It’s a while since I’ve given you some music –
This song was in my mind, but I couldn’t remember where it came from – of course it is an Irving Berlin number, A Couple of Swells, from Easter Parade performed originally by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland way back in 1948.
So we’ll walk up the avenue
Yes we’ll walk up the avenue
And to walk up the avenue’s what we like
They were probably singing about 5th Avenue, New York, but I have the more humble Avenue in Hurst Green as my walk today.
The morning was one of those frustrating ones, all apparently too common in these days of modern technology. Attempted phone calls and online machinations. Car. insurance first, last year I paid £371 and this year they are quoting £832. Time for a change. Money Supermarket seemed easier to navigate than the popular Confused.com once you have all your information to hand. Prices came up from £450, I settled for £480 with the Bank of Scotland. Insurance is a minefield. I still need to ensure the original insurers don’t automatically charge my card – can’t get through on the phone.
On the subject of insurance my car is still away being repaired after my unfortunate run in with a wall. They said it would be ready last week, no word from them. After half an hour on the phone line I gave up.
Also, I’m still trying to ensure that repairs to my camera are carried out under the guarantee. My telephone calls to the shop are all answered by different personnel, and they never get back to me. My random poor pictures today are therefore from my ageing phone.
By now it is lunchtime and the sun is shining. Time for a short walk to keep my legs going. Bouldering is out of the question, my left arm is sore as hell from the Covid jab yesterday and my right arm equally so from the flu jab. Was it wise to have them both at the same time? The ‘Avenue’ walk appeared out of the depths of my mind. It would be on good surfaces and not too long or steep, I’m taking my physio’s advice and moderating my exercise.
The Avenue starts in Hurst Green and goes all the way to Stonyhurst College. 
Depressingly the Bailey Arms pub is still closed but “open for refurbishment if a new licensee can be found”, an all too familiar story. There used to be three pubs in the village in recent memory but only the Shireburn Arms is still trading in Tolkien territory. 
I walk up the Avenue, past little cottages, past the famous Almshouses, through Stonyhurst’s gates, past the spooky graveyard and the even spookier Madonna statue, Our Lady of the Avenue. I place a foot on Cromwell’s Stone and cast my eyes down the continuing Avenue all the way to the college itself. There is a lot of history around these parts, much of it covered in my many other posts on the area. 
Are you still singing that song, I am?
At one time you could walk the full length of the Avenue past the fish ponds up to the college facade. Now there are closed gates and notices to make you aware there is no right of way, fair enough, but after walking up the road past the golf course towards Longridge Fell you can take advantage of a Public Path into the grounds and then directly across that very facade. Not the grandest of entrances but us commoners will have to make do. 
They don’t like you taking photographs in the grounds, child protection explained the security guard the last time I was here. They can’t begrudge a photo of the exquisite St. Peter’s Church, not a child in sight. Seriously though they have probably some children boarding from very rich foreign countries, so security must be a nightmare. 
I could have taken the path down through the fields past the clay pigeon shooting range, you have to ring a bell before continuing and being shot, but I wanted to keep my feet dry and avoid the slippery slopes, we have had a lot of rain if it hasn’t escaped your notice. So on I go past the observatory and gardens using the farm track. Groundsman are mowing which must be an almost continuos ongoing task on the estate to keep it up to scratch.
Round the back well out of view are a couple of soccer pitches and then the wonderfully positioned cricket square with its iconic brick pavilion and views over the Ribble Valley and Pendle. 
I come out past more estate cottages to the busy Whalley Road. I could have carried on across and down to the river to join the Tolkien Trail back to Hurst Green but as I said I wanted to keep my boots clean. Having already established from Google Earth that there was a continuous footway beside the road back to the village that is what I follow.
The Shireburn Arms is open, now part of a group, James’ Places which seems to be the way these rural inns can survive. Opposite is the village green with three interesting crosses, but you will have to search for the oldest, have a look here.
A pleasant afternoon stroll on the Avenue.
