Bretherton and two rivers

Today's walk took us to the small village of Bretherton where we enjoyed a lovely walk of about 4 miles in the afternoon sunshine. There are though a couple of awkward stiles en-route and, largely due to our poor navigation and route planning, we ended up with half a mile or so of walking along a rather bust road. The sites are unavoidable but with a little care, and a slightly longer route, you can certainly avoid the road section.

We began near the old Corn Mill on Marl Cop, taking a signed footpath leading east between houses. Here, we soon suffered our first error, turning right and skirting the edge of the cricket pitch before emerging back on to South Road. With more care you can carry on along the footpath, extending the route but avoiding any road walking but it wasn't to be for us, and with a cricket match in progress we didn't dare retrace our steps over the beautifully manicured outfield!

We subsequently endured a relatively short stretch of road walking (mainly but not all with pavement) to reach the bridge over the river Lostock at Bretherton Road. Happily, we climbed the stile on the right and then enjoyed a couple of miles of great riverside walking, all off lead, before reaching the "Red Bridge". Past walks have taken us here and yet again we were left wondering why the bridge is painted green.

Turning right on the quiet lane we joined another footpath which led over uncultivated fields, which seem to have been left fallow as a haven for wildlife. Not being a twitcher I couldn't tell you what birds we saw, but there were many, as well as one of the largest hares I've ever seen! There was no obvious path and without some kind of navigation aid (our trusty i8910 didn't let us down here) we'd never have found our way out of the field. We soon found a small footbridge though and headed towards woodlands near Eyes Lane.

The route was completed with a spell of walking along lovely quiet lanes and back through the village. Other than the botched start, a lovely walk and definitely one we'll do again.

Click here for google map

Doggy rating 6/10 (because of the awkward stiles, otherwise good)

Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway was built to to ferry iron ore from workings near Boot to Ravenglass on the west coast of Cumbria. Having been saved from closure in the 1960s the Railway now carries thousands of passengers each year on the seven mile journey from the village of Ravenglass through two glorious valleys to the foot of England’s highest mountains.

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway provides a geat dog friendly day out in Cumbria and welcomes dogs for a fee of £1.50 per journey. After 40 minutes or so with ears flapping in the wind you and your dog will be spoilt for choice in walks, long or short. There is normally a choice of open or closed carriages, hauled by one of the four miniature gauge steam locomotives in regular service or one of the diesel units.

Hiking to the top of one of the surrounding peaks is not everyone's cup of tea and with that in mind our walk took in a couple of miles of some great valley walking and provided lots of opportunities for the the dogs favourite pastimes, swimming and fetch.


Swimming in the Esk

From the station we headed towards the Brook House Inn before turning right along the well signposted track leading to St Catherine's Church. The track passes several cottages before reaching the small church beside the River Esk. Here, you can use stepping stones to cross the river or head upstream for a short way before crossing over a small footbridge and following the path back past Gill Force. There are many deep pools in the river which, provided the flow is light, make for great swimming! Following the river downsteam we found more open woodland and fields for a long game of fetch before winding our way back past Dalegarth Hall to the station at Dalegarth.

The dog was made welcome in the bar area of the Brook House Inn, which also has plenty of outside seating if the sun is shining. All in all a great dog friendly day out!

Click here for information about the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. .

The Ruins of Hollinshead Hall and Great Hill

Our quick jaunt up to Redmonds Edge yesterday left us wanting for more so once again we headed to the Crookfields Road car park, just off the A675 between Abbey Village and Belmont.

Our route to took us through the picnic site adjacent to the car park before cross ing the road to a stile where the road turns sharply left towards Tockholes. We passed through the kissing gate a few yards further on and followed the pleasant path through fields where sheep were grazing, with great views of our intended destination, Great Hill.

After a quarter of a mile or so the path rejoins the road, where we crossed, to follow a narrow footpath leading downwards to the ruins of Hollinshead Hall. A spectacular display of bluebells aligned the path before giving way to the well kept ruins themselves. In the past we've stopped for a quick game of fetch here but in the morning heat it didn't seem like an attractive proposition so we continued onwards, along a pretty tree lined path, to join the A675.

Taking great care when crossing the busy road we joined the obvious path which leads to the summit of Great Hill. To say it was hot seems like an understatement. Even though I always carry water for myself and the dog on our summer walks the dog took every opportunity to paddle in the one or two streams that we crossed en-route. We were soon at the top though and enjoying the breeze. Unfortunately the haze obscured any distant views but it was nice enough to remain cool in the sunshine.

Our descent took us along the well made path towards Redmonds Edge before deciding that the shade of Roddlesworth Woods would be more welcome than open moorland. Following what were little more than sheep tracks along the fence line and a small stream we soon made it back to the path down to Hollinshead Hall.

After a short walk through the woods we returned the to car park, ready for another BBQ!

A short walk along Redmonds Edge

Summer has arrived! Today was the first scorcher of the year and after an early morning trip to Sainsbury's to stock up on drinks for this afternoon's obligatory BBQ there was just time to take a short drive out to the West Pennine Moors.

Wanting to make the most of the now dry moorland we parked up at the car park on Crookfield Road, just off the A675 between Abbey Village and Belmont, with the intention of following a route we have taken before to Redmonds Edge and on to Great Hill.

Crossing (carefully) over the A675 we went through the kissing gate and followed a well defined path beside a small stream up the hillside, turning sharply left uphill towards the top of Redmonds edge rather than traversing towards Great Hill. Normally, this route is incredibly muddy and rough but today was easy going, and within a short time we were high on the ridge with views to Rivington, Preston, Blackburn and beyond. We followed the well made stone path on the ridge towards Hordern Stoops for a while before deciding to sit and admire the view, and share a well earned drink.

We retraced our steps to the car, with me feeling slightly less bothered about the quantity of burgers, sausages and kebabs that I'd be likely to eat later in the day. Of course I can't speak for the dog. As usual he was probably disappointed with the outcome of the BBQ, after all despite following anyone who appears to be a soft touch and lurking under the table, he's a dog and eats dog food! (crumbs and dropped scraps excepted).

Can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!

Click here for Google Map

Sheep do graze the moors and although there's no lead in sight on the pics it was unfortunately lead on all the way whilst walking. Today we saw only one ewe with her lamb. Both were completely nonplussed by the dog and seemed more interested in keeping close to the nice watering hole they'd found. The feeling was mutual!

I nearly forgot, if you're admiring the dog's new haircut, it was done by Dial a Dog Wash. We've not used a mobile before but were not disapointed. The van is well kitted out with all sorts of paraphanalia, the groomer was good and the dog didn't seem bothered by the experience. All they need is to be able to park outside your house so they can plug a power cable in to your mains. If for any reason you need or want a doorstep service they're well worth looking up.

Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team Donation

Advertising on the blog has raised £60 which has been donated to the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue team. Thank you.

You can donate online by visiting the team website http://www.bowlandpenninemrt.org.uk/supportus.htm

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)

Click here for Google map.

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

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