Author Archives: bowlandclimber

MORE BOLTON-BY-BOWLAND HISTORY.

I’ve walked quite a lot in the area around Bolton-By-Bowland, it is very special. I’m back here today with Clare and Zola to look at some of the highlights. It is too good to miss a day out in this September heat wave.

I have another of those Ribble Valley Walks of Taste to follow.

But we don’t follow it to the letter. For a start we leave the car in the little community car park by the bridge. I didn’t actually notice the Coach and Horses inn at all, so we fail to contribute to the Ribble Valley economy on this occasion.

Immediately by the bridge is a hidden well built into a wall, I can find no reference as to its provenance but it looks rather neat.

We are soon into fields, guided by clear signs but all warning of your dog being shot if not on a lead, we don’t tell Zola. My reason for taking this different route is to see the mediaeval cross base marked on the map and Grade II listed. The stone is obvious in the first field under a spreading oak. We are not far from Sawley Abbey here and there must have been tracks through the countryside with crosses for guidance and perhaps prayer.

There are a lot of beautiful mature trees to admire today in what was the estate of Bolton Hall. The original hall was built in 1229 and was set in a 2,000 acre estate. From the 14th century, the hall was in the hands of the Pudsay family until 1771. Henry VI hid here for a while after his defeat at the Battle of Hexham, he was later captured at Brungerly hipping stones over the Ribble. In another episode it is said that William Pudsay made a spectacular leap on horseback at nearby Ravensber Scar across the river to make his escape after being charged with counterfeiting silver shillings, the silver ore coming from mines on his estate near Rimington. The hall was demolished in 1958.

But we are not there yet. A bridge over the Skirden Beck means we don’t have to use the historic cobbled ford.

We climb up the lane to reach the drive to Bolton Hall, but before following it I indulge in another ancient cross diversion. It is in a field with no obvious access so I make do with a zoom photo, it looks very similar to the last one.

Now down the drive, the hall has gone but outbuildings, stables and cottages have been renovated to provide modern exclusive accommodation.

Of historical interest to us is King Henry’s well, where he may have hidden. It lies in the manicured grounds of the the Bolton Hall estate, but there is a gate for us to gain access for a photo at least.

Some of the renovated cottages bear witness to their antiquity.

I found this photograph of Bolton Hall in the early 1900s.

Moving on we traverse a series of fields and a pheasant cover which drove Zola mad, being kept on a lead. We are high above the Ribble now where Sir Ralph Pudsey was said to have made his horseback leap.

I have visited Fooden before and remember one of the house holders fitting a new weathervane, I wonder if it is still there. It is, though they have never got round to orientating the compass points.

It turns out the man is a stone mason and he shows us some of his finished work. The sandstone he uses comes from Longridge Fell. Seeing our interest in the house opposite he tells us of another one down the lane. Both are C17th and Grade II listed. Just about everything is listed hereabouts. In fact the parish of Bolton-by-Bowland contains 44 listed buildings.

Pleasant fields bring us back into Bolton-by-Bowland where we make a beeline to the C15th Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. Inside, next to the Pudsay Chapel, is a remarkable memorial to Sir Ralph Pudsay who died in 1468. A limestone slab carved with figures of Sir Ralph, his 3 wives, and 25 children, together with their names. It is difficult to photograph, I have tried before.

The village is a delight of stone houses and cottages around a village green where there is another stone cross and the village stocks. Well worth a visit.

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PENRITH ANTIQUITIES.

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One of the books I bought from Verey’s excellent shop in Pooley Bridge was a guide to stone circles in the Lakes. It transpires there are two circular early bronze age structures right next to the motorway as it passes Penrith. Though not technically stone circles they must be worth looking at. With a bit more delving I find a walk encompassing them as well as Brougham Castle and Hall.

I think I mentioned the base of a medieval cross on land next to where I catch my bus each day. It turns out to be grade II* listed and described as possibly used as a plague stone in the C14th.

The Dog Beck, Wetherspoons, where I supped a pint most nights last week also turns out to be an early C19th Grade II listed building. Was it originally an inn? I’m now able to say my drinking was for historical research purposes.

I have already looked around the remains of Penrith Castle but sadly not explored the old market town more thoroughly. One can’t do everything. But on my last morning I catch the 9 o’clock bus for the last time this trip. I only go a few stops to Eamont Bridge, here I pick up the trail.

King Arthur’s Round Table is marked on the map but the Henge circle is thousands of years older than him. A gateway gives access to the circle in a rough field right next to the road. In fact the road has cut across the northern side of the circle. I wander around trying to take photos that show up the banking.

Across the way is a slip road signed to Mayburgh Henge, I had passed it daily on the bus and noticed a large Millennium Stone on a verge.

From the visit Cumbria site –

“This fifty tonne block of granite was transported from Shap quarry, erected here and dedicated on July 2nd 2000 by the Bishop of Penrith at the culmination of the Eden Millennium Festival.

The site was chosen because of its association with neighbouring Mayburgh Henge. The granite is 330 million years old, and the Monument is intended to last thousands of years.

In a trench round the base are buried about 2,000 small stones decorated mostly by primary school children of Eden and placed there at the dedication service as birthday presents for Jesus’ 2000th birthday.

The carved symbols on three sides of the Monument are an Alpha, a Cross with the number 2000, and an Omega. The Alpha and the Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and represent the beginning and the end, the past and the future, God the Creator and God the Holy Spirit. The Cross and the 2000 represent the present, 2,000 years of Christianity, and Jesus Christ our Lord alive with us today”

On the side road right next to the motorway was the gate giving access to Mayburgh Henge.

This is a much larger banked circular Henge . The banking is up to 20ft high and is composed of millions of pebbles from the nearby River Lowther.One only sees the large central standing stone once on the banking or from the eastern entrance.

Looking at older documents there were four standing stones in place in the C18th. It is thought that these henges, there was a smaller one close by, were possibly meeting places or Neolithic ceremonial centres. It is difficult to appreciate their size and shape on the ground, aerial photos are needed.

Visit Cumbria’s image.

I cross the River Eamont not on the grade1 listed late medieval structure, but by the utilitarian metal foot bridge alongside.

A pleasant interlude of walking alongside the river follows. At one point I spot the abutments of a footbridge across the Eamont, has it been washed away in recent times?

Up ahead I catch the first glimpses of Brougham Castle. bruam is the local pronunciation. The castle was founded in the early 13th century. The site, near the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther, had been previously chosen by the Romans for a fort called Brocavum. It has a long and convoluted history. Lady Anne Clifford who inherited it, along with a string of other castles in the area that she had refurbished, died at Brougham Castle in 1676. I only gaze at the remains across the river as I don’t have time for a lengthy visit. It shows off the local red sandstone.

I almost forget to look for the Roman Fort on the same site and my photographs are not that convincing of its foundations.

Not far along the lane is the entrance to Brougham Hall, a fortified home from the early C14th. Again one can read the history here. Privately owned, its restoration work is slow but some areas have been made habitable. Space is rented off to various artists and potters. One can wander over most of the site and hence get a feel for past living in such spaces. There is an honesty café so I’m able to get my late morning caffeine fix.

Back across the Eamont and I can catch a bus directly to Penrith Station for the train home.

I’ve enjoyed this mini break, reacquainting myself with the Northern Lake District, delving into a bit of history along the way. The weather has been kind to me and my B and B, The Blue Swallow to give them a shout, in Penrith was perfect.

ULLSWATER WAY 4 – THE DALEMAIN LOOP.

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The Marmalade March.
I thought the talk of Marmalade was all a gimmick, but as you will see, it has a serious side.
The 9am bus drops me off in Pooley Bridge as usual. I cross the new bridge and follow the River Eamont downstream. I’m on what is called The Dalemain Loop of the main Ullswater Way. I have driven past Dalemain House many times but never stopped to visit. As part of my walk today, I hope to put that right. Dalemain Historic Mansion & Gardens

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The house opens at 10.30. I make good progress through the fields stopping only to chat to The Lakes National Park worker who is mending a gate fastener. Apparently, it is called a hunting latch. They have been used throughout this week’s walk on traditional wooden gates and are a delight to use. I don’t recall a single ‘modern’ galvanised one.

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At the house I manage to book one of the limited places on the first house tour of the day. Our lady guide is knowledgeable and entertaining. Photography is not allowed in the house. She tells us of the history of the house and the families who have owned it, It has been the family home to the Hasells since 1679. bringing us up to date with the present Hasell family, Robert and Jane Hasell-McCosh. Each room is full of portraits, collectables, and personal paraphernalia, with a story behind each one. Fascinating.

From their website.

