A tour round Longridge

Longridge Civic Hall, our meeting place for today's walk, proved difficult to find for two of our walkers. Due to lack of signage they drove past it. Setting off from the car park, we headed for Berry Lane, then downhill to Inglewhite Road. Major roadworks were in progress causing the closure of the road, but thankfully it was still open for pedestrian traffic. On passed the road works, we crossed Sainsburys car park then turned right towards our first destination, Longridge Cricket Club.

         The cricket club is on the edge of the town, on the corner of the road to Chipping.

As there was no match being played today, we availed ourselves of their picnic benches for our morning brew.

Lords Lane leads uphill from the Chipping Road, to a couple of farms on the hillside. It is a popular rout for walkers and dog walkers. We met a very sociable young lady out walking her equally sociable dog. In fact I would say that the dog was more sociable, as its owner did not start jumping about with excitement or start sniffing at our legs. Although the dog displayed all the excitement of, and looked like a young spaniel puppy, she said she was eight years old and not a thoroughbred spaniel.

Moving on a little further, we came to this intriguing sign at the start of a farm track. Perhaps the sign should have said well hidden barn, as there was no sign of it from where we were.

It is said that when their is an abundance of berries on the trees, it is a sign of a harsh winter to come. This mountain ash was teeming with berries. Best start digging the gloves and woolly hats out.

This plaque on a large rock in Smiths Sports Field, provided some local history information about the railway that once ran through the field. It was built to transport rock that was quarried just over the hill.

This is the nearby tunnel through which the empty carts had to be hauled back up to the quarry, as the tunnel was too small for the engine to fit through.

                            Martin has met up with us and is joining us for dinner.

After dinner, a short but steep climb took us to the brow of the hill on Higher Road. Turning right then left led downhill alongside the historic Quarryman's Arms to a lovely view over the reservoirs and the valley beyond.

                                                            We are being watched.

A discussion arose between myself and another about the species of the tree in the picture.We decided to consult our J.W. who is the authority among us on things botanical. He suggested it was a cotoneaster. We both phoo phoo'd the idea, it's too big we said, cotoneasters don't grow that tall. After referring to Plantnet J.W was proved right.

This old building on the road to Hurst Green has been tastefully renovated, so as not to spoil the character of the building. A plaque on the adjacent building indicates the age and former use of the building.

                  Leaving the road, we cross a couple of fields to written stone farm. 

                        The written stone is a feature on the Ordnance Survey maps.

                          Right lads, you've had long enough, we must press on.

We arrived at a small housing development where a large community of ducks had made their home on a small lake nearby.

    Don't lean too heavily on there John. Leaving here as we made our way up to Higher Road, we met up with the young lady with the dog, who we had encountered earlier in the day. She said she was a Wigan girl, and that her dad had a caravan on the nearby Beacon Fell View caravan park. She asked if there was a footpath back the way we had come that leads uphill, back onto Higher Road. J.W was able to help her with the aid of his O.S map App.

Through the aforesaid caravan park we made our way, until arriving at the site office, where we had to take a left turn, negotiate a stile in a state of disrepair, (are the owners of the caravan park trying to deter people from using this public right of way) and continue along the perimeter of the site.

                                              No complaints about this sturdy stile.

This bulky piece of machinery caused some discussion as to what it could have been. J.W suggested it could have been used for crushing rocks, and with no one coming up with any better suggestions, I thought it wise to keep my peace, in case J.W had an App for redundant Victorian machinery.

After passing through Smiths Playing Fields again, we were soon back at the Civic Hall.

                                         Thanks for an interesting walk Vic.

 

LONGRIDGE

 " IT IS WRITTEN...."  6.5 Miles

Written About :-  Vic, Paddy, Danny, John W, Mike, Jim.

A plethora of roadworks caused much confusion as our walkers made their way to the crowded car park of Longridge Civic Hall.

Once gathered together we set off down Berry lane .

Just  before the corner we came across this sign.

We always are and do !

Then just around the corner was the first house that John W  and Val, his wife, bought when they got married.

Next we encountered some of the road work causing so much annoyance to Longridge residents and visitors. 

It's the classic scenario "There's a hole in the road and the men from the council are looking into it,"

Soon after we cut across Sainsbury's car park and left Longridge by way of the cricket fields.

Where we had our coffee break.

Paddy wished to remain incognito but that hat is far too big !

and we found a cricket ball ....... Which we left next to the club's door.

Leaving the cricket ground we turned east along the road to chipping but soon left it to follow Lords Lane  up the slope  of Longridge fell.

Half way up the lane we passed this sign on a gate.

The sign spoke the truth . There was no well or barn to be seen.

The Lane ended at a large farm complex and then turned right along a woodland path. This took us to the bottom end of "Smith's Sports Field".

Time for lunch. But first check out the "Info plaques".

The retired teachers amongst the group insisted that a group of elderly  men should not sit in a child's playground watching young children. So we sat a little distance away to munch and crunch our lunch.

