Wednesday 11th May. From the moment the seven of us stepped out of the car park yesterday's Dotcom walk seemed to go wrong. I missed a footpath which gave us an unnecessary walk along the Grane Road which is a very busy thoroughfare. If the Dotcoms realised they were too polite to draw attention to it. A short while later at fork in the paths not conforming to the information on the map I chose the wrong one and although compensated by lovely views back down the valley,

this error did not escape the attention of the Dotcoms, especially when the path we had taken came to a dead end. As often happens in these situations I quickly compounded the error. Instead of retracing our steps the 500m or so back to the route, I decided to climb out of the gully to attempt to intercept it further along. If the path you need is on the right and you turn right sooner or later you will cut across it - right? Well not if there is a plantation of densely growing trees in the way. The end result of the debacle was when 30 minutes later we hit the right track I failed to recognise it as such, turned right instead of left and led the Dotcoms back to the Grane Road about a kilometre from our starting point. Thoroughly fed up with the way things turned out I improvised the best route I could to the pub where we had booked ourselves in and we reached it in good time for lunch.

 As if to maintain a proper balance in the events of the day I then proceeded to come off route on the return leg too. By this stage we had left Tony back at the village. Feeling under the weather he decided to take the bus back to the car park. (An option the other Dotcoms soon wished they had taken.) By the time I confessed I had once again erred the Dotcoms went dangerously quiet (- or perhaps they were simply weary). The situation was made more awkward because Chris's hernia was playing up and he wasn't walking freely. When we reached a lane I thought it best that he, Brian and John should make their way along the road while Jim, Don and I strike out across the moors and collect the cars. Given all that had gone before this plan might have turned out to be a recipe for disaster but it came good so that an hour later we were friends reunited and on our way home.

All's well that ends well and the Dotcoms were gleefully looking forward to reporting my failings to GPS Dave since he is normally on the receiving end of their banter about direction finding. I had considered putting a super injunction on all this but I cannot afford one.

And yet, and yet the travails in the wilderness were marvellously rewarded. As we struggled to regain the route on the outward leg Don spotted something in the grass. "Look a vole." Then a moment later. "Look a snake!" and there it was curled, dark and diamond patterned - an adder. I had never seen a snake in the wild in this country and had no idea that they might inhabit the moors above Haslingden but there it was - alive and in a state of stupour as if waiting for the sun to warm it up. Thrilling to be in the presence of Britain's only venomous snake and in that encounter all other cares and worries melted away.  

  

With the most strenuous part of the climb behind us we were at ease to look about us and take in the stupendous view. The approach to the summit was negotiated by a long flight of wide, shallow, steel steps - very easy walking indeed. Below the flag of Australia Maria took a group photo. Out in the harbour Fort Denison fired its customary 1.00pm cannon. It seemed to add significance to the occasion. My antipodean adventure had come to a natural conclusion. (Eileen's too - down below in the Rocks she had bought herself a pair of Ugg boots).

Wednesday 16th February. Sydney. G'day again - we're back despite the best efforts of extreme weather. In fact for all of our trip we managed to avoid extreme weather and for most of it had pretty good weather.

Saturday 15th January. Sydney: This is our last full day in Sydney until we return here next month. Tomorrow, weather permitting, my cousin Boyd is arriving from Melbourne to take us on a road trip back to Victoria on a route that hopefully will avoid floods. The Queensland disaster has rather overshadowed widespread flooding elsewhere in Australia - in New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria. It has been reported that a 40 mile section of the Great Ocean Road is closed due to mudslides. Think of that - the equivalent of the M6 between Preston and Kendal being shut. Boyd has a property in the Otways near there so we'll have an update tomorrow.

Later we followed the coastal path south to Covelley Beach passing by a number of other
beaches - lesser known outside of Australia but all provided with a range of facilities to
ensure families and surfers alike were well provided for. Incidentally I calculate Eileen walked a distance of 7k in total without comment - I dare to wonder if she had made a secret New Year's resolution.

Close to where Kath lives is the bustling centre of Burwood. Vibrantly multicultural with
the emphasis on Chinese, outwardly it has not much to distinguish it any other suburb of
Sydney but while I have been here I have stumbled on some interesting facts about Burwood.

For example back in 1932 one Jessie Menzies went to St Paul's church and was married to one Donald Bradman. Already an established cricketer everything was still before him -especially the "Bodyline" Ashes series of 1932/33.He went on to become the greatest batsman of all time with a career average of 99.94% first class runs. The marriage lasted over 65 years until Jessie's death in 1997.

Just a short distance down the road off Belmore Street is Burleigh Street. Number 4 now a medical centre was the childhood home of Malcolm and Angus Young. I doubt if regular readers of the Blog or any Dotcom walker would have any idea of what the Young brothers went on to achieve but in their own field no less remarkable than Sir Donald Bradman. In 1974 Malcolm and Angus together with a few others formed the heavy metal band AC/DC. Still going strong today after a turbulent history and world wide sales of 200 million albums they are one of one of the most successful rock bands of all time. Even if you have never heard a bar of their music many people might recognise guitarist Angus with his trade mark attire of school boy shorts,shirt tie and cap. Philip Larkin observed; "Nothing like something happens anywhere." Certainly something seemed to have happened in Burwood.

 I am not entirely sure when I will be able to access theinternet again so I wish you all "g'day" for the time being while Eileen and I set forth to explore more of this incredible and vast continent.

Once committed I felt I had to go on, dropping by steep flights of stairs - in some places hewn into the solid rock below the base of one of the sisters - to be submerged into the warm temperate forest of the Jamison Valley.