Time for a coffee and cake back in the tearoom. My ginger cake is glazed with Marmalade and the room full of jars containing exotic varieties of the preserve. ‘The World’s Original Marmalade Awards & Festival’ is held here annually in March. The story goes back 20 years, just after a serious outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease, which seriously affected this region. Jane the lady of the house decided on a local Marmalade competition, only a few dozen entered. Now, this has grown to thousands with money raised going to a local charity hospice, and the winner has their recipe marketed by Fortnum and Masons. I don’t think a jar of Marmalade would last long in my rucksack. P1090455 P1090413

I spend some time looking around the extensive gardens, a bit late in the season to see it at its best, but there is still so much to admire. Terraces, knot garden, wild areas, massive Silver Fir, Sleeping Giant, Dragon Yew, beck side. All surrounded by the beautiful Cumbrian scenery. P1090457

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Wow! that is some garden. Back outside I march on through their estate towards the village of Dacre. The rebuilt peel tower, ahead of me up the hill, belongs to the estate but is now a private dwelling.. The surrounding moat could just be made out. P1090527 P1090526 P1090531 P1090533

There are a few cottages scattered around the village green, where the original stocks still stand. Up the lane is a welcoming looking Inn, The Horse and Farrier.

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I want to visit the church that has close connections with Dalemain House and its occupants. All the Hasell family being buried here. I fail to find their graves in the extensive burial grounds. But I do find three of the four stone ‘bears’ thought to be warding off evil spirits. I’m not sure of their antiquity or purpose.

The church is open, so I’m able to see the superb William Whitelaw stained glass. A piece of a Saxon cross is propped up in the chancel.

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Lanes go over a brow with the familiar views of Dunmalland and the hills at the head of Ullswater. Soon, I’m traversing a path within Dunmalland’s forest, I still haven’t seen a red squirrel on this trip.

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Back in Pooley Bridge, I make my pilgrimage to Verey’s for a browse at their books and an excellent coffee whilst waiting for the bus.
Before you know it, I’m relaxing in Witherspoon’s with a pint of Ennerdale Darkest, looking back over a long loop but another successful day.

ULLSWATER WAY 3 – HOWTOWN TO POOLEY BRIDGE.

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The lower path.

On the way to the steamer I pass a walled terrace with the Birkett Memorial, it could have all been so different.

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The Lady of the Lake, launched in 1877, glides into the jetty at Pooley Bridge. An enthusiastic crowd buoyed by the perfect weather climb aboard. The lake is mirror calm. Only a handful disembark at the Howtown jetty and all disappear into the surroundings.

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I go in search of The Howtown Hotel, which I used to frequent when we holidayed here with our young children. Sadly, it is closed. But there is a nearby tea room They tell me that the hotel may be booked in its entirety only, eight rooms. Maybe a place for a family and friends celebration weekend! They have a lovely view from the garden.

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Anyway, I enjoy my coffee and get into conversation with a couple of cyclists from the North East. One always comes across a lot of northeasterners in this part of the Lakes . I meet more as the day goes on, all very friendly.

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It’s time to get walking . I’m already off route at the café so just follow the road up the hill to join the bridleway, traversing the fell side at about 200m under Bonscale Pike. I have to keep stopping to take in the views of familiar hills across Ullswater, especially up to the head of the lake. I watch the steamers and boats coming and going into Howtown Bay. What an idyllic setting.

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The Ullswater Way comes up to join the track I’m on, and I pick up the daffodil waymarks. It was on the shores of Ullswater that Wordsworth apparently saw the daffodils that inspired his well-known poem.

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Shortly after, I’m faced with a choice – a higher route visiting the stone circle up on Askham Fell or a lower route above the lake. I was around the antiquities before so I don’t feel guilty about choosing the lower route. Dunmallard at Pooley Bridge is getting closer, Sharrow Bay is down there somewhere, its famous hotel being refurbished at present.. One last look from ahigh up the lake.

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Now mainly through fields. There are a lot of very muddy sections, even at this time of year. A few farmhouses and derelict barns are passed on the way, I spot a chicken of the woods.

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Now, down on the road, I come to the entrance to Waterside House Camp Site. A massive endeavour. It is fairly busy with all sorts of campers, the attraction being its lake shore access. Paddle boarding seems to be the most popular pastime on the water.

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Dog walkers are out from Pooley Bridge, and for the last half mile, there is litter, which hasn’t been a problem elsewhere. The holiday atmosphere ramps up a notch.

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I’m early, so escape into the relative normality of the Verey bookshop who also serve good coffee whilst I’m waiting for the bus back to Penrith. I resist book buying to a single one but make a mental note of lots more to seek out.

My after walk pint in The Dog Beck back in Penrith is an excellent Eden River Brew Co. Emperor IPA. Looking at the guide book I’m not finished with the Ullswater Way yet.

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ULLSWATER WAY 2 – AIRA FORCE TO HOWTOWN?

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The difficult stretch, but I do it in reverse.

We used to camp in Patterdale at Side Farm before the children were born, I have memories of a stressful walk with my wife. We had already climbed the hills behind the farm, Place Fell?, and ended up in Howtown for a meal and drink at the hotel. I dismissed her idea of catching the steamer back suggesting it would be a lovely walk back along the shores of Ullswater. Hours later we staggered back into camp. the way had been rough and difficult, seemed never ending and had tried our tempers. This was at the back of mind for this same section today. If I was slow could I end up in Howtown after the last steamer had departed? People with electric cars have developed ‘battery anxiety’ I was having steamer anxiety. So lets be safe – catch the steamer over to Howtown first and walk to Glenridding where there are frequent buses at the end of the day. That is why I’m queuing for the first steamer of the day, the Western Belle, leaving Pooley Bridge. What a contrast to yesterday, a wet and windy crossing to Howtown.

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Dunmallard and Pooley Bridge disappearing into the gloom.

Approaching Howtown with Waternook under Hallin Fell.

I head to the tea room for a coffee, alas too early – they are closed, as is the Hotel. I walk back down to the bay and pick up the Ullswater Way.

The path climbs above the white property of Waternook, which must have splendid views.

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Open land covered in gorse follows before descending to the diminutive Geordie’s Crag. Outward Bound students are learning abseiling and being encouraged to jump from a height into the lake. No doubt all good fun.

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The landward side of Geordie’s Crag.

The steep jumping side.

The next section through the trees is difficult, rocky ground and an indistinct path on the steep slopes of Hallin Fell. Up and down to rocky bays. There are no daffodil waymarks to be seen. I miss the ‘poetry stones ‘ or rather I forget to look for them. As I come out of the woods, the views down the lake improve dramatically, coinciding with the day brightening up.

The holiday cottages at Beckside Farm, above Sandwich Bay, look idyllic for a secret getaway. More climbing and rocky terrain ensue, setting a pattern for the day.

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I am hoping the tea room in Lowther Barn will be in operation, but sadly not. I do, however, make use of their picnic area for my lunch. It’s a good spot to watch the steamers go by with yesterday’s Gowbarrow as a backdrop.

Through the bracken, the path remains rocky, with Scalehow Force coming down from the slopes of High Dodd.

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Back into the woods, silver birch and oak. There are more people about now coming out of Patterdale, dog walkers, mainly.

I’ve turned a corner and have a differed view southwards down the lake to Glenridding with the Helvellyn range ahead. A rocky bluff is a favourite viewpoint. A lady is sketching the scene, far more creative than my point and shoot camera work. Though she does complain about the ever changing light.

There is always some activity on the lake.

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A few more ups and downs, ins and outs, well a lot more actually, and I spot an ‘art’ installation, I haven’t done well with these so far. I’m not sure of its value artistically, basically just a plaque to tell you of the painters who found inspiration here. Also in the vicinity are some more of those posts with QR codes linking you to a painting of the scene in front of you. They seem a good idea but I struggled to get them to work. To browse these paintings look here https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/heritage-knowledge-bank/inspired-by-ullswater/virtual-art-gallery

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By now I reach the basic Side Farm camp site which I mentioned in my introduction. It is on the shore facing across the lake to the landing stages at Glenridding. What a great situation. The farm now has a tearoom, I can’t go past without visiting. I enjoy a pot chatting to a couple originally from Preston.

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Refreshed I walk into Glenridding where I could catch my bus bit it is a beautiful afternoon so I decide to walk on along the lake shore and catch the 5 o’clock bus at Aira Force . The way is close to the road but mostly in pleasant woodland close on the lake.

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Halfway I come across a stone fold with a young oak growing inside it, Taking the Long View, one of three in Cumbria by artists Harriet and Rob Frazer highlighting the value of trees.

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But look across the fields and you see this magnificent tree…

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I arrive with time to spare but on reading the timetable more carefully realise the school holidays are over and the buses are every two hours. I have an hour and a half to ‘waste’. The café is closed, I wander down to the boat pier and realise there is a boat going back to Glenridding. It’s a lovely evening for the short cruise on Lady Dorothy rather than sitting waiting for the bus. Its a magic evening.

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But I’ve kept you long enough, time to get the bus back to Penrith. Wetherspoon’s, The Dog Beck, is too handy when I alight, so I pop in for a relaxing pint of Eden Black, from the Eden River Brew Co, to contemplate the very successful day sat in an easy chair in the corner.

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Sorry that this has been back to front if you are following The Ullswater Way the usual anticlockwise.

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ULLSWATER WAY 1 – POOLEY BRIDGE TO AIRA FORCE.

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I climb a Wainwright, the first for years.

On the nine o’clock bus out of Penrith, into Pooley Bridge in no time. My plan to use public transport seems to be working. All I have to do now is walk. It’s a scorcher of a day, so I will take things easy, there’s a lot of ups and downs to come. already the café alongside the river is busy.

