A quick walk up Winter Hill from Belmont

Sometimes we just need a short but energetic walk to blow away the excesses of the previous night. Yesterday was one such day so after a grapefruit and a bowl of crunch nut cornflakes (for me, not the dog) we headed off to Belmont for a short but steep ascent of Winter Hill.

We began at the car park next to Ward's Reservoir, on the Belmont to Rivington road. This small reservoir supplies water to Bolton and is known locally as the Blue Lagoon. A short but pleasant footpath runs from the car park alongside the shore although our route took us directly up the steep hillside, following the obvious path towards a stile. Happily, the stile has a "dog gate" so no lifting was needed before we continued upwards for 3/4 of a mile or so of open moorland. There were one or two sheep in sight and many birds nest round here so it was on the lead for most of the way.

The many radio masts dotted around the summit were soon close by and we followed the line of a fence to the right before entering through a kissing gate and spending a while playing fetch by the summit trig point. Whilst not exactly remote and unspoilt, it's a peaceful place to sit and as we looked out towards Great Hill, Chorley, Preston and beyond we were oblivious to the scene behind us.

If we'd have had time we'd have descended using the footpath via Grange Brow but we descended the same way. I can't think of a shorter walk which gives such amazing views on the right day.

After lunch we went visiting some friends and their new puppy so I couldn't resist posting this picture. I suspect there may be more pictures of the little chap once he's old enough to join us on some of our walks.

Doggy rating 6/10 (not much in the way of off lead walking but fine for a game of fetch on top)

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Hesketh Bank, River Douglas and Hesketh Outmarsh

It was a completely new walk for us today around the marshes near Hesketh Bank, leading to the new RSPB site at Hesketh Outmarsh. Surprisingly (for us) the walk didn't even provide a glimpse of the Ribble watercourse itself but did involve a really pleasant walk alongside the River Asland, or Douglas as it's more commonly known. Parts of the walk were suitable for off-lead walking but there are plenty of sheep grazing the saltmarshes so make sure you check the way ahead as your approach the many stiles en-route.

Our walk began in Hesketh Bank where we followed the aptly named Marsh Road and past several farms before joining the levy which runs alongside the river Douglas. Although there was plenty of agricultural activity with no less than ten tractors in view ploughing the fertile fields on the landward side of the levies, it's a wild and seemingly remote landscape here with the tower of St Walburges in Preston just visible over the Longton Marshes. With no other walkers in sight we headed towards the Ribble and followed the river until reaching Hesketh Outmarsh. Here, rather than continuing towards the Ribble the path turns inland along the boundary of the outmarsh. We were rather dissapointed to leave the riverside but the reason became obvious later in our walk.

Crossing numerous stiles and fields of sheep and spring lambs grazing on the reclaimed marshland we soon found ourselves at a new looking car park and RSPB viewing point looking out over the most amazing landscape of absolutely flat marshes scarred by small tidal creeks. Against the magnificant blue sky it reminded me of the Florida Everglades, without the aligators (I hope). Returning along the unusually named Dib Road (essentially a farm track) we returned to Hesketh Bank and our start.

I now know that Hesketh Outmarsh is a flagship project for the Ribble Coast and Wetlands regional park. The outmarsh was reclaimed from the sea in the 1980s but has now been bought by RSPB, It is now one of the largest coastal realignment projects in Europe, helping to counter the effects of sea level rise due to climate change. It also provides a new recreational asset for the local community and visitors and an exciting opportunity to view the wildlife of the estuary.

The Ribble Coast and Wetlands Regional Park website explains that work on the £4m project commenced in March 2007 and the first phase is now completed. This included the re-excavation of former creeks, the construction of a new embankment to Hesketh Out Marsh East, the strengthening of the existing inner embankment around Hesketh Out Marsh West and the breaching of the outer embankment in four places once the other works had been completed.

Whilst ensuring flood protection is improved and land drainage maintained, the scheme has created 180ha. of saltmarsh, saline lagoons and muddy creeks. This provides new habitat for breeding waders and wintering wildfowl and makes a major contribution towards national targets for coastal saltmarsh creation. The first breaching of the outer embankment took place in September 2008 and the final breaching works took place in early 2009 after works to improve flood storage for the adjoining agricultural land were completed. Public access to the site is currently restricted to public footpaths. A viewing platform and car parking is available. The Reserve was officially opened in October 2009.

At least we know now why we were unable to walk along the outer embankment. Well worth a visit, provided you can cope with the stiles!

Click here for Google map.