At length I reached the trail. Pleased to be on the horizontal again I walked in the direction of Leura fully aware that what goes down 900 steps has to come up again. For the while though I enjoyed the forest. I doubt if I have ever been in the midst of a bigger one. Near Marguerite Cascades I lunched beneath a gazebo and then shortly after found the upward track. I attempted to keep count of the steps - it helped to pass the time.

As I climbed out of the valley and reached the rim of the canyon the cloud finally lifted and at last I was given wide views of the mountains. I was 20 minutes late in meeting up the ladies but I am pleased to record that they had already decided to do what I was about to propose - to once again hop on the explorer bus, return to Echo Point and have their photo taken by the Three Sisters. And so I took THE SNAP of this part of the trip - the Three Sisters by the Three Sisters.

Andy B chides me in the guest book for not mentioning the Ashes which had been secured at Melbourne and then won convincingly at Sydney. We missed that party too but passed a battalion of the Barmy Army in a bar when we went out to Bondi. They demonstrated no signs of diplomatic delicacy in sparing the feelings of their hosts. This is a nation in mourning not use to being beaten by England at cricket - especially on its home turf. The innings defeat at the SCG provoked a lively correspondence in the newspapers here. My favourite was the letter that suggested that the Aussies would stand a better chance if they spent more time in the nets rather than at the tattoo parlour.

Friday 7th January:Sydney. New Year's greetings from down under. We arrived on New Year's day - a few hours after the party. mind you after 24 hours of travel with just a brief stop over in Dubai it felt as though we had been to the party. We were all pretty well lagged. We - Eileen, her sister Anne and myself made our way to Eileen's other sister Kath who settled in Oz over 20 years ago. Champagne was soon opened and we consumed two bottles before ten o clock in the morning. Completely out of it we spent the rest of the day attempting to adjust our time clocks.

Yet as impressive as Sydney's harbourscape is I find the less celebrated architecture of its suburbs equally fascinating. In the older suburbs close to the city centre much of the residential housing is laid out in tight terraces originally constructed to house factory workers but now highly desirable (and expensive) real estate. They are distinguished in particular by decorative wrought iron on verandas.

Further out Where Kath lives in Croydon the style is markedly different. Streets are laid out with mainly uniform plots each occupied (in the main) by single storey houses., (They are not called bungalows in Australia). The style is influenced - especially in the shopping parades - by art Deco.

Monday 27th December. Well it had to come out sooner or later - I couldn't continue the life of deception and lies I had enmeshed myself in. It started earlier this year when Eileen needed some new and expensive curtains altering - this was during the period when her home improvement project was going full blast. That's when I met - well let's call her Sabrina. Young, slim and vivacious she made an immediate impression. I can see her now expertly looping the curtain hooks as she balanced on top of the step ladder. Her job done she left us to enjoy the effect - the main lounge was finished after weeks of work; redecorated, sofas recovered, new rug, two dozen new cushions, new light fittings and - the crowning glory - expensive new curtains. It was perfect.

Council and a charity involving young adults with learning difficulties.The more Sarah

talked about the project, the more she enthused, detailing forthcoming events - half term activities planned for later in the month, a community open day on 29th October and from

the walled garden onwww.brothersofcharity.org.uk or tel: 07834480375 ]  It was impossible not to be impressed with her energy and the scope of the project under her supervision. When she had to be called away a volunteer, David, showed us around pointing out its features - a vinery, a melon pitch, raised beds, vintage brick built sheds - we spent a fascinating quarter of an hour in his company and were sorry to we had to depart.

Jim joined us for the first three days to Hay-on-Wye and his good company launched us into the remaining 120 miles. With him we crossed the Black Mountains on a superb ridge walk from Pandy to Hay where Sue was waiting to whisk him away for a long weekend in Bath. He and Sue caught up with us later in the walk near Welshpool and kindly brought back some of our dirty washing, and then quickly regretted the offer on the drive home when it began to hum to them.

"It's the first time I've tried this," he reported to us. Well you don't say! Given his inexperience it seemed to me he was making a pretty good fist of it.

his foray into the English countryside with 10 old geezers and an old geezer's wife. Naturally we introduced him to Ye Olde English pub - the Black Bull at Mawdesley, complete

with attractive landlady, Kate, who gave back as good as she got when collecting the Dotcoms' lunch order. By the bar I found a recent issue of "Alecry" the West Lancs CAMRA

from the cottages opposite came across and said, "You can carry on sitting there if you like, but if you would like a cup of tea, a sit down and a great view come across." Perhaps slightly bemused by the unexpectedness of this invitation we followed him into his kitchen. The great view was across the valley north westwards and we soon had a brew in our hand.

We kicked off with Coniston at the end of July. Malcolm, Don, Jim, Andy B and I were out for that. The forecast was dire but we reached the top of Dow Crag without waterproofs. I said to Jim, "I regard every minute without rain a bonus." Well that did it of course. More or less from that moment it began to pour down. By the time we reached the Old Man every tourist was heading down and we weren't long in joining them. As has frequently happens in these situations Malcolm's experience took over. We crossed Brim Fell and descended to Lever Water by a fairly precipitious path that would have been easy to miss in the claggy rain.

I heard most of this from Jim and Alison last Wednesday when we walked the Langdale Pikes - all of them. Malcolm, Don and Andy B and not forgetting Paul were otherwise disposed. Ours  was an open ended outing - we decided to get up to Stickle Tarn and then take it from there depending on time and weather. As it turned out the weather was just about perfect and in choosing the central fells were treated to a 360 degree view of the high fells of the district.