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I read the stone and cross the new bridge over the River Eamont.

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Signs send me into the woods below tree shrouded Dunmallard. Last up there when ‘doing’ Wainwright’s Outlying Fells way back in 2016 when the temporary bridge was in place. https://bowlandclimber.com/2016/04/01/wainwright-outliers-get-your-five-a-day/

The waymarks have a daffodil theme, it was on the shores of Ullswater that Wordsworth apparently saw the daffodils that inspired his well-known poem.

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A short stretch by the road at first in the trees, then in the open with shapely Salmond’s Hill ahead and then I’m heading across fields on a well-used path towards Waterfoot Park. A large caravan site around an old mansion.

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I follow one of their estate roads and then start climbing up to Maiden Castle, marked on the map but nothing to see on the ground.

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There are good views back to Dunmallard and ahead to open country around Ullswater. The high hills are in the haze.

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I come out onto a road next to a farm with a pet Macaw, i didn’t see him. Farther on in one of their fields is a ‘tuck shop’ with drinks and snacks for sale using an honesty box, well actually a pot rooster. The day is already very hot so I buy a can to supplement my water supply and enjoy their bench with a view as I drink it.

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Downhill I join a road through the hamlet of Bennethead.

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The guide warns of muddy fields ahead, but they are fine today. Even the animals appear to have heat stroke.

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Watermillock, or is it Longthwaite, a dozen houses at the most, but I make a short diversion to visit the church. A squat sandstone building surrounded by yew trees, one reputably dating back to the C16th, I think I find it. The inside of the church is cool and calm. Stained glass windows honour previous notaries. There are lots of little interesting historical details. I sit on one of their benches in the shade and have an early lunch before all the climbing to come

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Back on track, the heat is intensifying, and there is little breeze. I pass below Priest’s Crag and follow the path through the bracken. Entering Swinburn’s Park plantation. I’m on the lookout for Herdwick Stones, celebrating the sheep associated with the Lakes. The Herdwick sheep is the native breed of the Lake District, championed by Beatrix Potter. They are thought to have been brought to this country by Norse settlers over 1000 years ago. There are carved stones, created by letter carver Charlotte Ruse, with the shepherd counting numbers depicted. yan, tyan, tethera. I only find two of them.

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Whilst I’m in the trees, I stop for some chocolate and more water before embarking on the climb up Gowbarrow. I’m finding it hard going in the heat and humidity. The Ullswater Way has a choice here, follow a level terraced path around to Aira Force or climb up over the summit of Gowbarrow 481m.

Despite my lethargy, I opt for the summit for it’s 360degree views. I start meeting people for the first time today as they descend on what is a popular short circuit. The last few feet need hands on the rock. There is a trig point for all those selfies. I sit quietly on a nearby boulder drinking even more water. The views are disappointedly hazy, not surprising given the conditions.

It’s a lie.

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This is what the view could look like on a better day, from the web site. Screenshot 2024-09-10 212350

Coming downhill towards Dockray is again steep and stony, needing care.

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I arrive at the top falls of Aira Force, which most people don’t climb far enough up to see. There is plenty of water to give a decent display. Paths go off in all directions, some getting close to the edge depending on how brave you are feeling.

The main fall is one long drop with a couple of viewing bridges across the narrow chasm. Despite all the tourists milling around, the falls are indeed very dramatic. Well worth a visit.

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I find a new way down which keeps close to the water below, The Sika Spruce route. It’s name becomes obvious at the end where there is enormous Spruce, hundreds of years old no doubt.

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Aira Beck, mow tamed, runs off down to the lake. The café is closed, but there is a tap for rehydration. I just wander down to the bus stop to await transport back to Penrith. I’m feeling rather tired with all the exertion in the heat, one of the hottest days of the summer, Sept 5th.

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ULLSWATER WAY – PRELUDE.

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Penrith to Pooley Bridge, The Eamont Way.

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The Eamont Way was designated and signed recently, 2023. It leads directly from the front of Penrith rail station, giving a pedestrian route to Pooley Bridge. What an excellent start to reach The Ullswater Way. https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/eamont-way

Rain is in the air from early this morning as I walk to catch the bus to Preston. The Glasgow train is on time, and I’m in Penrith just after 11 am. There was not much to see on the way up.

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After a look around the castle, a coffee from the outside kiosk, and a bit of faffing whilst it poured down, I’m ready to leave by midday. Welcome to the Lakes.

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There is a map of the route on the wall of the station. The waymarks depict an eel, more on that later at Pooley Bridge.

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So I’m on the lookout for an eel as I leave the station forecourt. And sure enough, there is one on nearly every lamppost along the busy road.

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The guide mentions Macdonald’s as a café, but there is a proper one down the road on the route.

The motorway passes close by Penrith, and there is a maze of slip roads and roundabouts. Not the calmest start to a Lakeland walk .

But after less than a mile, the way enters the countryside and the sound of traffic recedes.

Under the railway main lines via a couple of atmospheric arched brick tunnels and onto bridleways and quiet lanes. There are no distant views in this weather. I catch a glimpse of the River Eamont over to my left and am soon crossing it on a substantial footbridge. It is running full with all the rain.

I come into the little hamlet of Sockbridge. A miniature village green provides a bench for lunch. These are mainly simple cottages, but a larger property stands out. Wordsworth’s House, built in 1699 and occupied by William’s grandfather, Richard, in the late C18th.The first owners, Reginald and Elizabeth Dobson, have their initials (RED) carved over the door. Their granddaughter, a Mrs Collingwood, sold the house to Richard Wordsworth.

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What a charming hamlet, worth exploring further, there is a trail including Sockbridge and Tirril.

Quaker Lane leads out of the village. There is a Quaker burial ground in nearby Tirril. Charles Gough, who died on Helvellyn in 1805, is buried there. His dog was said to have stayed by his dead master for several weeks. Charles Gough (artist) – Wikipedia

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The bridleway brings me onto the main road, which the Eamont Way follows for some distance. I pass the Gothic Kirkbarrow Hall, now a dairy farm.

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When the footway runs out I have other ideas and want to visit the parish church of St. Michael’s at Barton. So I turn up the next bylane.

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An ornate Lynch Gate, a WW1 memorial, leads into the churchyard surrounding the squat church itself. The Church has Norman origins, but only the central nave remains from that period. The inside is dark and low, with the central tower splitting the aisle. Many tombstones are old, and I know are listed, but it is difficult to decipher them.

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Curiosity sated I walk farther up the lane towards Barton Church Farm. A public right of way goes through the farmyard past Glebe House and then right through buildings via an archway. (Both are grade II listed). I have a feeling they would prefer it didn’t, and this may be why the Eamont Way doesn’t come on this otherwise historic route. Why would the Eamont Way go down a busy road with no footway? I suspect some C21st skullduggery at play.

Glebe House 1637

Barton Church Farmhouse C16th

More open fields now, with limited views westwards towards Ullswater, a smart bridleway, and then open fell with wooded Dunmallard Hill above Pooley Bridge prominent.

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A crowded ‘green holiday village’ is passed. Not my idea of the countryside.

I pass some ‘Inspired by art’ posts placed at the viewpoint used by previous artists. The QR code supposed to reveal the original painting, a good idea, but I fail to get it to work on my phone.

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Some grand tree lined slopes, and I’m suddenly in the crowded Pooley Bridge village. Pubs , cafés and gift shops vying for the throng’s trade.

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I stand below the famous fishing wind vane in front of the Crown Inn and read of the history and connection to the eel waymarks.

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Pooley Bridge had a weekly fish market until the C19th. In the 12th century a charter was granted by King John to hold a fish market in Pooley Village square in front of what is now the Crown Inn. It continued into the C19th. In the summer months large numbers of eel were caught and sold in the area. A market cross with a fish and weather vane, similar to the one you see today, was erected. It stood near its current site, was repaired by Lord Dacre in the 1680s but was removed in 1890s to allow a turning space for the omnibuses bringing visitors to Ullswater. The current Market Cross was erected by Barton Parish Council in 2000 to commemorate the granting of the charter and as a reminder of the village’s fishing origins. The Coats of Arms of the Dacre family and the Hasells of Dalemain are inscribed on the north and south faces of the Cross to acknowledge their historical attachment to the ancient Parish of Barton.

***

I’m not staying here, hotels are busy and very expensive, so I board the crowded 508 bus and whizz back to Penrith. My B and B, The Blue Swallow, seems excellent with friendly proprietors. It’s good to get out of my wet garments. Let’s look at the weather forecast for tomorrow.

***

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THE ULLSWATER WAY AND MORE.

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Whilst I have a free week, away from mainly medical appointments, I intend to look around another walk I’ve had on the back boiler for awhile, The Ullswater Way. I bought the Mark Richard’s guide in 2022. The 20 or 22 mile, depending where you look, walk was launched after the devastating floods of Storm Desmond, which badly effected Pooley bridge and Patterdale in 2015, to attract walkers back to the area. As if the Lakes need any publicity. P1080793

As is usual nowadays there is a dedicated website with lots of information before you set off. The Ullswater Way | 20 Mile Ullswater Walking Route.