Doggy rating 6/10

Great Hill from Brinscall

Easter weekend saw us take a trip to Worden Park, Rivington and Roddlesworth Woods. All places we've visited many times before and enjoyable as always. Yesterday saw a return to another of our favourite spots at Brinscall where we'd planned to take a walk through the woods, perhaps ending up at White Coppice, before returning along the Goit.

Setting off up Well Lane and Edge Gate Lane we crossed a stile on the left to join a small woodland track that skirts the south eastern edge of the plantation. After a fairly short but pleasant off lead walk the path brings you to another stile and path that leads upwards to Wheelton Moor. After a short spell playing with his ball in the woods and admiring the views we decided to change our plans to descend to White Coppice and headed off higher and take in some of the open moorland.

After a short climb we reached a good moorland track that provides vehicle access to the many shooting butts that line the hillside. Turning left we followed the track around Wheelton Moor to join our normal route up Great Hill from White Coppice. It was on lead all the way as many sheep graze the hillside but that didn't seem to bother the dog who seemed happy enough with ears flapping madly in the wind.

The summit was deserted when we reached the top and amazingly we only saw two walkers and one mad fell runner on the entire route. After taking in the views and feeling pleased that we'd made the effort to climb great hill rather than the more gentle riverside option we descended the way we came.

As always, the trip up Great Hill was well worth it. To be honest, as there are normally sheep around it's not the best dog walk ever but given the woods en-route give some off lead walking it should keep your dog happy enough.

Click here for Google Map

Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

I used to find it hard to understand why anyone would pay to walk in the countryside. Walks as a child involved romping over the Dartmoor wilderness, climbing the high Lakeland peaks and a good part of the Pennine Way (our family holiday didn't take us beyond Hadrian's Wall). On occasion, we passed kiosks where people actually paid to walk along a footpath. Madness I thought! Over the years I've understood that the countryside doesn't come free and don't begrudge my annual membership of the National Trust or (providing I'm parked all day) the Lake District National Park car park charges. It's rare though that I actually pay to walk along a footpath.

Today was different as we walked the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail (£4.50 adults or £10.00 per family including parking - dogs free!). The trail is well maintained and it's easy to see where the money goes, maintaining some 4.5 miles of generally good footpaths, solid fencing and footbridges which take you through some of the most spectacular waterfall and woodland scenery in the North of England. The trail is 4.5 miles through ancient oak woodland and magnificent Dales scenery via a series of spectacular waterfalls and geological features.

Dogs are very welcome but you'd be advised to keep them on the lead throughout as there are obviously many potential hazards on the waterside parts of the walk and sheep grazing on open countryside. There are a number of refreshment sites along the route selling sandwiches and drinks.

Well worth the entry fee. Not a place to visit if you find it difficult to handle your dog up and down steep steps. Whilst not a tough walk if you're a weekend rambler the walk is described by the owners as "a strenuous walk with a large number of steps along the full route, the trail follows a well defined path and is unsuitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs."

Happily we missed the rain!

Click here for the Trail website

Easter weekend fun

Lets hope the weather stays reasonable this weekend. Looking forward to a nice walk today. If it's a new one I'll blog it later. If you're a twitter user why not follow us? There are plenty of other owners out there, some even more nuts than us. You never know, if you follow us you might even star in a video.....enjoy

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

A Round Preston Walk (Part 1)

The idea of a long distance walking route around Preston isn't new. The Preston Ramblers Association created a route, totalling 23 miles, in the 1980s. At one stage this route was formally recognised as a long distance footpath and the VisitPreston website refers to it as a "famous" route. I have though struggled to find much information about the route online so if anyone can point me in the direction of an appropriate map/guide then please do get in touch and I will help to promote it. More recently, a group of cycling enthusiasts has has promoted the idea of the Preston Guild Wheel, a 22 mile cycling/walking route which might be completed in time of the 2012 Preston Guild. If this project does come off it has the potential to be a great asset for the community but in the absence of this, or details of the 1980s long distance walking route, I have decided to create a route which might meet the aspirations of dog walkers!




River Ribble near Cuerdale Hall

Stage 1 was inspired largely because we left the car in Fulwood on Saturday night, after a few too many glasses of wine, so a walk from Penwortham seemed like a good idea to get rid of the (relatively mild) hangover. The thought of trudging along pavements didn't appeal so instead I decided to make our way along a rather more rural route to our destination. Over time, but probably without the influence of alcohol, I'll add to the route and eventually plan to create a relatively dog friendly route circling the City.