I had been up Jack's Rake about four times previously but the last occasion was ten years ago just as the fells were being opened following the foot and mouth crisis. Then Jamie, Mark and I had to disinfect out boots before heading up Stickle Ghyll. There were a few moments on Wednesday when I had to remind myself that it was my idea to climb Jack's Rake; but when Jim led us over the last 100m to the summit I experienced the wonderful euphoria that comes out of meeting a difficult challenge and overcoming it. Alison and Jim felt it too. And I sincerely hope that back on 11th August Paul had the same feeling.

yesterday. After a doubtful morning the sun broke through in the afternoon making the scene near Buckden truly beautiful - that combination of fell and wood and river which never fails to lift the spirit. It was a favourite spot of the writer J.B. Priestley whose ashes are scattered in the churchyard at Hubberholme. We had gone into the church for a looksee and to spot the Thompson mice, trademark of the pew makers, the Thompson brothers of Kilburn. Alison found six before we walked on to the George catching it just before it closed for the afternoon. There we discovered that the Buck Inn at Buckden had closed indefinitely with the last tennants suddenly leaving for want of decent custom - a weather related economic failure. This intelligence caused some consternation amongst the fellwalkers especially the Cuttle brothers who extended their walk to Kettlewell arranging with GPS Dave to be picked up there because they will not brook tea after a day in the hills.

Earlier at Cray we noticed that preparations were being made for a fell race which we surmised was the Buckden Pike fell race. We decided to hang around and watch the first junior race - under 9s. Under 9s! Many people might regard a fell race involving children under 9 as a form of abuse. Of course they were not required to run to the pike and back - just to a marshall in a field corner about 400metres up the fellside. It was enjoyable to watch, especially as they steamed back to the finish and the warm encouragement of the small crowd of supporters. It was striking how much this sporting event was a social one too - a remnant of community life almost utterly lost in towns and cities.

On Friday evening and Saturday morning we were placed on car park duties along with Paul, 
John, Karen and Bob and their boys. Luckily we had a large space to work with but even so I was surprised how it filled  up. A large marquee had been set up as the event centre and by mid evening we were  directing competitors to it for registration. By now the complexities of managing a  mountain marathon were beginning to dawn on me.

Returning to the now deserted venue it became impressed on us to take down our tent as 
quickly as possible and travel across to Longsleddale in Paul's landrover. This was a drive 
of forty minutes or so delayed by road repair works a short distance above the church. (One of those annoying little hitches that cannot be factored in to the planning of an event).Once 
we were on the site of mid camp our tent was quickly erected by the events team and  instantly commandeered as Mid camp control centre where Andrew Leaney set up his lap top  ready to process the first competitors who (remarkably in my eyes) had already arrived.

Sunday turned out to be grim. Strong winds swept drenching rain across the fells to deliver 
an extra test to the competitors. The contrast with the previous day could not have been 
more extreme. No matter how good the kit no one escaped being completely and utterly 
soaked. Visibility became severely restricted hampering further the teams and solos as they 
forced themselves around the controls.

Anyway in an exchange of e-mails, the shop's proprietor Jason Andrews wrote this: "I was

Our passage did have diversion though. For the last few weeks we had been watching Monty Hall's Great Hebridean Adventure on BBC2 which included a trip to St Kilda. His companion

The Gap was well named for it provides an alarming viewpoint for looking at the tallest cliffs in the British Isles. Cliffs that are home to thousands of seabirds - mainly fulmars and kittiwakes. Seabirds that provided the human inhabitants an economy. It was from the Gap that we made our way up the steep sided slopes of Conachair and then crossed to the radar station on Mullach Mór. Although relatively easy walking it was an area of hazard in that it was guarded by Great Skuas who clearly objected to people treading on their patch. One couldn't help be reminded of Alfred Hitchcock's horror film "The Birds" as we were dive bombed. Each of us had our Tippi Hendren moment. Once by the radar station the danger receded.

erected in the 1860s and the much older Blackhouses the traditional dwellings of the

Around about 4.00 we were taken off and with Angus at the helm we went across for a closer look at Boreray and its vast colonies of gannets, fulmars and kittiwakes. As well as being enthralled by a wildlife spectacle of awesome proportion, this increased our admiration for

section of the Witton Weavers Way took us under the M65 and into Roddlesworth and Tockholes and despite the fact that part of the route took passed "Lancashire's Waste Mountain" - the land fill site at Stanworth, all my companions found the walk enchanting. We lunched at the Rock Inn, our second visit, and once again it earned high approval ratings from the Dotcoms. (See www.The-RockInn.com ) It has an airy situation and from its car park we could easily pick out Blackpool Tower and Black Combe. Regrettably I had to impose firm discipline after Sue dared to suggest my shorts needed ironing. Blinking Dotcom Walkers! Still I soon sorted her out.

Later, on Harter Fell, we spotted a pair of dotterels, though we didn't know what they were at the time. They were scouring the ground for whatever dotterels feed on close to the summit cairn and seemed undaunted by our presence no more than 20 metres away. Jim B (Don's brother-in-law) was able to move in quite close to take this pic. I'm not sure if I have ever seen a dotterel before but I enjoyed looking at the pair we saw. I also enjoyed this description in my field guide; "Distinctly patterned wader with no real affinity for water." What a marvellous concept! You cannot help paraphrasing it; like - "highly qualified teacher with no real affinity for the classroom." I met a few of those in my career - they were called OFSTED inspectors. Oops...only joking!