Even more background information is found on the excellent Friends of the Ullswater Way (ullswaterheritage.org) site.

This is their introduction – “Welcome to the Ullswater Way, a 22 mile walking route that circumnavigates the lake through a spectacular landscape rich in history and cultural heritage. It is divided into 4 sections, each served by the Ullswater Steamers. Some people walk the whole Ullswater Way in a day but many prefer to walk the 4 sections separately, beginning or ending the day with a cruise on the Steamer. There are Steamer piers at Glenridding, Pooley Bridge, Howtown and Aira Force”

Some friends of mine walked, for charity I may add, the whole route in a day and found it gruelling. My gruelling days, I hope, are confined to history. Other options opened up for me as the above suggests. My plan is to walk from Pooley Bridge to Aira Force, possibly on to Glenridding or more probably enjoy a short trip on the steamer there. The day after walk from Glenridding to Howtown and escape by steamer and completing the circle the next day walking from Howtown to Pooley Bridge. Three days for the way.

Screenshot 2024-08-28 101753 Even more options – Dalemain (5 miles) and Lowther (7miles) loops from Pooley Bridge. And there is a new link from Penrith to Pooley Bridge, the grandly named Eamont Way, all 5.5 miles of it. A separate Heritage trail of sculptures is to be explored along the way. There are also some important archeological sites close to Penrith. A plan is taking shape. This is becoming a week’s holiday.

The cost of hotels in the Lake District is exorbitant, especially for a single traveller – typically £150 – £200 a night. What happened to all the economical Youth Hostels of my past, when youngsters could explore Britain’s wonderful countryside in their holidays? We have changed and lost so much. Grumbles aside I decide against a place to place expensive backpack and book a reasonable priced and highly recommended B and B in the lovely town of Penrith. I can use the train to reach there and onwards use the regular 508 bus service to Windermere serving all the Ullswater destinations. The Ullswater Steamers will come into my equation at some stage. Feeling smugly green about my transport plans.

This time I make sure in advance that the new cattery can look after Seth for a week, he enjoyed his last holiday with them.

I’m looking forward to another week away to give some balance to my life. The forecast so far looks good. I’ve booked my return rail ticket to Penrith, £16 seems a bargain. It is always good to do without the car.

A SUNNY TOLKIEN TRAIL STROLL, WELL MOST OF IT.

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An update on this old favourite.

I must admit I have crisscrossed these paths in a corner of the Ribble Valley many times long before the Tolkien Trail appeared. It’s a popular area made more so by those well known connections of the Tolkien family to Stonyhurst College. I’ve never been a fan of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings and I don’t know who came up with the idea of this themed walk, but it has been a great success. There are local guides and videos to the walk, some days Hurst Green is overflowing with visitors, many here for the Tolkien Trail. Local businesses must be rubbing their hands.

This afternoon I need a quick walk somewhere and the pin falls on the Ribble at Hurst Green. Parking up at that well known bus stop at Winckley, just up the road from Cromwell’s Bridge. P1080795

I happen to be on the route of The Tolkien Trail but I don’t follow it directly, I walk up the road to meet it where it enters the grounds of the college below St. Mary’s Hall. I pass Gardener’s Cottage which always brings back memories of an engaging young woman who worked as my secretary for awhile, she lived in that cottage, her father being the head gardener to the college.

St. Marys.

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I approach the Chapel but take the well worn path leftwards near the observatory into the field below the cricket pitch. This is the one where you can ring a bell if clay pigeon shooting is going on, I’ve never known it. This path used to be very muddy approaching the village, but recently has been ‘improved’, all very brutal but perhaps necessary. Instead of heading for Smithy Lane, my usual way, I take a vague path across a field to emerge directly into the busy village green. Millie’s is doing a good trade in ice creams and I avoid the temptation of the cosy bar of the Shireburn Arms. P1080804 P1080806 P1080807 P1080808 P1080811

The trail slips through the carpark of the inn. P1080814

There is a wedding celebration going on in the garden, lucky with the sunny weather, and the band is playing Tainted Love which I didn’t think was the best choice for a wedding. The field is full of cows and calves and a lurking bull. I’m not comfortable in the vicinity of bulls but he seems to have other interests.

Again the footpath has been upgraded all the way down to the Ribble through the woods, which must make coming up the other way from the river measurably better. Himalayan Balsam is taking over in places. You arrive by the river at the impressive aqueduct carrying water to Blackburn.

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It is along here that the path has been surfaced with strips of artificial turf recycled from some football club. Don’t step offside! It is wearing well, a good solution to ‘over’popular paths and preferable in my eyes to the linear gravel overlay that has appeared a little farther. Straight line next to a curvy river don’t go.

People are sat on the seat overlooking Jumbles Rocks where I had planned my usual drinks stop. P1080836 P1080837

The river is low and lazy above Jumbles and I watch this swan drifting about. In winter floods you can’t even walk this stretch, it is under fast moving water. P1080830

I move on up river, there is a popup campsite on the other side of the river at Hacking Hall, looks idyllic for families. The reviews for the site are enthusiastic.

Along here I spot a Heron standing guard, he or she is oblivious to the chattering Sand Martins swooping around the sandy banks.

I eventually get my sit down and drink by the confluence with the Hodder, the day is getting hotter. I’m hoping the recent storms haven’t damaged the Winckley Oak, no it is looking very impressive in full leaf. I realise I don’t often see it like this, I must mostly walk this route in winter, that’s also probably why I have never seen the campsite before.

But what’s this? A sign stating the footpath is closed and a newly erected finger post,

I wonder whether this is an official diversion or just the farm sending you round their buildings. I will contact Lancashire County Council about it, no luck yet as I’m having trouble navigating their new website, they never seem to get any easier. As it happens it is a decent diversion coming out above the farm buildings. It gives a different view of the oak and a good vista to Pendle Hill. P1080860 P1080862

The path across the once very muddy fields has also been improved in recent times and I’m soon back at the bus shelter. The domes of Stonyhurst College are fittingly on the skyline. P1080866 P1080871

I lose count of the number of people, and dogs, I have passed. I only miss out the loop around The Hodder today. One wonders what is the average yearly footfall on the Tolkien Trail? The number of recent ‘improvements’ bears witness to its popularity. How far do the authorities, with diminishing cash, go to promote and gentrify the trail?

***

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RETURN TO HOFFMAN.

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My comment “I realise now I should have dropped down to see the lower outlet of the kilns” was at the back of mind as we walk around The Craven Lime works this morning. I visited the site last year and wrote it up here. For links to all the historical information by all means look there.

We, The Rockman and I, are on our way to meet up for a pub lunch with The Pieman, who is presently incapacitated with hip arthritis and on the waiting list for the operation.

I was so impressed with my last visit to this historical industrial site that I suggest to The Rockman, a geologist, that he would be interested in it. So he we are. There is still no signage to the site from the main road. We are the only car in the carpark. The ‘business park’ does not look to have taken off as yet.

20240829_111319 I take the long way round to view the remains of the Spencer Kilns first, on the upper side of the site below the looming quarry above. 20240829_105937 20240829_110139

Back down we enter the massive Hoffman Kiln and do a full internal circuit of the kilns. The ‘wow’ factor is as high as my first visit. A workforce of ninety was needed to keep it operating, can you imagine the conditions. 20240829_111923 20240829_111420

We move on to the Triple Kilns which from above have disappeared into the vegetation. But this time find a way down to their bases. The slippy limestone steps test our aging climbing skills. 20240829_114546

Down below is a wall, partially quarried into natural rock and partially masonry, with the three kiln entrances still accessible in the undergrowth. I’m glad I’ve found them. The lime would have been transferred directly to the adjacent railway. 20240829_114414 20240829_114756 20240829_114713

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It is time to leave and head to the Craven Arms for our meet up with The Pieman. An excellent lunch is enjoyed. I miss the chance to take a picture of us three, The Plastic Bag Man of course is sadly missed.

A visit to The Craven Limeworks is highly recommended, if you can find it.

BACK HOME ON THE FELL.

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After my travels of last week to Shropshire, https://bowlandclimber.com/2024/08/10/the-telford-t50/ I’ve kept local this week with a few trips up onto Longridge Fell. Bank Holiday Monday I certainly won’t be travelling far. The family are here and we usually take the dogs up there for some exercise.

If you remember I started photographing the vegetation in Cowley Brook Plantation on a regular basis to watch the variation with the seasons as the year progressed. This is an opportunity for an interim review, just over halfway through the year.

There is little brightness in the sky today, no two days alike this year, but after some hearty soup we drive up the fell to our usual parking place. The dogs can’t wait to get out and sniff their way into the trees. The obvious change over the year so far has been the surge in vegetation. The newly planted trees; mainly oak, birch and mountain ash have had a growth spurt. The self seeded larch and spruce are competing with the deciduous for dominance and I think they may win out. Perhaps some better forest management would thin out the pines to allow the young deciduous to thrive.

On the ground, heather is blooming and perfuming the air. Blackberries are rampant this year whilst bilberries are coming to the end of their season. The Rowan berries are reaching their brightest red. Higher the bracken has reached head height and the path can hardly be made out, although the dogs seem to know the way.

