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!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
A circuit of Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill is like a magnet. Its distinctive profile draws our eyes from each of our regular walking routes. It takes a little longer to reach than the West Pennines so we don't visit that often, and most of our visits have involved a quick sprint up and down from the Nic of Pendle.
A couple of weeks ago saw a lovely sunny afternoon after a morning of seemingly endless rain. It was a perfect day to visit Pendle Hill.
Unbeknown to us our visit coincided with the Pendle Witches walk, to commemorate the famous trials. In some ways that was a blessing as it meant we took a new route to avoid the crowds.
From the Nic of Pendle we took the lower path up on to Spence Moor. The views over Burnley and beyond are great and the ground not too bad underfoot. An incredibly rough and steep descent to Ogden Reservoir followed before the long climb up to Pendle Hill. By the time we reached the top it was relatively quiet, but nothing like the solitude of Spence Moor.
From the summit we headed over faint tracks across Pendle Moor and Mearley Moor. The ground was rough and very boggy in parts, but the peace and views over the Ribble Valley make it worthwhile.
Eventually we joined the road near the ski slope and made our way back to the car.
It was an unexpectedly rough walk, but great all the same. Sheep graze throughout so the flexi lead came in handy.
A couple of weeks ago saw a lovely sunny afternoon after a morning of seemingly endless rain. It was a perfect day to visit Pendle Hill.
Unbeknown to us our visit coincided with the Pendle Witches walk, to commemorate the famous trials. In some ways that was a blessing as it meant we took a new route to avoid the crowds.
From the Nic of Pendle we took the lower path up on to Spence Moor. The views over Burnley and beyond are great and the ground not too bad underfoot. An incredibly rough and steep descent to Ogden Reservoir followed before the long climb up to Pendle Hill. By the time we reached the top it was relatively quiet, but nothing like the solitude of Spence Moor.
From the summit we headed over faint tracks across Pendle Moor and Mearley Moor. The ground was rough and very boggy in parts, but the peace and views over the Ribble Valley make it worthwhile.
Eventually we joined the road near the ski slope and made our way back to the car.
It was an unexpectedly rough walk, but great all the same. Sheep graze throughout so the flexi lead came in handy.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Another holiday with the dog in Cornwall
It's a week since we got back from our latest holiday in Cornwall. Holidays with dogs in Cornwall are great.
The weather since we got back has been so miserable that I've not felt like blogging. Lying in the sun in the garden this afternoon whilst the rest of the country seems drenched does though seem like the perfect time to do an update.
On this visit we stayed at Natural Retreats, just outside St Austell. It was a third trip to a Natural Retreats site. Our weekend trips to Yorkshire and Wales are in last years blog entries. Our expectations from past stays we're high, and we weren't disappointed.
The site itself comprises 30 or so timber clad houses. None more than a couple of years old. It has a very rural feel despite being only half a mile or so from St Austell. A number of houses are dog friendly, but still of a very high standard.
We spent a lot of time on the adjacent fields which were perfect for a short walk or just lazing around. The grass had though been recently cut, so it might have been a little different had we arrived a few weeks earlier.
We enjoyed a few nice local walks from the site. Footpaths, bridleways and the Pentewan cycle trail mean you can walk to Pentewan or Charlestown in an hour or so (brisk walking). A little further afield, the walk along the cliffs to Black Head is stunning!
Most days we drove down to Porthluney Beach at Caerhayes, stopping off at Lobbs Farm Shop en route to buy a picnic lunch of various salads, olives, Homity pie, quiche or some other great tasting food. The weather wasn't great for most of our visit so the beach was quiet. As always, the dog loved it.
We had a drink at the dog friendly Polgooth Inn nearby. Although we didn't eat there the menu looked good. Be warned that although the nearby Kingswood Restraunt serves food to die for it isn't a place to take your dog, although they did say they'd be happy for us to sit on the large decking with him had the weather been good enough.