On Tuesday the Dotcoms had their inaugural picnic. We have had the odd picnic before now when there hasn't been a pub on route. However for the past 15 months every week has included a pub lunch. I have to say that when I put picnic on the programme there was dissent in the ranks.Some members had clearly become too accustomed to soft and easy living. Furthermore as many were at a loss as to what to bring I felt I had to issue guidance. "Bring something for yourself and something to share." This vague guideline had predictable results. Don had a bottle of red wine in the left hand pouch of his rucksack and to balance this up had a bottle of white in the right. He also carried a pile of cheese and onion sandwiches.Brian unfortunately couldn't join us that day but nonetheless sent in 5 kilos of potato salad; Andy M brought 12 meat pies - and so did Malcolm; Paul brought 12 custard tarts; Chris brought 12 apple pies; Alison's contribution was 12 mini chocolate flapjacks. Needless to say that all of us took grub back with us. As architect of this debacle I wasn't in a position to complain about the 5 bottles of beer, bottle of bucks fizz and bottle of sparkling apple juice that I had to carry back and weighed an absolute ton.And yet for all our surplus it was a very pleasant occasion. We relaxed in lovely spring sunshine in the grounds of Sawley Abbey - good food, good wine, good company. You could be as rich as the Sage of Omaha himself and not enjoy it better. 

Aware of this Don has been on a project to rectify the situation and to this end has gained use of a tandem. So it was that on Wednesday we made our first ride together on a bicycle made for two. Neither of us had ever been on a tandem before. After a practise run up and down a conveniently located cycle path we set off to where Jim and Brian live about two miles away. We arrived there without mishap. Jim and Brian are next door neighbours so I roused them out to be the first to witness the possible new stage in my life - passenger on a tandem stage. It both amused and fascinated them. Instantly Jim wanted a go himself which Donald obliged. Jim then persuaded Brian to follow suit. That done Don and I set out for a fifteen mile sortie out to Croston and back. It worked out very well and I enjoyed it immensely. However there is just one snag with Don's project - Eileen. We will have to see whether she has it in her to do all the bits that the front rider has to do - steer, brake and change gear. Still she hasn't vetoed the idea - yet.

So it was a great day out and it was just a case of going back to Burnley, Manchester Road station - or so I thought. No. "We'll stop by in Newchurch to see the Witch's grave, Bob. I think we have time for that." Of course I could have said,"Don't be daft my old china - its three o'clock now." But somehow I do not like to curb my friend's enthusiasm. But I did want to make that 3.57 train. So along the back lanes we reached Newchurch in Pendle and had a quick look-see. Thankfully Geoff didn't engage in conversation with a quartet of visitors chatting at the entrance. We found the Nutter family plot - took a photo and then, "Well we better see if we can catch this train." This at 3.35 by the church clock. Any chance we might have had was drastically reduced by the traffic on Colne Road and its traffic lights. I was dropped off at 4.00. Trains run on time these days. I had an hour to wait. Geoff phoned, apologised and suggested I had a brew and I could give him some in service training on sending e mails, something he hasn't mastered yet. So ten minutes later I was in his sitting room leafing through his photos of Greyfriars Cemetery in Edinburgh. As for the Inset that would enable Geoff to properly join the ranks of the Dotcoms - not a chance - Geoff had forgotten his password, and no amount of prompting could help him retrieve it.

15/04/2010 Thursday. On our Tuesday walk this week Don and I together with our wives set off down the Via Nazionale, walked up the Capitolino, walked down again, walked through to the Colosseum, walked around the Colosseum, crossed to the Palatino, dropped down into the Forum, edged round the Victor Emanuel Monument, crossed Piazza Venezia and then found a restaurant where we enjoyed our beer which we calculated was around £7.00 a pint! Had I dared to suggest to Eileen a walk of similar length in England I wouldn't have even been given a short shrift. Having said that her arthritic knee was playing up so we finished off on the open top tour bus.

We were in Rome for the wedding of Tony and Rachel which had taken place on the previous Saturday - a lovely occasion held at Palazzola, overlooking Lake Albano, opposite the Pope's summer palace at Castel Gondolfo. For the past 90 years the place has been used by the English College as a place of prayer and retreat. In recent times it has developed as a conference and wedding venue. (see www.palazzola.it)

So after an exchange of e mails with "Gilly" it was arranged for John and I to go across this afternnon to the Blackburn studio to participate in the programme. If you are quick - i.e. read this within one week of today - you will be able to listen to the interview on BBCiplayer. Regular readers of this blog will recall that John Gillmore has featured on this page before when I went to a recital given by Roberto Garcia Lopez back in October. Gilly was the presenter on that occasion which I described as being "in the best traditions of the BBC". (Scroll down and check it out if you don't believe me.) Well I have to say today was also in the best traditions of the BBC. We were looked after from the moment we stepped into the building to the time we left. Gilly's producer Versha saw us into the studio and introduced us to Gilly. We had a short while to wait before we went on air during which we had a pleasant chat or at least it seemed that way. As we were to learn these off air discourses played an important part in the on air interview in that Gilly used them to supplement the material he had gathered about us. As for the interview itself - it was thorough. Every aspect of the development and the scope of the site was covered; we were given a good airing.At the same time it was a treat to observe the inner workings of a live radio broadcast. So a big thank you to Gilly, Versha and the staff at BBC Radio Lancashire.
      

this for what it was and innocently endured a bit of gentle leg pulling about the state of

striking piece of public art impressed us immensely. Constructed from steel pipes in a design to suggest a wind blown hawthorn, the sculpture produces a mellow hum as the wind catches it. Its architects Tonkin-Lui have created a feature that not only fits into the landscape but actually enhances it. In my view the Singing Ringing Tree deserves as much recognition as Anthony Gormley's Angel of the North.

walking. On Tuesday the Dotcoms went to Newton in Bowland and went on a splendid walk up to Stocks Reservoir. That day was Jim's birthday and we celebrated it very pleasantly at Hark to Bounty Inn, Slaidburn. It was Enid's birthday too - she was another diner who told us about her birthday having heard us sing to Jim. It seemed to be an invitation so we sang to her too. 

the moors but instead follow the Dales Way. This covered a lovely stretch of Wharfedale made lovelier still by a covering of snow. It is also an area with some very interesting signs. One that caught my attention went: PLEASE KEEP YOUR DOGS UNDER CONTROL, PREFERABLY ON A LEAD. I don't think I have ever seen the word "preferably" use in this context before.