Its good to see some fungi newly emerged, I must try and improve my identification skills this autumn.

We have had a storm this week, I’ve forgotten its name, and there are trees blown down or snapped off. All part of evolution of the woods.

Here are some pictures of the day, all self explanatory.

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Water always attracts the dogs and the humans. 20240826_162203 20240826_162214

Anyhow a good update, a good romp for the dogs and some country air for my city bound family. 20240826_162953

And then there are the idiots of this world…

THE TELFORD T50.

19 Replies

I have never visited Ironbridge, one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution. So when I spotted this 50 mile walk around the area I was intrigued. There is a good website telling you everything you need to know with downloadable maps and descriptions. Being old fashioned I like to have a printed copy so a couple of years ago sent off for the guide. This gives a better insight to the industrial heritage and the natural environment along the trail.

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For all sorts of reasons I’ve not got away for awhile and this was high on my list of trails to explore. There are others on the backburner. The last month has been hectic with a cataract operation and a plethora of other hospital visits, but I find myself with a week free of appointments. A session on a well known website and I have managed to book accommodation for the trip. It was not easy with demand being high in the holiday season, as you will see I have taken individual variations on the sections of the walk to fit in with accommodation vacancies. One could walk all the trail sections based in Telford centre, using buses each day, but that is a faff, and I like to sample the different lodgings as they come along.

The train service to the area seems good and I have booked the journey, again being old fashioned I have the actual paper tickets to hand.

A problem arose with finding my cat, Seth, a holiday home whilst I’m away. His usual cattery is having a show down with DEFRA over the size of their feline pens, a couple of centimetres short, and are closed. Seth has never complained in the past. I tried another cattery and they were full for the whole of summer. The third on my list has space for him thankfully, otherwise the trip would have been off, friends who in the past have looked after him at home are no longer with us.

***

“The Telford T50 50 Mile Trail was created to celebrate the new town’s 50th anniversary in 2018. The trail was designed to showcase the many beautiful green spaces, interesting places and industrial heritage”

This is the route in outline –

– OIP

The trail is apparently waymarked but in urban areas the discs have a habit of disappearing. We shall see.

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***

Time to get the small backpack out, dubbin the boots and create a new category on this webpage, Telford T50. As it is only 5 or 6 days I shall be traveling light with just the clothes I am wearing.

TELFORD T50 – 6. Wellington, the northern loop.

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“a delightful ramble through the town, woods, local nature reserves and across open spaces”

The best breakfast of the trip set me up for the day.

A well marked route, often shared with the Shropshire Way, takes me through Wellington centre, where I duck down Ten Tree Croft, where cloth was hung in the C18th (tenter) and eventually into Dothill nature reserve. There are extensive woodlands and two lakes. It is dog walking territory. Some of the trees have identification plaques, and it turns out there are 50 of these. I don’t think I can recognise 50 trees. I do a loop around the second lake before another housing estate. Wouldn’t it be good to have the time to follow the whole 50 tree trail.

The path leading to Apley is hemmed in by the dreaded developer’s fencing;. “It was all green fields last year,” a passing couple tell me.

Entering the grounds of the former Apley Hall, one immediately notices the variety of trees that must have been planted in the estate’s heyday. The pool is closed to fishing due to an infestation with blue-green algae. Several other pools passed this week are in a similar situation.

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One of the reasons to complete this northern loop was to see the famous Yew Avenue. I will soon turn down into it for a wonderful view. I don’t know it’s age, but halfway down is one very old yew.

I join the Silkin Way, for the last time, a lovely avenue of limes, and some juicy blackberries..

I almost catch a bus back from near here but persist with the convoluted route through housing estates into the centre of Wellington, with a view up to the Ercall and Wrekin at the end. .

***

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***

I have time to spare so go in search of that little middle-eastern café, Dina. I enjoy a bowl of lentil soup and a delicious falafel/salad wrap for the princely sum of £4. To top it off I go next door to ‘Spoons’, The William Withering, for a £1.79 pint of Ruddles. Luxury. P1070571

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***

Well that has been a great mini trip. Good to get away for the first time this year. The Telford T50 is a well thought out trail, obviously devised by locals who know the area and the best bits. The guide book is excellent for background information and precise navigation. Waymarking was excellent. There were more ups and downs than I expected. I did about 7,000 ft in the 48 miles I actually walked.

All the joined up green spaces in the vicinity of Telford make the walk feel rural for 90% of the time. Passing through one doesn’t catch much of the wild life that must be thriving here. A good blueprint for new towns, we should have more of them rather than the haphazard new developments plaguing our rural areas.

As for history this trail has so much, almost too much, industrial heritage. Everywhere there are detailed information boards to explain that history. And if you have taken to the area, as I was, there so many other interesting trails to discover. P1080601

TELFORD T50 – 5. Little Wenlock, over the Wrekin, to Wellington.

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“it is a highlight well worth the climb”

I can almost see The Wrekin from my bedroom window but there is a tree in the way. I’ve been able to see its sharp profile from most of this week’s walk, now all I have to do is climb up it. The T50 goes below it with an option to backtrack up to the summit and then reverse the last section – a strange way of doing it. I plan to walk to the far end and then climb up and over with no messing about.

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The first mile or so, on a little lane, is all downhill, not the best of starts. The day is more pleasant than of late with a refreshing breeze. Along the way The Wrekin is visible with its nobbly bits obvious.

I pass the junction where The T50 goes off and walk on, hoping there is a right of way along my planned route. I arrive at the forest drive and find there is a permissive way. Not by the scout camp but close to it. The estate’s map, which shows the permissive paths clearly. is upside down, which is strange.

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The climbing begins gradually and then levels out going from deciduous to fir trees. There are distant views south with the shapely Caer Caradoc prominent.

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I join the Shropshire Way to go steeply up the western nose of the hill. It is steep and slippery, but I just plod on. The secret is not to get out of breath. A little zigzagging helps. Runners pass me easily, but there are no others coming this way.

First, you reach a volcanic rocky outcrop, where you can pretend you are on Striding Edge for a while.

A good spot to sit and take in the views south to the other Shropshire hills and distant Wales. Down below to the east is Telford and its satellite villages where I’ve been walking for the last few days. I’m glad I stopped here for the views rather than up at the top, as you shall see.

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Up ahead I can see lots of people at the summit trigpoint, 407m, mainly taking selfies of their achievement. I arrive to find one man leaning on the trig point, talking loudly to his wife on his mobile when others wanted to reach the trig, especially as the base is a work of art. He carries on for over 10 mins, oblivious to anyone else. There is also toposcope to identify distant hills etc, but it is being trampled all over by a trio taking pictures, no doubt to share on Instagram. A right circus, or perhaps I’m being petty. What else do you expect on a popular hill in the summer holidays? I make a quick exit as hordes more are arriving.

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There is a board explaining the hillfort up here, but as usual for me, I fail to make out much on the ground. Could this be a hut circle?

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In my rush to get off I didn’t thread the needle’s eye. The way up for most has actually been concreted at some time, a final degradation of a hill, they are wrecking the Wrekin.

In the woods, lower down peace returns. I stop and sit for a while and admire the beech trees.

Lower still is the Halfway House, a café where I enjoy a coffee in their garden. A nice surprise. I don’t know where everyone parks their cars but is it really halfway? I am told the café has just been taken over by a charity helping ex-offenders, Yellow Ribbon, well done.

Thankfully, the T50 takes a different route to most, and I don’t see anyone else for a long time. What a beautiful stretch of mature forest. Even a fallen tree is showing signs of life again.

A short stretch around a reservoir, and I come onto a minor road. Just as I am about to dive back into the woods, I spot up ahead a hotel serving coffee. I go one better than that and enjoy a well presented serving of tuna and cucumber sandwiches, all in the luxury of their lounge bar. My downloaded map tells me I’m off course!

Back on course, I enter Ercall Woods. An old quarry is seen high up with volcanic overlaid with sedimentary rock, dating from when animal life had begun to change to a having a skeleton, 500 million years ago.

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Beautiful beech trees give way to sessile oak higher up.

I am not sure which little path goes where, but I reach the fence overlooking that quarry, and that is as high as you can get, The Ercall, 265m. What a contrast to the Wrekin seen across the way.

Coming down I just wander at will, enjoying the peace and quiet, especially after my Wrekin experience. The greenery continues almost into Wellington down below. I’m jolted back to reality by the sound of the motorway, which I duck under.

I come out on Holyhead Road, Watling Street, not far from my B&B, but there across the road is the Wickets public house, time for a refreshing pale ale to replace all that sweat.

My lodgings are reassuringly old fashioned. A shared bathroom down the corridor, mix and match furniture, and electric extension cables all over the floor, all looked after by a delightful lady in her latter years. When did you last have a chocolate marshmallow or chocolate finger?

In the morning I will walk the north Wellington loop before catching the train home.

***

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TELFORD T50 – 4. Ironbridge to Little Wenlock.

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“bear right for paradise”

A day and a half! Lots of walking and lots of sightseeing in the gorge, the ‘raison d’être’ for this trip.