1. Middleforth to Walton-le-Dale

The walk from Lower Penwortham to Walton-le-Dale will need no introduction to many. After a quick jaunt down the Old Tram Road we were soon on the riverside path and heading towards the Capitol Centre. Other than the odd cyclist we had the route pretty much to ourselves. I'll leave you to judge whether you let your dog off the lead around hear but provided it's quiet, you keep and eye out for cyclists and the river doesn't prove an attraction to your dog it's pretty safe. We were soon back on lead and at London Road, where we crossed the A6 and, turning right, had a 5 minute spell of roadside walking along Victoria Road and Church Brow.

2. Church Brow to the Tickled Trout

Soon after passing the old church we turned left down the well signed footpath towards Ribble Side Farm. It was of course still on-lead here but we soon passed the muddy farmyards and wandered along fields beside the Ribble for a short way before reaching Cuerdale Hall. The path doesn't follow the riverbank through this section so if, like us, you loose the signposted route you'll have to turn inland for a short way before you pick it up again. Fortunately, the path becomes obvious again once you've passed the Hall and follows the river to the Tickled Trout Hotel. Sheep do graze in these fields all along this stage of the route so you need to keep your dog under control. There are a couple of stiles to navigate but the dog found a gap, avoiding what would otherwise have been an easy lift. The dog enjoyed a quick paddle in the river before we continued on our way.


Paddle at the Tickled Trout

3. Tickled Trout to Red Scar Wood

Reaching the Tickled Trout Hotel we crossed Brockholes Bridge and the river before turning right alongside Brockholes Wood. We didn't enter the wood but carried on past the farm where we picked up the Ribble Way signs leading us towards the Motorway and quarries. The route was obvious here, passing under the Motorway before entering the Lancashire Wildlife Trust development at Brockholes. The path here has been recently constructed and is well fenced off from the adjacent wetlands meaning the dog could walk off-lead. Several viewpoints have been created, looking out over the waters, and it should be a great facility once complete. Although there is plenty of construction work taking place it was virtually deserted today and I enjoyed our preview of what I expect will be a busy place by this time next year. Eventually, the path came to an end a Redscar Wood but once again, our route following the Ribble Way was well signed. Beware though, there is a very high stile. Springers or Labrador sized dogs will probably get underneath fairly easily but if you have a Great Dane you'd better be prepared for some serious lifting!


A sneak preview of Brockholes Wetlands

4. Redscar Wood to Longridge Road

From the stile we took the woodland path leading left and steeply up the hillside. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we were joined by three other Springers leaping madly through the undergrowth. After a quick sniff they disappeared as quickly as they'd arrived and left us to climb to the top of the hill where we emerged in a rather scruffy wide open field next to Pope Lane. Our route continued alongside the top of Redscar Wood to the rear of the crematorium. In the occasional breaks in the tress we caught glimpses of the river far below. Although only a hundred yards or so from Redscar Industrial Estate I was pleasantly surprised with how peaceful and scenic this stage of the route turned out to be. The dog enjoyed off-lead walking throughout. On the down side, there was some evidence that the path had seen some motorbike traffic so we might have struck lucky with our timing.

Leaving Redscar Woods

Once past the crematorium our route veered left, towards the edge of the industrial units, where we joined a muddy track adjacent to the units heading towards Longridge Road. After a hundred yards or so a well marked but incredibly scruffy footpath led us through trees and past more units before emerging rather unceremoniously on to Longridge Road at Redscar. This last stage did at least give a clue that we were on the original Round Preston route, with several old waymarkers still intact.

From here we were left with some road walking to pick up the car but Longridge Road is where we'll pick up the next stage of our route.

The GPS clocked our total distance at just over 9 miles. We probably did about a mile of road walking to end so estimate stage 1 of our route was a good 7 miles. Only about 15 miles to go then!

Click here for a Google map of the area.

A walk around Pennington Flash

Pennington Flash has been on our list of places to visit for quite a while. Created by mining subsidence and flooding, it has been turned in to a large nature reserve which is something of a mecca for north west twitchers. Of course, bird watching and mad Springers don't tend to mix too well but fortunately the Country Park provides space for both, as well as catering for sailing enthusiasts. Keep your dog on the lead near the main car parks and the bird hides and you'll find plenty of rough but open land for a game of fetch far not too far away with no danger of you or your dog ruining the twitchers' day out.