My favourite was this sign. It possesses a directness altogether lacking in the dog notice, and yet retains an air of mystery - there is no indication to where the tents will be shifted.

There is a time to die and a time to wed and a time to slide down slides and a time to...chop down trees. The trees in question are the avenue of horse chestnuts beside the river in Miller Park, Preston. As I blog these trees are being removed. The council have been forced to act because the trees are dead or dying from Bleeding Canker and have become unsafe to the public. Part of me would like to echo the old Phil Harris song "Woodman, woodman, spare that tree/touch not a single bough/for years that tree has protected me/and I'll protect it now." However I am persuaded that the work is necessary. Rather alarmingly Bleeding Canker is a widespread problem affecting almost half of all horse chestnuts in the UK. So I am sad that the trees have to be destroyed; magnificent in any season and majestic in autumn. They will be replaced but I am resigned that I will not see their like along that reach of the river in my lifetime.

Thursday 18/02/10 "Oh look!"Don exclaimed after we crossed a stile onto a lane. He pointed down to the verge. Snowdrops! It wasn't my first sighting but nonetheless was in accord with Don's delight at seeing these lovely flowers. Small, unobtrusive and easy to forget when spring is in full rage; but how they gladden the spirit when first noticed. Nature's promise that winter will come to an end.

On Thursday Jim and I had a perfect day out walking up Ingleborough which is in TOP. In fact Ingleborough is one of the Three Peaks of TOP. It was cold but without a breath of wind and we spent most of the day in sunshine. Looking south we could see Pendle Hill clearly, while across to the east there were superb views of Pen-y-ghent. It was without doubt one of the best winter walks I have ever been on and it was great to share it with my friend Jim.

As we set out from Barley I had a number of cares. For a variety of reasons I knew that for some of our party Pendle would be a challenge. I had built into my plans a contingency that if anyone decided enough was enough, they could meet us later when we descended Ogden Clough. As we passed Pendle House I knew the moment of decision had arrived; the steep, stepped incline of Big End is unforgiving to anyone suffering from shortness of breath and unkind to vertigo sufferers too. At around the 450m contour Paul and Elaine realised they had reached the point where it was sensible to go back. Brian said he had reached that point too. The three made their way back to the village.

Reassured that each would look after the others, the rest of us made our way to the top. Of course GPS Dave forged on ahead in his usual fashion, so much so that he probably spent 15 minutes cooling his heels before the stragglers caught up. For Don, despite 36 years a resident of Lancashire, it was his first time at the summit of Pendle. There were other quiet achievements. Bill, 75 and still going strong. Of course Bill, a modest man, would not see it this way. In his prime he competed in a number of mountain marathons, many with GPS Dave, and attained a level of stamina and fitness the rest of us can barely imagine. Then there was John, who over the past 12 months has suffered from difficult health, so much so that some days he has struggled to put on his boots. He was well pleased with himself as he reached the trig point. And then there was Chris recovering from a serious heart condition. On his first walk with us back in September he laboured on the incline from the River Ribble back to Hurst Green. He was as pleased as punch to have made it to the summit, and we were all pleased for him.

At one point on Wednesday Chris, Trish and I wondered if by accident we had strayed onto the Pennine Way. When I arrived at the Mill it was proposed we do a six mile walk following the edge of the moors. As Trish had a guide I didn't take a great deal of notice of the route which appeared perfectly straightforward. It seemed less straightforward two hours later when we were trying to locate the path that would lead us down to Grindsbrook Booth. There was still a deal of snow on the ground and low cloud had reduced visibility to 40-50m. Our map checking conferences increased in frequency. As often happens in these situations we made features we had seen through the mist fit in with our interpretation of the map.We convinced ourselves we had overshot the required path by some considerable distance. After crossing the top of a deep defile which had no obvious exit apart from the precipitious type which my friend Geoff always calls a "one way ticket" we made the decision to drop off by any viable slope. A short time later I felt I had located one. "Ok let's take it easy, stick together and stop if there is any sign of a drop," I advised as we started our descent. After five minutes I was cheered to see a ruined wall. As we lost height we found ourselves out of the cloud and there below across a stream was a clear ribbon of path. "Salvation is at hand - its the Pennine Way!" I called to my companions. After we gained the path and walked into Grindbrook Booth we realised we had not reached the Pennine Way at all but were on the route Trish had intended. We had only overshot the exit by a short distance for all our fretting. It had seemed quite an adventure while it lasted and we were all very pleased to return to the warmth of the apartment and a brew. I reminded Trish that our previous walk together in the Lakes we had over extended ourselves when I was in charge of the route. I cannot be certain but I felt she was rather cheered up by this notion - as if she somehow paid me one back. I can't think she had been talking to Eileen. 

Yesterday Malcolm, Don, Andy L and I went to Bleasdale to renew our acquaintance with solitude though the day wasn't as long as we planned because when we reached the car park on Delph Lane, Malcolm realised he had forgotten to bring his jacket. It was a hazy day and sunshine did break through; nevertheless by Fiendsdale Head Malcolm felt that he should not risk over long exposure to the biting wind. Since at that point we already had a fine traverse of Hazelhurst Fell the rest of us concurred with Malcolm's decision without demur. As it happened our descent to Bleasdale gave us a magnificent view of Fairsnape. Reaching Fiendsdale Head had not been without incident. There was still a deal of snow about, especially in gullies. For an ectomorph like Don, six feet of nothing and ten stone, this represented no hazard. For an endomorph like me, shorter and wider, it was a different story and several times I had to be extricated from deep banks of snow.