The day starts with a climb up from the river into Lloyd’s Coppice woods. A clear path winds its way through the trees high above the valley. At one time these hills were used for timber and coal mining for the nearby furnaces but all is peace and quiet, a perfect start to the day. And then the steps appeared, climbing higher up Blists Hill. No sooner up than I am going down, Old King Cole style.

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Somehow I go round in circles for a while down at the entrance to Blists Hill Museum, a working village. The museums in the gorge can all be accessed by a rather expensive yearly ticket, maybe good value for regulars, but of no interest to me just passing though. I will have to be content with the the free bits.

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Blists Hill furnaces

I can see the old railway below me but can’t find a way out of the car park to reach it. Once I read the guide more carefully I’m on my way. I’m back on the Silkin Way, the disused L&NW Railway line which has come down from Telford the easy way. All I have to is walk into Coalport. I pass under Hay Inclined Plane designed to lift boats from the canal below. It is under scaffolding here but more of it later.

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The buildings by the canal, including a YHA, are part of the Coalport China factory, now a museum. The brick kilns are remarkably well preserved, I suspect rebuilt in more modern times, Under a bridge can be seen the end of the inclined plane. High above it connected to the Shropshire canal built in 1790, coal could be transported from the pits to here and then down the incline to the china works canal. Finished wares then shipped down the River Severn close by. The ingenuity of the first industrialists. In 1861 the London and North Western Railway arrived and the canals ceased to function. In the mid C20th china manufacture was moved to Staffordshire.

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I cross the River Severn on the Jackfield and Coalport Memorial Bridge, a WWI memorial, arriving on the doorstep of The Boat Inn, with the heights of flooding marked on the door.

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Going alongside a massive wall, Maws Works, I read that from 1883 -1970 it was the largest tile factory in the world. Local clay proved ideal for encaustic tiles, those decorated ones found in Victorian houses, pubs and churches. Now what is left is a craft centre and apartments.

I pass the Half Moon pub, there seem to be a lot of pubs in the gorge. Those workers had quite a thirst, and now sufficient tourists must keep them open. A bit of rarely trampled greenery by the river and then I’m in Jackfield.

The next major attraction here is The Ironbridge Gorge Tile Museum. I do poke my nose into the Peacock Café of this place and end up with coffee and cake. A lady with her dog is sat on the adjacent table, I complement her dog, always a good conversation starter. She is biding time whilst her daughter and husband paint tiles in the museum (dogs not allowed), and they will be fired and sent on in due course.

A short walk along another old railway, a branch of the Great Western, and I pass the home of Jackfield Brass Band in the old Coalford Wesleyan Chapel. 1825. It would be good to hear them playing in the gorge on a sunny Summer’s day.

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At last I arrive at the Ironbridge Toll House, not looking good under scaffolding. Inside is a little museum telling the story of the bridge. The first cast iron bridge in the world, built in some ways to highlight the progress of the iron industry of the area. It was designed by an architect T F Pritchard, enthusiastically funded by ‘Ironmaster’ John Wilkinson, and built by the Quaker Abraham Darby. It was completed in 1779 and opened in 1781,replacing a ferry across the Severn. Closed to traffic in 1934 and freed from tolls in 1950, the price hadn’t changed from 1781- a halfpenny or a pedestrian.

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It best viewed from the riverside.

All along here are cafes and tourist shops, and yet more pubs. There are some smart cottages and houses, again with well tended gardens.

By the road side are Limekilns used when there was a large amount of limestone quarried on Lincoln Hill above. There is the usual informative board that I have come to expect on these trails.

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The museum near here has no exhibitions any more because of repeated severe flooding, sign of the times. Down the road the co-op is housed in an old warehouse, as is a smart gallery.

Across the way is a steep lane, Paradise, climbing out of the gorge. Soon, I’m back in the woods and a few hundred steps up to The Rotunda. This was originally a covered viewing platform with a revolving seat for the gentry to look down upon all their industries. All that is left is the platform base, and trees are robbing the views.

Base of the Rotunda.

In my header photo taken from up here you can just make out the Ironbridge in the woods by the Severn, Here’s a zoom to it.

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The woods following have lots of tracks – ‘Sabbath Walks’ devised by C19th industrials to provide leisure for the workers on a Sunday and keep them out of all those pubs.

Bearing left, as I usually do, I never achieve Paradise.

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Soon I’m dropping down into Coalbrookdale.

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Here there is a large historic iron industry complex, The Museum of Iron. I’m not sure what is on display in the Museum but I head straight to the café for a pot of tea, it has been a muggy day down in the gorge. You probably need a tea or something stronger if you have read this far with me.

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In the grounds are the remains of an early furnace and the attendant infrastructure, including the waterwheel building and the upper pool, which fed it.

Through the many arched viaduct, the Great Western Railway, that ran until 2017. Above are houses on the hillside habited by the Darby families. Dale House, built in 1717, and Rosehill House, built in 1738. They have been restored in the style of the period but close at three. The workers’ cottages are higher still. I meet the dog lady again, with her family, and the tiles painted look impressive.

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Dale House.

Rosehill House.

The day is slipping away and I have four more miles to go. That is the last of the museums and I’m heading into more open countryside. Back down the hill I go through a little arch into a different land. Loamhole Dingle is a delight of shady paths alongside a sluggish stream.

I escape up steps and follow a lane into Lydebrook Dingle which gives more of the same before steps climb out into fields.

I realise I’ve hardly seen any livestock on this walk – until now.

Some of the fields are massive – this machine is a modern type of hoe.

I’m quite high up but the distant hills are in haze, although The Wrekin is getting closer. I follow the Shropshire Way into the small village. The Huntsman is all a walker needs, at a price.

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I feel miles from Telford, another world. Tomorrow there shouldn’t be any historical industrial incidents to slow us up, I promise.

***

LONGRIDGE TODAY.

15 Replies

I’ve had a walk up into the village for first an eye test and secondly a trim at Phil’s, my barber, before my trip away next week. (See my next post for unashamedly advance publicity)
I will share with you some sights in our high street.
First as I walk up the road a mobile climbing wall going somewhere. I didn’t have chance to get on it. Parked outside the Yorkshire Building Society I suspect it was an interloper into Lancashire rock.

Higher up the street, it is quite steep, outside the primary school is our world famous longest surviving lollipop lady – Irene. Well a foot high celebration of her, the real one is on holiday. She even has her own wiki page
“Irene Reid, MBE (born 1940 or 1941) is a British lollipop lady who in 2017 was declared the UK’s longest-serving lollipop lady.
Reid works as a lollipop lady in Longridge, covering the school crossing on Berry Lane, earning her a 2003 award for The Golden Jubilee Lollipop Person of the year. In 2012, she was declared the longest-serving lollipop lady in Lancashire and was awarded a MBE by Elizabeth II for her services to road safety.
She has been outspoken about crossing safety for children, openly criticising plans by Lancashire County Council in 2014 to reduce funding for crossing patrols. By 2021, she had been working as a lollipop lady for 53 years. Reid also worked with the Longridge Youth and Community Centre for a decade. She has four children, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. She appeared on the British television game show Blankety Blank in 2021″

They say things come in threes so I wander to the entrance to Towneley Gardens where at the moment there is a dazzling floral display, courtesy of Go Plants from down the road.

It’s not a bad place to live.

TELFORD T50 – 3. Telford to Ironbridge.

8 Replies

P1070978

“Madeley Court Hotel… is open to non-residents and there is a pleasant lakeside bar”

Late morning and I’m doing a diversion to see the C17th Madeley Court. It is surrounded by pools. I’m hoping to get a morning coffee as it is now a hotel and it is now coffee time.. But something is strange. There is a heavy presence of burly security men all around and at the entrances. No way are they letting me pass, and they are not for telling me why. “No photographs sir”. Conspiracy theories go through my brain, but I’m most disappointed about missing that coffee.

Earlier I had made my way past the shopping mecca, all 25 acres of it, at heart of Telford,

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Suddenly, I’m in the Town Park, all 370 acres of it. There seems to be something for everyone in here. Fairground, zoo, paddling pools, climbing wall, lakes, all sorts of playgrounds, cycle hire, and trails going in every direction. The Telford T50 officially starts by the old chapel, which is strangely in the centre of a kiddies play area. There is the usual map and info, but the first section of the way is closed off for repairs. Not a good start.

I take a nearby road, which soon becomes the T50 with the now familiar waymarks. Families are out for walks, and a few cyclists come by. Along this stretch, I divert to have a look at the 209ft high Stirchley chimney, a remnant of the iron works started in 1790. The whole area was rich in Ironstone, wood, and then coal, limestone, and clay. Can you imagine the activity and pollution back in the heday of industrial production.

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Soon, the waymarks suggest I’m following the Silkin Way, here an old railway, originally a tramway. It goes all the way to Ironbridge directly, but T50 will take in convoluted paths through several nature reserves.

The Dawley and Stirchley station platform has been preserved. Trains last ran in 1952. The ‘line’ goes under an aqueduct, which brought water to the Coalport branch of the Shropshire Canal, which predated the railway.

