Oddly enough we did a new walk today, to Harrock Hill near Wrightington. It's one of those places we've often thought about visiting. Whenever you drive south from Preston the wooded hill dominates the view. For whatever reason we've never quite made it.
Today probably wasn't the best time to visit. Apparently the views are stunning. Sadly all we saw was horizontal rain accompanied by a strong cold wind. It still made a nice walk though.
Our route started from the layby on the A5209 between Wrightington Hospital and Parbold. It's near to the entrance to Fairy Glen, a walk we did several years ago.
From the layby we took the obvious footpath north through the gate and followed the path through fields and through woodland to High Moor. The path is generally fenced either side so you might consider letting your dog off lead, although be prepared for a muddy dog if you do.
On reaching the road at High Moor we turned right for 100 yards or so before following the impressive drive towards Harrock Hall. Sadly the path turns off before you really get sight of the Hall, heading upwards towards the underground reservoir and mast that marks the top of Harrock Hill. The trig point itself is in the United Utilities site, so you never quite reach the top. I imagine the views were great, but all we saw was sheets of horizontal rain.
From here we headed north west towards the woods that hide the ruins of an old windmill. Must have been a good spot! After a few photos we retraced our steps, arriving back at the car, wet and muddy, just as the rain stopped.
You could easily make a circular walk, and there are plenty of other routes up from the surrounding villages. Whichever route you choose, make it a clear day!
The dog appeared to have a good time. There were a few places where he was off lead, but there are plenty of sheep and lambs around so not as much as he'd have wanted.
I expect we will return on a sunny day!
Keep safe!
You are responsible for your own safety and that of your dog. The walks listed in this blog are not detailed guides. Plan your route! Click the landrover image for safety advice from Bowland Pennine MRT.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
7 years on
It's getting on for 7 years since we got Finney, and around 6 1/2 years since I started this blog. As you'll see I don't tend to update it much any more, and can't even recall the last time I updated my set of dog walks in Lancashire on Google Maps.
Prestonwalkies started because I wanted to understand what a blog was and whether it was useful. It's hard to believe that such a short time ago blogging wasn't such a commonplace activity and, with most of us still on slow Internet connections, I recall having to make it very much text based, removing most of my embedded maps and images as the load times were far too great. It wasn't long though before I realised that the blog was a good way of recording some of our favourite walks, a bit like an online diary, and also seemed to be enjoyed by one or two others. I have to say it was (and still is ) a slight source of micky taking from colleagues at work.
From time to time our posts appeared in the LEP, which was an entertaining novelty, and I contributed to a few articles about blogging in the LEP and the Blog Preston online paper. Finney has also featured on the VisitPreston website as well as a couple of national dog magazines.
For the past year or two though the blog has pretty much dried up. That's not because we don't still enjoy great long walks. It's largely because I tended to blog about new places and after all this time I tend to revisit my favourite haunts time after time. Just in case you're wondering where we tend to hang out I thought I'd post my current top 3.
I remember years ago thinking that whilst Worden Park was great, I wasn't sure it warranted a place in the UKs list of Top Dog Walks. Funny how views change. Worden is the place we visit most frequently, at all times of year, to enjoy the wide open spaces which are great for playing ball, wandering along the river and adjacent farmland and finishing up with a stroll around the gardens. When its muddy there's the dog shower to get off the worst of it before setting off for home. In summer there's nothing better than watching the world go by with an ice cream from the cafe.
Our second favourite haunt has to be Brinscall. Whether we walk through the woods or up Great Hill we always have a good time. Finney is generally on lead on the moors so if he were asked he'd probably just stay in the woods. Great in summer, even better in winter, particularly when we've had some snow.
Our third is probably Formby. We tend to save this for Winter when it's quieter, but it really is a great place. Walking either from the NT car park through the woods and old asparagus fields or along the beach up to Ainsdale.
There's probably another reason why we don't blog so much....we found Instagram!
Prestonwalkies started because I wanted to understand what a blog was and whether it was useful. It's hard to believe that such a short time ago blogging wasn't such a commonplace activity and, with most of us still on slow Internet connections, I recall having to make it very much text based, removing most of my embedded maps and images as the load times were far too great. It wasn't long though before I realised that the blog was a good way of recording some of our favourite walks, a bit like an online diary, and also seemed to be enjoyed by one or two others. I have to say it was (and still is ) a slight source of micky taking from colleagues at work.
From time to time our posts appeared in the LEP, which was an entertaining novelty, and I contributed to a few articles about blogging in the LEP and the Blog Preston online paper. Finney has also featured on the VisitPreston website as well as a couple of national dog magazines.
For the past year or two though the blog has pretty much dried up. That's not because we don't still enjoy great long walks. It's largely because I tended to blog about new places and after all this time I tend to revisit my favourite haunts time after time. Just in case you're wondering where we tend to hang out I thought I'd post my current top 3.
I remember years ago thinking that whilst Worden Park was great, I wasn't sure it warranted a place in the UKs list of Top Dog Walks. Funny how views change. Worden is the place we visit most frequently, at all times of year, to enjoy the wide open spaces which are great for playing ball, wandering along the river and adjacent farmland and finishing up with a stroll around the gardens. When its muddy there's the dog shower to get off the worst of it before setting off for home. In summer there's nothing better than watching the world go by with an ice cream from the cafe.
Our second favourite haunt has to be Brinscall. Whether we walk through the woods or up Great Hill we always have a good time. Finney is generally on lead on the moors so if he were asked he'd probably just stay in the woods. Great in summer, even better in winter, particularly when we've had some snow.
Our third is probably Formby. We tend to save this for Winter when it's quieter, but it really is a great place. Walking either from the NT car park through the woods and old asparagus fields or along the beach up to Ainsdale.
There's probably another reason why we don't blog so much....we found Instagram!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