As you can see, once again, Martin joined us for lunch.

Lunch over we left the park, crossed the road and dropped down past the former restaurant (Heathcotes) 

Formerly known as the "Quarrymen's Arms" 

Thinks.......the Beatles were first called the "Quarrymen"

to a small development of "Designer " homes.

There was even a designer bird feeding station.

Vic , todays leader, had taken us this way to admire the wonderful panoramic views,

Goodbye to Martin as we set off again heading for the "Corporation Arms".

"Don't pose" I said" I'm trying to take a natural shot."  

Do you think someone is posing ?

We turned left close to the Corporation Arms and followed the road towards Hurst Green.

After about half a mile we left the road and tramped through the fields towards "Written Stone Farm".

The approach was rather messy but the farmhouse itself was a solid and well maintained building.

And then we arrived at the "Written Stone" itself.

The written stone is considered a chronic trouble maker.   Quite right ....   there was some slight altercation in the group as to it's history.

THE LEGEND OF THE WRITTEN STONE

There are several versions of the Written Stone Legend but the most usual is that a "Foul Murder "  was committed near here and the stone was laid to expiate any ghosts.      

Upon it was written  :-

"RAVFFE RADCLIFFE LAID THIS STONE TO LYE FOREVER  1655 "

However locals at that time continued to claim that a Boggart still haunted the area. A farmer decided that it would be ideal to keep things cool in his dairy/buttery so taking horses (2 or 10 ??) he moved it. BUT everything he placed on it fell off , spilling milk , water, whey etc. He decided to put it back. Only one horse was needed. the accidents ceased and no-one has ever dared to move it since. Other versions can be found.

This legend has been turned into a fantasy novel by Andrew Hartley the son of  Frank one of our original Meanderthals (R.I.P.)  He also wrote a fantasy novel about Cold Bath Street. in the  university district of town, This book was centred around the Longridge railway line as it passed through Ribbleton and went off through the "Miley Tunnel", Andrew is a successful author both here and in America.

"What do Boggarts actually look like ? "😉

The curse of the "Written Stone " did actually follow us as our route lay along a very narrow path filled with head high nettles . John W was not amused as he was the only one in shorts.

Thank goodness. Out into the open.

We were now heading across open countryside towards Higher Road at the top of Longridge.

It's Daredevil Dan again. He just couldn't resist. Could he .

........ but he does other things too......

Final finish of flasks next to small lake and using a most imaginative bench.

A couple more stiles and some curious ironmongery and we were back in the confines of Longridge by way of "Tan"  (?) lane

and so back through Smith's Park and down through the town back to our cars.

an excellent and well planned walk. Well done VIC !

THE END

JW

WOULD I LIE TO YOU

 Would Jim Cullen Lie to You ?

Well.... Yes he would actually.

Jim Cullen says......

1. I once had to remove two planters outside a shop in the Loire Valley in order to pull my caravan through the centre of the village to the astonishment of local onlookers.

2. From a ski chair I once watched in horror as a baby in a plastic toboggan slipped towards a precipice before it's frantic parents.

3, I once made a frogs legs hors d'oeuvres from frogs caught in my back garden.

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No. 3. is a lie

no 1. I failed to adhere to the direction "Sauf Riverains" .... " Residents only ".

No. 2. was horrific as I sat next to Paddy in the ski chair but fortunately the toboggan lodged in a shrub on the edge of the drop

Jim 

Would I lie to you - from Anthony

 Following John and Danny's contributions....here's mine!

Which one of these is NOT true?

1.  I once had a photograph that I'd taken of Gapping Ghyll published in 'The Dalesman' magazine.

2.  After serving Mass in St. Peter's basilica in Rome,  I left my school cap in the sacristy.

3.  On a trip home from town, my mum left me on the bus!

ANSWER....

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No. 1 is a lie!!

Would I lie to you

 Continuing on from J Ws Would I lie to you theme. Choose from the three options, the one you think is a misleading falsehood. 

Scroll down to find the truth.

1. One day when my wife was away, I invited one of my brothers round for tea. I decided on a rice dish that I had found in a recipe book. I followed the recipe to the letter, but the rice came out of the oven hard and burned. The book omitted to include water in their recipe 😡.

2 . When I was fourteen, I and a mate paddled out on a raft, to an island in the lake of Cuerden Park. Whilst on the island the raft drifted away, and we had to be rescued by the fire brigade 😡.

3 . One Christmas, my wife was working Christmas day. She had prepared all the food for the Christmas dinner, put the turkey in the oven and asked me to turn the oven on at 10. 0. Clock. I forgot to turn the oven on, thus ruining the Christmas Dinner 😡.

Danny

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Anyone who knows me well will have guessed that No 2 is the lie.

No1. My brother Michael ever the considerate one, unlike myself didn't make fun of me, and we even crunched our way through the rice.

No3. The reason I remember this one is that I have never been allowed to forget it.😀