Along this stretch, I meet a couple in their eighties out for a 15-mile stroll. They regularly do twice that amount, amazing. In contrast, a man on a mobility scooter stops to chat. I notice he is on oxygen. It turns out he has asbestosis, that cruel industrial disease. But getting out as much as he can. All very humbling.

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Now, out of the Town Park, I leave the Silkin Way at an old windmill to head down to Madeley Court.

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After the missing coffee a few intricate paths through flowering meadows, just follow the waymarks, land me in a confusing housing estate, turn on the app. Once extricated, I come across the Dawley Pools, supplying water for the canal in the past. A couple of anglers are just setting up for the day.

I pass more pools, which are overgrown but must be a haven for wildlife. I stroll on through the maze of trees. There are few ancient trees as they were cut down in the industrial era. Mostly, they just regenerated naturally after the pits and furnaces were abandoned. Though new trees have been planted on some of the contaminated brownfield sites.

After crossing a disused railway, there is a newly surfaced path through Rough Park. Alongside bordering a stream, I notice a gate leading to a community willow plantation. Different varieties are being grown, and there are some willow arches. It would be good to be part of that community.

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The first uphill of the day and a series of those dreaded steps lead up into a more open area of Rough Park looking north. A bench provides a suitable lunch spot. Dog walkers appear from all directions, all very friendly and proud of their woodland walks. Buzzards are soring overhead.

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Housing that I navigate through next shows little architectural imagination. More housing is destroying a wooded area. I see notices up asking people to object to overdevelopment of their green spaces. I think it is too late.

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Further on, I walk through a smaller nature reserve maintained by the community. Let’s hope the land is safe. Another small nature reserve follows now looking out over the wooded Coalbrook Dale, 500ft below, the Wrekin pops up its head as usual.

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All of a sudden, I’m in the little lanes above Ironbridge. Workers’ cottages, some a few centuries old, display some lovely cottage garden flowers.

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One cottage squeezed into a junction is delightfully named The Wedge of Cheese.

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A plaque on an other records the birthplace of Billy Wright, the famous footballer from the fifties, if you remember.

Across the road was the old pub where the nine Madeley miners bodies were taken to after the mine shaft disaster of 1864.

Off route I find a steep stairway dropping all the way down to the Severn, Wisteria archways and little wild spaces add to its charm.

This brings me out right next to the remains of the Bedlam Furnaces which I wanted to see. All that remains are the rear walls and foundations of the engine house, bellows house and one of the furnaces. All is covered by a big tent and the casting area where pig iron would have been run into sand moulds would have been in the car park. Most people drive by without a look.

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Bedlam Coalbrookdale. c1780s.Edward Dayes.

You’re familiar with the word ‘bedlam’, a chaotic scene. The word emerged as a nickname for the early asylum, The Bethlem Hospital, established in London way back in the C15th. The scene in the early C19th painting below hints at the conditions in the valley in those days.

Coalbrookdale by night. 1801. Philip James de Loutherbourg.

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I walk alongside the River Severn to reach my comfortable abode for the night, ‘Ye Olde Robin Hood Inn’.

It’s been a long day with lots of history below my feet. I am ready for a pint of Holden’s Black Country beer, brewed in Dudley.

***

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TELFORD T50 – 2. Lilleshall to Telford. (Plus an Abbey)

4 Replies

P1070743

“the ruined medieval Lilleshall Abbey is some distance from the trail – best left for another occasion”

It takes 10mins to walk to Telford central station to catch a bus to Lilleshall. The crossing of the road and the rails in the futuristic bridge is dramatic. The buses are running half an hour late, and it is Lille-shawl not Lilles-hall! The bus goes around the houses, and one begins to realise the size of this not-so-new town. I just looked it up, and the population is 190,000 almost the size of Preston. I have not started from where I finished yesterday, it all looked a bit too built up and I’m not a slave to the guide. (Probably means I’m walking the Telford T45)

My Bus app tells me when to get off, right outside of the church in Lilleshall. I have a look inside, although it dates from Medieval times, most is Victorian.

I plod up the lanes where there are some prime properties in a prime situation. A lady asks me about my walk and then tells me of some Abbey ruins not to be missed only a mile or so away. I half take it in, as often people underestimate walking distances. I’m more concerned at the moment with climbing the hill to see the view and the Duke of Sutherland monument.

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Up to now, it has remained hidden despite being on of Shropshire’s landmarks. The views improve as I climb, and a board tells me what I am looking at. The Wrekin is the stand-out feature and I hope to climb it later in the week. But other Shropshire hills are in view as well as distant Wales. Years ago, I completed a round of the Shropshire tops with my old mate, Mel. I shall have to revisit my diaries to check what we did. That was when we did 20 + miles a day, and now I am happy if I get up to 20 kilometres.

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The Duke of Sutherland is a controversial figure, hated in Scotland for his cruel Highland clearances. Yet here in the Midlands, he seems to have been a good landlord and philanthropic manager. I seem to remember climbing to a monument to him just outside Stoke. His monument here is certainly impressive and dominates the area from the 132m hill.

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I am soon back in the village, and there in front of me is a footpath heading towards Lilleshall Abbey, which I’ve checked on the OS map, maybe a mile away. Decision made I climb the stile.

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Once away from waymarked, named trails, the state of public footpaths may vary. The next mile emphasised this. Not many come this way. The paths take erratic ways across the open fields, needing careful navigation ( that means using my phone to keep me right) Then, I’m faced with a field of corn through which no one has ventured this season. I walk around the edge and escape onto the road. This is how public rights of way are lost, I’m not being a hero today.

The Abbey is just off the road, modestly signed. But wow, what a place it turns out to be. I marvel at its size and some of the intricate carved sandstone. The surviving abbey buildings almost all date from the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

The English Heritage web site gives a potted history – https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/lilleshall-abbey/History/

After wandering around I find a seat for a break and snack, I’m glad I came.

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Back along the road to pick up the T50 as it crosses fields towards housing at Muxton, on past the impressive golf course, and then into Granville Country Park.

This area was the centre for a thriving iron production industry as well as extensive coal mines. In 1764, the Granville family set up a company to develop the mineral resources on their land. This became the Lilleshall Company in the early C19th. A canal was constructed as well as rail lines eventually to facilitate the transport of materials. Some of the earliest blast furnaces in the country were constructed.

All is now disappearing under vegetation. The coal mines closed in 1979, and the land reclaimed. I spot bits of industrial heritage. The canal basin is remarkably intact, and some of the massive furnaces are still visible.

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There are interpretation boards everywhere so here is a concise guide to Iron making to get you up to speed.

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It is pleasant wandering through the woods with good waymarking on the myriad of paths. The birds are heard but not seen and there is prolific plant colonisation of the waste land. I just wish there were more insects about.

There are quite a lot of steps encountered which seems to becoming the norm for this trail, the whole area undulating because of former mining operations. One flight of steps takes me to “The top of the world.” Old spoil heaps giving more great views over Shropshire with The Wrekin as prominent as ever.

Housing developments are creeping in everywhere. The open countryside and views disappear behind high fencing.

I’m getting ready for a break and some lunch when on the corner appears a pub, the New Cottage, . It is in the process of being modernised, probably not for the better. It doesn’t look inviting but a drinks a drink. I sit outside with a pint of Sharp’s Atlantic Pale Ale, all the way from Cornwall, and eat my sandwich.

A few streets, and I’m going around the water of Priorslee Lake (The Flash), a pleasant interlude with people picnicking and fishing. All this minutes away from busy roads and housing, the essence of new town planning. There was talk of building more new towns to solve our ‘housing crisis’ rather than the haphazard development occurring on edges of our towns and villages.

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The route takes me through the older part of Priorslee village with cottages originally built for the iron workers and the odd house for the bosses.

Pedestrian alleys take me over roads and railway back to the centre of Telford. The road I was hoping to use was closed so I braved a dual carriage way for a time.

Quite a long day in the heat. I’m moving on tomorrow, down to Ironbridge.

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TELFORD T50 – 1. Wellington to Lawley.

7 Replies

“the former opencast pits have only recently been restored to green fields”

A long day. Half the day is spent getting here. My bus ride before 7am into Preston was interesting. No delays as it is school holidays and for a change there were no roadworks. At one stop, I witnessed a simple fraud carried out by a couple of lads. The first gets on the bus, buys a ticket, and promptly out of sight of the driver throws it out of an open window for his mate to board the bus with! Would never have thought of that. Of course, it won’t work if an inspector appears, but when did you last see one of those.

Preston is not joined up transport wise. It is a 15min walk to the rail station from the bus station, but I try to factor that into my planning and have time for a coffee. Usually works. Change at Crewe. “Oh, Mr. Porter, what am I going to do?” always springs to mind. Another change at Shrewsbury, and I’m on a Welsh speaking train. It’s only one stop to Wellington where there is a distinct Midlands’ accent as soon as you step out of the station.

I immediately take the wrong turning and am lost, it is easily done in towns. It’s best to rethink and slow down, I head back into the centre and into a little Eastern café for a coffee, a bargain these days for £1. The food looked and smelt good. I may try it when I’m back here in a few days on my circular route.

