KIRKHAM

 NOWHERE to PARK !  6 Miles

Patient Parkers :-  Anthony, Vic, John W, John R, Mike.

                                 and later Martin.

Our walk was planned to start close to the M55 motorway junction North of Kirkham BUT..............

Planned parking point = "Private Road NO PARKING" Oh 'eck .

Public Car Park = Expensive - threat of fines - no clear way of paying. Oh eck 

Outside football stadium. Private Rd, No Parking, fines  £100 per hour Oh 'eck

This is getting ridiculous BUT the sign said HGVs. So we risked it.

Parked up at last we set of on an altered route through Wesham.

Here's a good idea after all that fuss parking.

We followed this side road for perhaps half a mile before turning right through a kissing gate into a large open field.

Although the field we entered had a few "reclining" cows.  As we looked back across the lane, over the hedge, the field opposite must have contained up to a hundred cows. " There's a lot of milk to bottle over there. "  someone commented.

After our initial parking delays we were ready for our morning coffees and a small but steep sided dyke offered a good spot.

Anthony looks to be enjoying his brew.

I think Mike has seen the queen arriving and is expecting a knighthood.

Whilst John R is returning from chasing an escaped plastic bag blowing across the field.

and there's Vic.  Greta Garboing again.

Up on our feet again and off along a clear path towards our lunchtime destination - that spire in the distance.

"That spire in the distance"  is Kirkham Parish Church - St Michael's (?)

Getting nearer. As we walked we were quite surprised how busy the railway line between Preston and Blackpool seemed to be.

Under the railway  lines. Through the tunnel and we were almost in Kirkham . A little  earlier than planned as the parking fiasco had shortened our route.

As we left the farmland we had to cross quite a "Different" stile. We have never encountered this  possibly uniquely simple design before. It was easy for those with less than supple limbs to negotiate.

We arrived at the rather handsome church and went inside to ask permission to eat our lunches on the churchyard benches. "No Problem" was the answer.

We did not immediately have our lunch as it was a little early and Martin had not arrived. We walked the short distance to the High Street and waited in the market square for Martin.

Vic sat and chatted to the locals as is his wont.

Whilst John R looked at what was on offer in the plant stalls.

With Martin now with us we repaired to the church yard for lunch.

Lunch over we popped back into the church to say thanks, where a group of very kind ladies asked did we need the toilets before we set off again. 

 (I suspect they knew something about elderly gentlemen.)

Kindness upon kindness. They even asked us if  we would like them to make us a brew. We explained that we all brought flasks but thanked them profusely.

Leaving the church we did a short detour through a park and visited the war memorial which Mike had attended on one Commemoration Sunday. Even at this time, without the extra embellishments, the memorial looked wonderful.

 

A look back at the lovely, welcoming church and then we climbed the short but steep steps up to the high street.

Is John related to Capt. Birdseye ? I think we should be told. 

Not far along the High Street before Martin left us to return to his car and drive home. We now had quite a long trek along a B road heading North out of Kirkham.

Mike reached back in his memory and assured us that somewhere along this road was the local headquarters of the Boys Brigade. Mikes long history of cycling  has given him a tremendous knowledge of the bye ways around Preston and the Fylde.

He was right ( much to his relief ) and here it is with two of the "Boys" possibly feeling tyred. ( I know, I know ! Very obvious and weedy but you also know I can't resist. )

We were not to cross fields again............

............... but left the B road to walk along a farm track.

Throughout our walk we had frequent glimpses of the parish church spire as well as several other church spires around Kirkham.

One might almost say we were in...spired  ( Sorry !!!!   Guilty again. )

A final break to finish off our flasks.

and a friendly nod to the local inhabitants.

As we neared our parked cars we past the Catholic Church of St Joseph. . Here nearly everyone had to repeat the expletive of frustration emanating from the senior policeman (Irish ) in the TV Series  " Line of Duty ".

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the Wee Donkey"

I think that's enough

THE END

JW

HESKETH BANK

 LET'S DO LUNCH !  Miles 0 

Munchers :- Martin and John. + t'others.

Two Meanderthals felt unable to complete a full days walking but decided to join the group for lunch.  They drove to Hesketh Bank and parked near the little disused church at the far end of Becconsall Lane ...

......... where they were almost immediately joined by the walking group.

 

As we sat together to have lunch Danny (our rambling Encyclopaedia)  regaled us with tales of the churchyard. You may have read some of these in the previous blog.

"Where's Wally ?"  Sorry I mean Vic.

Ah ! ....... There he is.  Emulating Greta Garbo in the Oscar winning film "Grand Hotel".

Danny, thorough as usual, had reconnoitred the walk, and had lots to tell us about the immediate environs. The most dramatic piece was about a German bomber offloading bomb(s) to lighten it's load for the return flight to Germany.