Our walk began at the main car park (£1 all day) next to the gold course, where we were greeted by hundreds of noisy geese and ducks gorging on scraps of burger buns being thrown to them by some equally noisy kids. Leaving the car park to follow the obvious path round the shoreline and past the bird hides we were soon away from the crowds and following well made paths next to a huge area of rough grassland where the dog was able to have a good half hour or so playing with his ball. Continuing onwards we reached the far end of the park, where there was plenty of evidence of fly tipping as well as rubbish left by inconsiderate anglers and dog owners, before working our way back around the shoreline to our start.




Our route was probably no more than a mile and a half, mainly on good tracks, but the dog must have run at least 10 times as far endlessly chasing his ball.

Some places need a sunny day to see them at their best. I think Pennington Flash is probably one of those places. Although I'm glad we've been, it's not a place we'll be rushing back to and we'll leave the twitches to enjoy the wildlife in peace.

Doggy rating 5/10

Click here for Google Map

Preston City Council Dog Control Orders - Consultation

Do you have views on where dogs should be required to be on leads, whether dogs should be banned for certain areas and whether fines should be introduced for those owners who fail to pick up after their dogs? If so, please complete Preston City Council's consultation which will help to determine the Council's approach to the development of Dog Control Orders.

Click here for survey

Thinking of buying a puppy or dog?

When we blogged "How Could You?" a few weeks ago we didn't provide any suggestions on where you could go to get advice on buying a puppy or dog. The following might be helpful but the best bet is to talk to lots of people about their experiences of getting and owning a dog.

Read the short essay "How Could You?"and think seriously about whether dog ownership is really for you. (get a tissue and prepare to cry first)

The Dogs Trust has a great website which provides lots of good advice on buying a puppy or dog as well as downloadable factsheets. The Dogs Trust never puts a healthy dog down so they promote rehoming dogs rather than buying from a breeder. With a database of thousands of dogs who are looking for a new home it certainly gives food for thought!

The Kennel Club has a good section which provides advice on buying a puppy or dog. The site includes information on finding the right breed, finding a rescue dog and finding a breeder. Bear in mind that the fact that a breeder is registered with the Kennel Club doesn't in itself mean they are reputable. Always try to find one that comes recommended.

Surprisingly, the RSPCA website doesn't contain much advice on buying a puppy or dog, but does provide a pet finder search from which you can see details of dogs that need a good home in your area. The site does though provide some hard hitting information on puppy trafficking, where puppies are bred in large numbers of profit, often with little regard for animal welfare. You can of course expect to receive plenty of advice before you adopt one of their rescued pets.

German Shepherd Dog Rescue is one of many charities which is dedicated to the welfare of specific breeds. The site does though provide some good general information on what to think about before you buy a dog or puppy.

The English Springer Spaniel Club website is a great resource for anyone thinking about buying an English Springer Spaniel. Take some time to read about the breed as there are two distinct types: "Working" and "Show". Your first decision will be which you would like - ours is the "Show" type. The site also provides a "puppy register" and you can register your details if you want to go on a list which will allow breeders to contact you.

Last but not least, our great Springer came from Melverly Springer Spaniels - Thank you Ray Smith for giving us the best dog we could wish for!

Ultimately, all the web sites in the world are not going to make the decision as to what is right for you. Use some common sense when you are looking for a breeder. Don't buy from a website without seeing a puppy. Always go and visit the breeder - they should be as interested in you as you are in the dog. Be pleased not defensive if they ask you questions about your lifestyle and what you can offer thier dog - they want the dog to go to a good home!

Snow, snow and more snow

Mud seems a distant memory given we've now had three weeks or so of lying snow and temperatures that have rarely risen above freezing. Our normal pattern of walks has certainly been disrupted as only the brave (or foolhardy) would venture down some of our local narrow lanes. We're lucky though to have Preston's Tram Road close by as well as being able to hop in to the car to get to local parks for a good run around. In a relative lull between Christmas and New Year we even made it out to Roddlesworth and Tockholes, although we began our walk at Abbey Village as the road over the tops was closed due to black ice.

We don't normally add many pictures to our blog entries but I'm pretty sure we'll soon be looking back on the last few weeks and finding hard to imagine the winter wonderland we've experienced.


Early morning on Leyland Road. Welcome to Penwortham!



Loving the snow at Hurst Grange Park, Penwortham



Preston skyline from the fields near Factory Lane

A secret hideaway



The reservoirs near Abbey Village

Preston Junction Nature Reserve

Chasing balls at Worden Park, Leyland



A new vantage point at Worden Park ,Leyland