left of the horizon.

The three radio masts above Oakenclough can just be seen below the threatening clouds.

Pressing on ahead of the rain!

The 'tree of the week' with Jim for scale.

Looking south to the north side of Beacon Fell. (Not often seen clearly from the north.)

Parlick Pike just appearing over the horiszon.

A sign that can't be observed!

The rear entrance to Bleasdale Tower

The front view of Bleasdale Tower.

(Soon after this picture was taken, cold, persistent rain moved in from the west. So a short cut was taken and we returned to Calder Vale by a different route....

......but not without stopping for a quick picture of this very attractive cottage.