Tuesday. November 17th. 5 miles. Longridge Fell.
What a gift for my ‘a new experience every walk during this lockdown’. Fell ponies welcomed Rod and I to the summit of Longridge Fell. I’ve never seen them up there before and I have no idea where they come from. Three healthy looking, sleek, black ponies. They were used to human presence and searched our pockets for food. It is not a good idea to feed ponies as I believe they can become ill quickly.
We had arranged to meet on the fell road as we hadn’t seen each other for 6months. A little inventiveness had to be used to get parked amongst all the other lockdown ramblers. I warned Rod in advance to wear boots as everywhere off track is decidedly gloopy. Certainly on the last quarter of a mile from where we had left the forest road it was difficult to stay on solid ground.
The sun shone a little into the Vale of Chipping below us and the Bowland Hills looked – well just like they always look, majestic, if a little hazy. I steered a way through the woods along the ridge avoiding the worst of the mud and the fallen trees. We then made our way back on the solid ground of the main track and caught up with each other’s news, restricted as it is.
Home in time for a late lunch before it rained. See you after Christmas Rod? Strange times.
*****
Wonderful. Have you seen the fell ponies on Dixon Heights? They are part of the Hades Hill herd, I believe, but they are semi-feral and are out on the fell most of the year, except when they are working, doing pack-pony wild camping trips for the Fell Pony Experience. Don’t know anything about the Longridge Fell ones, I’m afraid. I remember seeing some on top of High Street many years ago, but never since up there, sadly.
Yes, I saw those up on Dixon Heights a few years ago https://bowlandclimber.com/2016/01/02/first-footing-on-newton-fell/
I don’t know where these Longridge ponies have come from but will put my feelers out. Great to see them up there.
Great views from the trig point and I love the ponies, seeing them would have made my day 🙂
It made mine.
What a wonderful way to be greeted at the trig point. Lovely. 🙂
You will have to get up there to see them.
Wonderful encounter. I’ve seen them in the fells above Patterdale, but never in Lancashire. I wonder how they got there.
They have come from nowhere. I’m trying to find out their owners. They are majestic .