And for a contrast if you like rocksteady –
Oh! How familiar battling with all that tech and those impenetrable organisations, a mirror of my own life at the moment…
…bUt what a joy to watch that impeccable Fred and Judy performance. I think the present generation may find that dated but in all departments, performance/dance, music, and lyrics it is sheer perfection.
Pleased you enjoyed.
Just starting on the phone again this morning.
Ah, Fred’s a hero of mine, loved that. Personally, I think his best onscreen dance partner was Rita Hayworth. They were magical. I hope all the wrangling with the insurers works out – it’s strange how easy they make it when you’re paying them, and how difficult it is when you have any other kind of query.
I learned from your advice regarding cameras and Stonyhurst – keep mine bagged when passing through, lest I alert the security wombles for a pile-on. I’m sure those wealthy overseas parents are asking questions of the higher ups why on earth they have public footpaths running through the campus, and why don’t they close them?
Glad you liked it – the old ones are the best.
I’ll be the first to put my body on the line if they ever try to close that public right of way. Madonna and that dreadful Clarkson tried the same trick, one rule for them and crumbs for the rest of us.
Got my camera back today and text from the garage saying they are having problems importing parts – Brexit strikes again.
Ah, the ‘B’ word we’re not allowed to mention strikes again. And some tell us it’s going so well. That’s good news about the camera.
How frustrating! I hope you get your various issues sorted.
We have tech issues whereby all messages to gmail addresses are rejected by Google. At least we can see the light of day, unlike one of the stalwart TGO Challengers (Alan Sloman) who passed away a few days ago.
Take care of that camera!
Sorry to hear about Alan Sloman whom I met years ago.
Me too about Alan Sloman. I only met him once at that fab. do put on by Martin at Leyburn. We shared a room and we got on well together with his sharp wit and wide ranging conversation. His blog posts were always entertaining. Alan’s sanguine outlook on his health problems over a long period was salutary. I know he will be much missed, especially in the world of the TGO.
That’s sad about the Bailey Arms. 🙁 Hope you get everything fixed and sorted soon.
Fancy running a pub?
Got my camera back – so that is a start.
Good news about the camera!
Although I like going to pubs , I wouldn’t like to run one. So that’s a Nope..
Well all I can say to this is ‘thanks for the music’. I was brought up on musicals and Easter Parade is one of my many favourites – I love that song and my feet have just been dancing along with the routine 🙂
It’s probably too late now but I might suggest NFU Mutual for your car insurance in future. My 7-seat mpv is a Jap import so has always been high on the insurance which cost me more each year in the first few years than it did to buy the vehicle. I changed to NFU three years ago and what a difference – £236 fully comp as opposed to well over £1,000 with anyone else. This year it was only £216, less than my friend pays for her little Renault Twingo.
Maybe next year, they have an office in the village, never thought of them.
Keep dancing.
I wish I’d thought of NFU before I did, I would have saved myself thousands. We used to have our tractors insured by them – each one for £1million if either of us ran over and killed someone! – but car insurance never occurred to me until I saw an ad on tv.
Don’t you just hate insurance companies – greedy robbing bar stewards. Wouldn’t it be be wonderful if we had an insurance based health service?
I prefer the Prince Buster track. Might suggest this one by Kirsty McColl too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USJevDARSFY
Big fan of Kirsty, and her dad for that matter.
What a tragic end.
Same here 😊
Thank you so much for your ‘Walk up the avenue’. This is one of my favourite walks in my favourite part of the country. Years ago when I was trying to keep an eye on a very aged parent hereabouts (having travelled from ‘down south’) I used to regularly escape to this area – what a calm, comforting treat it was.
I keep going back to Hurst Green.
When were you last there?
Back in the spring, I’m afraid. Still living ‘down south’ where I assure you the weather is just as awful today as I believe it is in the Ribble Valley. Hope to get back up there for a few walks before the end of the year. Inspired by your descriptions of the Lot valley in France, my husband and I explored that part of France, a velo, in September. We’ve been cycling in various parts of rural France for over 30 years now. Now we aim for ‘voies vertes’ – often converted old railway lines or towpaths. Always fascinating.
Good that you found the Lot Valley.