A little further afield we discovered The Ship Inn at Fowey. As perfect a pub as I've ever been in. Dogs welcome in the bar and Sunday roasts are amazing. We also visited Par Sands for the first time. Very dog friendly but to be honest it needed a good clean up. I know from their website the friends of par beach are trying very hard to make it a great place to visit but it's not somewhere we'll revisit given the choice of other places to go.
All in all another good, albeit quieter than usual, holiday. Already looking forward to the next one!
The weather since we got back has been so miserable that I've not felt like blogging. Lying in the sun in the garden this afternoon whilst the rest of the country seems drenched does though seem like the perfect time to do an update.
On this visit we stayed at Natural Retreats, just outside St Austell. It was a third trip to a Natural Retreats site. Our weekend trips to Yorkshire and Wales are in last years blog entries. Our expectations from past stays we're high, and we weren't disappointed.
The site itself comprises 30 or so timber clad houses. None more than a couple of years old. It has a very rural feel despite being only half a mile or so from St Austell. A number of houses are dog friendly, but still of a very high standard.
We spent a lot of time on the adjacent fields which were perfect for a short walk or just lazing around. The grass had though been recently cut, so it might have been a little different had we arrived a few weeks earlier.
We enjoyed a few nice local walks from the site. Footpaths, bridleways and the Pentewan cycle trail mean you can walk to Pentewan or Charlestown in an hour or so (brisk walking). A little further afield, the walk along the cliffs to Black Head is stunning!
Most days we drove down to Porthluney Beach at Caerhayes, stopping off at Lobbs Farm Shop en route to buy a picnic lunch of various salads, olives, Homity pie, quiche or some other great tasting food. The weather wasn't great for most of our visit so the beach was quiet. As always, the dog loved it.
We had a drink at the dog friendly Polgooth Inn nearby. Although we didn't eat there the menu looked good. Be warned that although the nearby Kingswood Restraunt serves food to die for it isn't a place to take your dog, although they did say they'd be happy for us to sit on the large decking with him had the weather been good enough.
A little further afield we discovered The Ship Inn at Fowey. As perfect a pub as I've ever been in. Dogs welcome in the bar and Sunday roasts are amazing. We also visited Par Sands for the first time. Very dog friendly but to be honest it needed a good clean up. I know from their website the friends of par beach are trying very hard to make it a great place to visit but it's not somewhere we'll revisit given the choice of other places to go.
All in all another good, albeit quieter than usual, holiday. Already looking forward to the next one!
Monday, June 04, 2012
Great Hill (Again and again)
A final post for the day and some more photos from my favourite short walk in Lancashire, to the top of Great Hill on the edge of the West Pennine Moors.
I could never tire of the views across to Merseyside of north to Bowland and South Lakes beyond. Up and down takes only about an hour and a half, whether from the Lodge at Brinscall or White Coppice. Given either is only 20 minutes drive from Preston it makes a perfect longer morning or afternoon trip. Early mornings are our favourite, when even the morning fell runners haven't risen from their beds.
During the summer it's not a good route for off lead walking. Sheep abound although there are some nice off lead paths through the woods above the Goit. It's a good idea to take a flexi-lead with you.
These are some shots from our last couple of trips. As you can probably tell I'm enjoying the camera and editing software on my iPhone!
I could never tire of the views across to Merseyside of north to Bowland and South Lakes beyond. Up and down takes only about an hour and a half, whether from the Lodge at Brinscall or White Coppice. Given either is only 20 minutes drive from Preston it makes a perfect longer morning or afternoon trip. Early mornings are our favourite, when even the morning fell runners haven't risen from their beds.
During the summer it's not a good route for off lead walking. Sheep abound although there are some nice off lead paths through the woods above the Goit. It's a good idea to take a flexi-lead with you.
These are some shots from our last couple of trips. As you can probably tell I'm enjoying the camera and editing software on my iPhone!