GPS Dave has a long association with the Derby as it has been the venue of the fellwalkers AGM for a number of years. Recently Dave has been asked to devise a number of walks from the inn to add an extra dimension to an already impressive programme of events. Hopefully John and I will be able to make our contribution to the process of describing routes. So indirectly this is what led our steps to the Derby.

And then two slices of magic. As we were finishing a lady at the next table asked me to take a photo of her and her great aunt. Alice Hesketh was celebrating that day her 80th birthday. I was happy to perform this service and we all sang "Happy Birthday". It happened that Alice was a retired music teacher but she didn't take our raucous rendition amiss.Then almost immediately after one of our party, Chris, spotted Barry McQueen in the next bar. Barry who? you maybe prompted to ask. Well Barry had been on BBC2 the previous evening and nearly all of us had seen him. As Blackpool's Town Crier he had featured in Michael Portillo's excellent "Great British Railway Journeys" based on Bradshaw's Guide. Indeed Barry sang a musical hall song about the guide during the programme. With little encouragement he sang it to us. Also he did a very kind thing - he declaimed a special birthday greeting to Alice. The photo above shows Barry with William, the proprietor of the Derby, and myself. He also posed with the rest of the Dotcom Walkers, which most people might regard as above and beyond. It was entirely a chance encounter since Barry was at the Derby to provide entertainment for a group of retired post office employees. So Alice's birthday was magic and having Barry sing to us was magic also. As reported in the Blackpool Gazette

On Sunday Dave, Andy (he who was once verbally abused by a Howgill dairy farmer) and I were treated to another piece of magic. Though there was still a great deal of snow around the Fellwalking club's outing to Ambleside went ahead. (We know that a number of other clubs cancelled on that day.) We chose to climb over Loughrigg a fell of modest height that sprawls along the west side of Rydal Water. We descended past Lily Tarn and here we came across a delightful scene. A group of parents and children had set up station to create a sledge run and ice rink - a winter adventure playground. It was a zone of pure fun; despite the biting wind you couldn't help be lifted by the peels of laughter and the sense of enjoyment that emanated from the gathering. It was such an antidote to all the miserable coverage the weather has had in the news producing a similiar affect to enduring two episodes of "Eastenders" back to back. Witnessing that scene reminded us that we should never forsake the opportunity to "lighten up" when it comes along.

 

 

 

We now call it "Annual Camp" and it is now in its third year. At some suitable point in the summer John and I travel up to Hawkshead and set up camp. The next few days are spent seriously walking. Then on Friday we set up the second tent in readiness for our wives who join us for the weekend. A pretty good arrangement but first there is a trick to be managed. My wife, Eileen, unlike the rest of us is temperamentally unsuited to camping - in fact she HATES it!  So sometime in January we wait for a suitable moment to broach the subject - usually after the third glass of red wine at a dinner party. Then John's wife, Diane, will extract from her a grudging acknowledgement that some aspect of the previous camp was quite enjoyable. Assent is taken as a binding contract to go on the next one. Diane was probably a press gang officer in a previous life. All the same Eileen had a good weekend with us and even managed to reach the top of Latterbarrow. Here is the photo to prove it.

This year our stay at Hawkshead was made particularly special in that we were joined by our friend from China, Gychen Guangwai, who has linked up with us through UCLan and is helping to translate a few of our routes into Chinese. It was "Chen's" first experience of camping. I have admit he does seem temperamentally suited to camping; though for a real test he needs to try it under normal conditions i.e. unrelenting wind with persistent rain. Other Dotcom walkers declined our invitation to camp with various (suspicious) excuses but did come up one day for a walk into Little Langdale from Tilberthwaite. This gave us the chance to bag another packhorse bridge!

We have returned from camping to discover the dismantling of a well known Lancashire landmark in our absence - the gasometer at Southport. I had heard a rumour that it was due to demolition, but it was sad to see it in a part dismembered state while I was checking out July's walk of the month. Perhaps it wasn't the most attractive landmark in the world, but the fact was it served as an instant point of recognition and was more easily picked out than Blackpool Tower  from Lancashire's westerly hills.

Monday 25/05/09

Last week a group of us walked St Cuthbert's Way between Melrose in the Scottish Borders and Holy Island, Northumberland. It was a week of competing highlights - impressive abbeys at Melrose, Jedburgh and Lindisfarne, the stately River Tweed, great views from the Eildon Hills, reaching Kirk Yetholm the end of the Pennine Way (the walking of which is slated in as a project in 2011), crossing the border and just after St Cuthbert's Cave our first clear view of the coast. When we reached the causeway linking Lindisfarne to the mainland, two of us, wearing shorts, elected to cross by way of the Pilgrims' route, following a line of tall marker poles. At first, with the receding tide, we wondered at the wisdom of this choice; it was difficult to work out the safest line. After a bit of trial and error, we made our way across a tricky section and the rest was easy. In the end a wonderful way to complete a long distance footpath.

Tuesdays are sacrosant. We never make any other plans for Tuesday - Tuesday is and always has been, (at least since we started walking out together in June 2006,) walking day. At first we were on our own. Then after a while we were joined by an agreeable third party on occasion. Now it is not unusual to arrange a walk for five or six others - old friends for the most part who have reached the blessed isles of retirement. Today we broke a new record and reached double figures. We walked from Downham down to Sawley by way of Rimington - and the day was perfect; blue sky, bright sunshine.

Today we had a guest from China - Gychen Guangwai, a 37 year old university teacher on an extended visit to UCLan, Preston. Kindly "Chen" has agreed to assist us with translating some of our walks into Chinese. While it would be nice to think this would give us the potential to reach an audience of one billion readers, our sights are more modestly aimed; to appeal to Chinese students at Lancaster, Preston and Ormskirk.  We wouldn't want them to go home without sampling the beauty of the English countryside. We would like to wish Guangwai a most enjoyable time in the UK and hope his visit is a successful one.

