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!