Arnside Knott
We love Arnside. Provided you get the tide times right the walk along the shore with views across to Grange Over Sands and Heysham is fantastic. Once you reach Far Arnside the path up to the Knott gives stunning views over the Lakeland Fells. For a relatively short walk, I can't think of much better! As long as it's quiet much of the walk can be done with your dog off lead, but don't let the dog (or yourself) stray from the shoreline or you risk being caught in treacherous quicksand or stranded by the rapidly advancing tides.
A month or so ago we had what was probably our best trip there. The cold weather seemed to have put others off so we saw only a handful of others en-route. If you've never been, go!
A month or so ago we had what was probably our best trip there. The cold weather seemed to have put others off so we saw only a handful of others en-route. If you've never been, go!
The Centurion Tank
Our dog has never really liked the car. As a puppy he was sick on one of our first trips out (only as far a Chorley). Perhaps that memory has something to do with it, as we only go to places which he appears to love once we get there. Sometimes though he makes it abundantly clear that the car is off limits for the day in which case I often set off to walk to a particular point of interest (sometimes for me) rather than a walk to the park.
It must have been spring when we walked up through Lostock hall and Farrington to the Centurian Tank at Flensburg Way. It's an impressive landmark, passed by thousands each day. A small plaque tells a bit of Leyland's tank building history which took place not too far away.
Having taken a few photos we wandered across the footpaths over the moss to Whitestake and back past Newgate Nurseries to the end of Bee Lane.
Not a spectacular walk, but not bad if you fancy leaving the car at home.
It must have been spring when we walked up through Lostock hall and Farrington to the Centurian Tank at Flensburg Way. It's an impressive landmark, passed by thousands each day. A small plaque tells a bit of Leyland's tank building history which took place not too far away.
Having taken a few photos we wandered across the footpaths over the moss to Whitestake and back past Newgate Nurseries to the end of Bee Lane.
Not a spectacular walk, but not bad if you fancy leaving the car at home.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Entwistle, Wayho and Jumbles Reservoirs
Turton and Entwistle Reservoir is a favourite spot. The top end in particular is stunning. On a quiet morning or evening you could imagine being in the wilds of Scotland.
Until a couple of weeks ago we had only extended the reservoir walk up on to the moors, rather than following the more usual walk which joins up Entwistle with the adjacent Wayho and Jumbles Reservoirs.
Route finding wasn't hard. Although we did have our trusted Viewranger maps on the iPhone they weren't really needed. A decent look at a map beforehand and a few mental notes would see you through.
Entwistle still remains my favourite. Wayho was nice, but a little less wild. If you visit make sure you spend some time (in early summer) admiring the rare wild meadows. Jumbles was also nice, but very very busy.
All in all it was probably 10 miles or so to loop the 3. All easy going.
Until a couple of weeks ago we had only extended the reservoir walk up on to the moors, rather than following the more usual walk which joins up Entwistle with the adjacent Wayho and Jumbles Reservoirs.
Route finding wasn't hard. Although we did have our trusted Viewranger maps on the iPhone they weren't really needed. A decent look at a map beforehand and a few mental notes would see you through.
Entwistle still remains my favourite. Wayho was nice, but a little less wild. If you visit make sure you spend some time (in early summer) admiring the rare wild meadows. Jumbles was also nice, but very very busy.
All in all it was probably 10 miles or so to loop the 3. All easy going.
Gardening Leave
It's been a busy few months. We have got some great walks done but much of the time at weekends has been spent doing a spot of garden redesign.
The dog loves the garden, particularly when the beds are muddy (I didn't managed to train him to stay off) and the kitchen floor has just been cleaned.
It wasn't the intention that he had his own seat, it was for me and my lovely wife, but who cares what we think!
The dog loves the garden, particularly when the beds are muddy (I didn't managed to train him to stay off) and the kitchen floor has just been cleaned.
It wasn't the intention that he had his own seat, it was for me and my lovely wife, but who cares what we think!
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