Thursday 30/04/09

April has been a record breaking month on the website - almost 1,800 hits. Of course this is small beer compared with Nightjack or even Gordon Brown on You Tube, but for a walking website with moderate ambitions, let's say it impresses us.

Preparing for a walk in a couple of weeks in the Ribble Valley we were saddened to discover that another favourite pub has recently closed its doors for the last time - the Black Bull in Rimington. Not only was this a pleasant place for a lunch time stop with good food and ale, but it had the added interest of being an informal museum with its fascinating display of railway memorabilia. Like many country pubs the Black Bull was an integral part of village life, and Rimington will be a poorer place without it. A tax regime that is meant to dissuade anti-social drinking appears to be killing the places that are licensed to control it, while the real culprits, the supermarkets, continue to promote alcohol at heavily discounted prices. The trouble with supermarkets is that they want it all and will not rest until they have it all. The demise of the English village pub is a mere footnote in the march of progress. Make the most of your local - it may not be there for much longer if things continue as they are.

Wednesday 8/04/09

As retired teachers we find it impossible to not to divide the year up into terms. Of course this is reinforced by the fact that our wives are both still practising teachers. And so we have now reached the Easter holidays. Last week as an end of term event it was arranged for a two day jaunt between Lancashire and that other place. This was seen as a training walk for when we do the St.Cuthbert's Way in seven weeks. The route was worked between two friends' houses both called Andy who live about 15 miles apart with a good chunk of the South Pennines in between. We started at Andy M's in Cliviger a little after 9.00am last Tuesday and walked across to Cowling where we spent the night at Andy B's. The following day we came back by way of Wycoller and Lad Law. A particular highlight among many was spotting a deer in the woods close to Hurstwood. I did not manage to photograph that but I caught one of this new born lamb near Knarrs Hill Farm on the Pendle Way.

 

Sunday 29/03/09

Another red letter day for this website - into 5 figures with the 10,000 hit milestone passed around ten o'clock this morming, auspiciously on the first morning of British Summer Time. Back in January the Dotcom walkers were asked make their predictions as to when this day would arrive. [As it happens we were in the Waggoners at the time - see last entry.] My own forecast was for the second week in June which seemed a realistic projection based on the stats at that time. It's Andy who turned out to be closest - his prediction was for 30th March. I'm afraid he doesn't win a pound for each hit but I daresay we can manage a free pint of cask ale. Any predictions for the 100,000 hit mark?

Friday 27/03/09

Sad news from Burnley. The Waggoners on Manchester Road, close to Clowbridge Reservoir has gone the way of many a pub - it is now shut. We thought highly of this establishment - it had good beer, good food and was a warm and welcoming place. If pubs like the Waggoners are finding it difficult then the crisis has just become a catastrophe. I recently read that almost 40 pubs a week are closing.

If pubs were people what's happening would be called a plague.

Wednesday 18/03/09

A date for your diaries - Saturday 30th May is National Get Walking Day organised by the Ramblers Association. (See www.ramblers.org.uk  for further details of events organised locally). So if we haven't persuaded you so far to step out into the wonderful diversity of Lancashire's countryside, make a resolution to do so on the last Saturday of May.

Sunday 15/03/09

This year is beginning to race away. At the end of January it took off its hob-nail boots and put on its spikes and is now dashing towards Christmas! On Tuesday last the Dotcom Walkers went up to the top of Parbold Hill. Now at 157m 515ft Parbold is not what you call high - even by Lancashire standards yet the views we had on Tuesday held our party rapt for 15 - 20 minutes. Conditions were near perfect. A pair of binoculars were produced and then animated discussions followed; "That's Avenham." "Is it really?" "No it's not." "So it is!"

Over the past few weeks we have enjoyed a varied programme - Sunderland Point, Waddington Fell and then Parbold, although some Dotcoms found issue with the mud on Tuesday. What has been particularly noteworthy has been the willingness of the inns we have visited to accommodate our requirements. Now that we regularly go out with groups of eight plus it has been helpful to order in advance. Each time we have phoned in our order it has been taken entirely on trust and where we have had to adjust our timings we found the establishments could not have been more obliging. So thank you the Globe at Overton, the Moorcock near Waddington and the Rigbye Arms, at High Moor - your good service has been very much appreciated.

Saturday 21/02/09  

Checking out the Hoghton Tower walk during the week, my nephew, Matthew, and I came across a public notice indicating that the path alongside the River Darwen on the far side from Hoghton Bottoms was to be closed indefinitely due to erosion making one section of the walk unsafe. Since we had just come that way we were well aware of the hazard. Indeed it was depicted in the original route description. Violent disturbance, perhaps a flash flood, had mangled the path necessitating an awkward clamber in and out of the gully.In the Lakes this would be a commonplace scramble, but perhaps unexpected on a sedate reach of the river Darwen. When I returned home I was able to quickly amend the webpage re-routing the walk. Had the walk been in a guide book such a change would have to await the next edition. This incident has reinforced my feeling that the internet is an ideal medium for publishing self guided walks. If you, our readers, encounter anything that needs amendment, please get in touch through the contacts page and we will act upon it.

Friday 13/02/09

This has been a busy week. Regular visitors to the site will note that there is a new development. A dozen walks now have a printer friendly version thanks to our association with the Blackpool Gazette. Since 29th November our walks have been published in the Blackpool Gazette and these versions are now available in pdf format. This will make life easier when users print off route descriptions. For the first time in two and a half years John had to pull out of a walk because of a heavy chest cold. This meant I had to go out and do the really arduous work of checking over a route. It was tough going leading the Dot Com walkers, an unruly bunch at the best of times, around Stonyhurst and along the Ribble Way. Then to cap it all - lunch in the Shireburn Arms Hotel washed down by a pint of Hen Harrier! Well someone had to ensure the show goes on. Meanwhile in his garret, John had the cushy number of sorting out the website. Still I have to grudgingly admit the result is pretty good. A big week for John in another way - with the arrival of a grand-daughter, Faye, yesterday. Congratulations to Rick and Emma.