The graveyard still bears the scars of the Bomb exploding close by.

We had an enjoyable lunch with the group before they once again set off to continue their walk.

Martin and John W............ Resters not ramblers.

Before leaving Danny followed tradition by sharing "BirthdayTreats" with us all.  Excellent biscuits lovingly made by his wife Barbara.

And so, after a very pleasant sunny lunchtime, came the parting of the ways with the walkers heading off to finish their ramble and the "Idlers" driving home.

THE END

JW

p.s. Man with dog as mentioned in Danny's earlier blog.

THE END ( again )

Hesketh Bank 6 Miles Walkers Anthony, Vic, Mike, John R, and Danny

              We parked near the beginning of Becconsall Lane and got booted.

Walking north along Station Road, just before the end of the road is a large barn on the left. Turning left just before the barn, we enter a designated conservation area. Alongside the barn is the entrance to, what was in former times, The Hesketh Arms, (formerly The Ship Inn), which was owned by Lord Hesketh. It was once a busy Inn and Coaching House for those wanting to cross the River Ribble at low tide.                                                                             Continuing along we come to a row fishermen's cottages. These are some of the oldest houses in the village, built in the 17th century. Some steep steps lead down to Shore Road. Turning right we after only a few yards on our left we came to Guide Road, so named because it was the route taken by the guide leading the travellers across to Freckleton and The Fylde. Across from Guide Road, on Shore Road is a high stone wall and banking, It is this bank which Hesketh Bank is reputed to be named after. At high tide, before the marsh was reclaimed the river used to lap against the wall. While we were there a car stopped and the passenger window was lowered to reveal my brother, Stephen, who lives on Shore Road and was on his way to do his volunteering at the Community Centre. He invited us to pop in for drinks after our walk, but by the time we got bike everyone had locked up and gone home

Shore Road after Station Road, changes to Marsh Road. A little way along there, on the right hand side, but no longer in use is what is known as "The Dead House". There is no indication on the building as to it's original use. With the improvements in transportation, the deceased are now taken to the mortuary at Ormskirk Hospital.

                                                Continuing along Marsh Road.

A kissing gate near the end of the road, leads onto a broad, straight track, at the end of which is an embankment. On climbing up the embankment we found ourselves on the levee of the River Douglas. Turning right, we walked along the levee for 3/4 mile.

                                      But not until we'd had our morning brew.

Suitably refreshed, we carried on along the bank. at the end of which, passing through another kissing gate, we entered The Douglas Boatyard.

Had we gone down Becconsall Lane at the start of our walk, we would have eventually arrived at the boatyard. We turned right up the lane to a small church, where we had arranged to meet our friends, John and Martin for dinner.

And here they are, having just beet us to the best seats in the graveyard, and as it happens also beet a man who I had met on a previous walk. Every day the man walks his dog down to the river, lets the dog have a swim then walks up to the graveyard, where they both sit on that particular seat. There was no reserved sign on the bench and John and Martin were unaware of this. The man wasn't bothered, he was just happy to stop for a chat, but the dog didn't seem too happy though and kept making some funny noises. I,m sure John and Martin would have got up, had they known.😀

The church, now not in use anymore, was built on the site of an earlier 16th century chapel, built by the Becconsall family of Becconsall Hall as a chapel of ease.                                       Several of the gravestones in the graveyard are noticeably damaged. The damage was caused by a bomb, dropped by a German plane during WW2 as it was returning from a bombing raid over Liverpool. One of the fragments of shrapnel went through the window of the nearby Ferry House, and is still lodged in the chimney breast.                                            There are some interesting headstones in the graveyard, some highlighting the tragedy of child deaths in earlier days.

 

            After dinner we bade farewell to our friends and returned to the boatyard.

In it's heyday during the industrial revolution the Douglas was a busy river, and Hesketh Bank had it's own customs officer who was housed in Douglas Bank farm, which is next to the Ferry House. By the end of the 19th century with the arrival of the railways and better road transport. the river transport began to wind down.

On a previous walk with family, another of my brothers (Derek) tripped over a metal post that was sticking out of the ground, but camouflaged by grass. I brought a lump hammer with me today with the intention of hammering it into the ground, but try as I may it would not budge. I think the next time I come this way I had better bring a sledge hammer.

The path from the boatyard to the canal has been mainly reconstructed recently, but there is just a short stretch at either end that is still a single file footpath.

During the early days of the industrial revolution, a canal spur was dug from the Leeds, Liverpool canal, to the River Douglas at Tarleton, thus allowing a more cost affective way of transporting coal from Wigan, all the way to the sea. The rest of the walk is of little interest so I will close here.                                                               

                                                     The End

                                                         Danny