Refreshed, I find my way across town, whose Medieval buildings will have to wait until I’m back. I do however pass the site of a former Chad Valley Toys building, I remember those. A little further and there is a blue plaque to the painter Cecil Lawson – I had to look him up.

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At last I’m on Limekiln Lane, which gives a clue as to past industries hereabouts. Limestone was mined and quarried in the 18th and 19th centuries and used as a flux in early iron making. I’m probably following the old tramway taking lime and stone to Wellington, situated on the important Watling Street.

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At some stage before going under the motorway, my first Telford T50 roundel appears, I have probably missed some in town. These red, or are they pink or purple, waymarks thankfully become a regular guide to the walk.

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I find that within the first few pages of a written guide, one either likes and trusts the writer’s style or one resorts to the map and intuition. So far, it’s early days, but Anne Suffolk seems to be on the mark in both general information and directions. The maps in the guide are too small a scale to be useful for serious navigation, but they give a general idea of the route. I have downloaded the route map onto my OS app on my phone for when I’m lost. This is the first time I’ve employed this system, I’m slowly getting up to speed with modern technology. The app map hasn’t been needed in earnest yet.

This an easy lane to drive up and dump rubbish.

The limekilns would have been used to produce quicklime for mortar, lime wash, and soil fertility. Charcoal used first from the abundant woodlands and then coal from nearby provided the high heat necessary. Once into the woods I can I peer down into the tops of several kilns in amongst the trees, the brick work still clearly visible. It would have been interesting to see the kilns from below. There must be a track down there somewhere. The woods and open glades, being on limestone, are rich habitat for orchids in season, which, of course it isn’t, Yellow ragwort seems to be everywhere this year.

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Onwards and forever upwards, I hadn’t read the contours. The next stretch is more open, and the site of old bell pits and shallow shafts for the coal seams lying close to the surface. Coal mining here continued even into this century, but all is greenery now. Some of the open cast areas can just be made out.

An old tramway.

Spoil heap next to track.

Recent open cast remains.

?an old flooded bell pit.

After getting on for two hours of steady climbing, I reach a minor road at New Works. ‘New’ relating to the the C18th Darby family development of the area for coal to supply their furnaces at Coalbrookdale. No doubt more of this later in the walk, there is so much historical information in the guide book, on the many interpretation boards I’ve already come across and on the internet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalbrookdale#Industrial_Revolution

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Now there is only a collection of modern bungalows with good views over Shropshire and no doubt beyond. My route takes me on to the ‘Trundle’, not an expression I have come across relating to paths. Anyhow, a good wide surface takes me down through the woods to emerge onto the main road through Dawley/Lawley.

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The new builds here appear well constructed and interesting architecturally. All these suburbs are part of Telford new town, which started in 1968 trying to preserve some of the green networks and industrial areas. The Telford T50 was designed to reflect these and was to commemorate the 50 years since the start of the works. There is a prominent Mormon Church here and I get all the local information I need from one of the many dog walkers. Until now I hadn’t met anybody on the trail.

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As usual, a golf course appears on a long-distance walk, and this is where I go wrong for a while. Waymarks disappear, and I feel I’m trespassing, but with persistence, I emerge unscathed. It looks like a challenging course for the golfer as well as the walker.

I walk around peaceful Horsehay Lake, the pond for the iron furnaces and foundries. The lake remains, but the rest has mostly disappeared. What does remain, though, are the rows of workers’ cottages. Delightful Old,1750, and New,1830. I could live in one of those.

And what is on the corner? A fish and chip shop. I can’t refuse the chance of a chippy lunch sitting looking over the lake. The ducks get my scraps.

The Telford Steam Railway looks a jumble, lots of work for the dedicated volunteers to get stuck into. I’m sure on a weekend when Steam is running it will be more exciting.

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The way forward coincides with The Ironstone Way, there seem to be lots of well-used trails in the area. I’m supposed to be walking alongside Lawley Common, but new developments have taken over. Many obviously, since the guidebook was published in 2019.

The speed at which we devour the countryside is frightening.

I find myself in Morrison’s café for a cup of tea. Those chips were salty. I had thought of going on a few miles or so, but it looked like suburbia all the way, maybe I am wrong, but I’ve had enough, 7 miles this afternoon, and call it a day.I seek out the bus stop reputably adjacent to Morrison’s. There is a bus in 5 minutes, obviously nobody seems to know where from. Why would they, they have all driven here. As I get onto the main road, my bus goes sailing past to stop a couple of hundred metres farther on, but too far for me to catch it.

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Am I in Dawley or Lawley? I seek help from a lovely Indian man running a takeaway grill on the street. He phones for a taxi, and while waiting, we put the world to right. Should give his café a shout-out, but I didn’t get its name.

I was soon transported to my lodgings for the night, only two miles away – the Ramada in the centre of Telford.

A very comfy room and a deep bath. With eating those chips mid afternoon, I settle for a pint of Camden Town pale ale and some crisps in the bar.

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***

Screenshot 2024-08-10 202015

FAR END OF THE FELL.

15 Replies

P1070440 No new ways today but I enjoy revisiting others and seeing what has changed since last time, bear with me. I’m up and ready early (for me) as I have an appointment at the hospital late afternoon. ( Junior doctors working on a Sunday to get the NHS back up to speed. Hope they agree to the new governments pay offer). Driving along the Chaigley road a fleet of vintage tractors is coming towards me, I pull in to get a photo. It is then I realise I have left my camera and phone at home. Some days I’m not fit to be let out.

So its back to the start, the tractors are gone and by the time I park up at Kemple End the morning is all but over. I wander past the few houses making up this community. Most are old cottages but the last house I encounter is a large new build, no doubt replacing an old barn. P1070442 P1070445 P1070448

Once in the fields I pick up the old sledge way for taking stone from the Kemple End quarries down towards Stonyhurst for construction of the Shireburn family home. Cows are thankfully docile in the heat. The building at the bottom was the stable for the sledge horses. It has been derelict for years but now after major refurbishments is a holiday cottage. P1070451 P1070453 P1070454 P1070455

Up the road is one of my favourite Stonyhurst Crosses. The Pinfold Cross is a memorial to a former servant at the College and fiddler, James Wells. It was erected in 1834 after he died in a quarry accident. On the front is inscribed the telling ‘WATCH FOR YOU KNOW NOT THE DAY NOR HOUR.’ Above this is written, ‘OFT EVENINGS GLAD MAKE MORNINGS SAD’ perhaps suggesting drunken escapades. On the left is ‘PRAY FOR THE SOUL OF JAMES WELLS’ and on the right, ‘DIED FEB. 12TH, 1834. P1070458 P1070459

The next fields have some of the meanest looking sheep around. Plenty of cows but the bull is far enough away to let me pass. P1070463 P1070464

The building you can see in the distance is marked on the map as Higher Deer House, a reference when this was the deer park of the Shireburn family who built what is now Stonyhurst College. The buildings are empty and being replaced by those ginormous agricultural sheds that are springing up everywhere. Soon will all livestock will be under cover and our fields redundant? P1070466 P1070468

I often have trouble finding the hidden stile across the field, today is no exception.

The stile leads into a jungle at the bottom of which is a footbridge over Dean Brook, then back up through more jungle to emerge onto the bridleway next to Greengore, an old shooting lodge. The raspberries are sweet.

P1070477 Renovations are going on at the old house so I take a picture of the new build in the back garden. P1070482

Now starts my long gradual ascent to Spire Hill some 600 ft above. It is a hot day and I take it slowly. More of those new metal gates keep appearing. The cyclist is a friend of mine trying out his new electric mountain bike. His wife appears as I enter the shady woods, no mountain bike for her – just taking the dog for a walk. P1070484 P1070485 P1070488 P1070491 P1070498 P1070500 It was good to get a bit of shade for a short time before walking up to the trig point, 350m. The views were a bit hazy but all the Yorkshire three peaks could be made out but perhaps not on camera. Looking down into Chipping Vale is always a revelation, spotting individual farms and lanes from on high. P1070503

I continue along the ridge into the trees still devastated by a storm a few years ago. This is a concessionary path used my many and should have been cleared by now. A black mark Tilhill Forestry, a letter is being sent off to them. They should consider the recreation value of their holdings as well as the commercial value. Its a jungle up here, it would only take a couple of blokes with a chain saw to clear a way through. P1070510 P1070507

Mountain bikers have marked a blue trial through the worst, Thank you. P1070509

At least the forestry people have cleared their own forest road eastwards, it was a nightmare before. But what a desolate mess they leave behind but given a decade or so all will look good. P1070512 P1070511 P1070513

Along this stretch I come across a cyclist enjoying the view. Pendle is always prominent from this end of the fell. I compliment him on his Brook’s saddle, a cycling thing, and we get into conversation. Turns out he lives just round the corner from me and we have several mutual acquaintances. P1070515

I escape from the forest road and take an almost hidden path through the trees back to my car at Kemple End. The shade was welcome in the heat of the day. P1070518 P1070519 P1070520

With all the stopping and chatting I was a little behind schedule and had to rush off for my hospital appointment. At least I had made the most of the day, as I should every day, but sadly often don’t.

***

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