 Thursday 5/02/09

This week we checked out March's "Walk of the Month". When it goes on our regular readers may think it is a wind up. The photos show a world of snow! It's a bit like those episodes of Emmerdale where you can work out when it was filmed by the weather.

Friday 29/01/09

This week John and I went for a most enjoyable walk with BBC Radio Lancashire reporter/producer Steve Becker; a walk featured in Brett Davison's Wednesday's drive time programme between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm.

We started with an interview at the bottom of Howick Cross Lane, Penwortham and then, following the Ribble Way, ended up at the Dolphin Inn, Longton. At various points we linked to Brett back in the studio by mobile phone. Not surprisingly Steve turned out to be an experienced walker himself - indeed more experienced than John and I put together - but he welcomed the chance to do a piece on the hoof so to speak. It turned out to be a perfect winter's evening - cool, still and with a hazy mist lending a little atmosphere to the scene. Our five mile walk quickly passed and we were able to do the last link from the Dolphin just as we were about to sup our self rewarding pints of Bowland Brewery's Oak bitter. All in all a most pleasant few hours with an agreeable companion.

Thursday 8/01/09

Our year has started on a high - well 399m above sea level. On Tuesday we checked out  the route for Hameldon Hill. It may be one of the coldest winters for 30 years but for walkers it has been wonderful. We had a thin layer of snow and brilliant sunshine with clear views. Though not one of the most attractive summits in Lancashire with its paraphernalia of masts and aerials that panorama we had on Tuesday afternoon made us all pause at the wonder of it all.

Monday 4/01/09

Regular visitors to this site will have noticed the appearance of maps on some of the pages. From the outset we have been aware that the mapping arrangements have not been as helpful as we would like. Without paying a license to the OS (beyond our meagre pensions) the best we could do was to provide a link to the Lancashire County Council's Mario site. This would at least give readers a general sense of the area of a walk, but could not show the route in detail. All this is changing. Since the end of November our walks are being published in Life!- the Saturday supplement of the Blackpool Gazette. Each walk is illustrated by the newspaper's art department and it is these maps that are finding their way onto the site. We are sure they will help readers explore the corners of the county we describe. We will take this opportunity to wish all our readers, friends, family and supporters a happy and prosperous 2009.

 Sunday 9/11/08

It is a year since this web site started and during that time we have been to every corner of Lancashire. Now we're in the process of revising and modifying the routes we've published, giving us the opportunity to revisit every corner of Lancashire. This could be regarded as a rather mundane exercise but those who love walking will understand there is always something new to observe even on the most frequented paths. Season, light and weather mix and match to create scenes afresh. There has been another dimension this second time around in that we're now more regularly joined by friends and family members. On one occasion in September there were seven of us out together. We have even been prompted to print a programme of future walks. We're becoming an industry!  

Wednesday 17/09/08

There are many places in Lancashire to see autumn in. On these pages we particularly commend Nicky Nook, White Coppice and Silverdale. Indeed in the next few weeks we shall be returning to these locations to check, revise and modify the routes. As walk of the month though we opted for Beacon Fell and the Upper Brock Valley. In high autumn the river stretch is particularly lovely. We checked it out yesterday with our friend Bill, who, incidentally, was celebrating his 74th birthday. For Bill our excursion turned out to be a trip down memory lane. As a child he had camped in Nissan Huts close by Higher Brock Mill. Passing by there brought back a flood of happy memories.

Quite a few times we use the phrase "may be muddy underfoot after prolonged spells of wet weather." Well given the summer we have just had which seemed to be one long prolonged monsoon our recent walks have been marked by tramping through saturated fields and across sodden moors. The best advice is be prepared for mud for next few weeks at least.

Thursday 17/07/08

Now that all 52 walks are complete we are free to go off on 'away days'. Today we drove up to the lake district and tackled Helvellyn. We started from Patterdale and made a detour on the way up to 'bag' another of Wainwright's 214 Lakeland Fells, Birkhouse Moor (718m/2356ft). Next came Helvellyn itself via Striding Edge. By now the weather was atrocious with driving rain, low cloud and a rising wind. Luckily Striding Edge was sheltered from the wind otherwise we would have been forced to be sensible and turn back. Lunch on top of Helvellyn, the third highest peak in the Lake District (and indeed in England) at 950m/3117ft.
We proceeded to 'bag' another couple of Wainwright's namely Nethermost Pike (891m/2923 ft and Dollywagon Pike (858m/2815ft). Down via Grisedale Tarn (which itself is at approx 540m/1770ft).
A difficult walk in good weather, tough in bad weather but perversely enjoyable and leaving one with a sense of righteous tiredness.

Wednesday 16/07/08
A red letter day. Yesterday we completed our 52nd and therefore (for now) last walk of this project. Today that walk has been posted on the website. For Bob this has been an ambition realised - to publish a series of walks of his making. For John a voyage of discovery rekindling an earlier love of walking and discovering Lancashire's hidden secrets. For both of us part of our rehabilitation after serious illness curtailed our careers as teachers.

Thursday 10/07/08

Almost there - 51 walks completed and just one to go. Of course there is much to do once we have all 52 walks in place. They will all need checking which is a job akin to painting the Forth Bridge - once completed we will have to start again. We have many ideas for enhancing the website but would welcome suggestions from our readers. Please feel free to contact us via the contact page.
Last week we went camping to Hawkshead in the lakes and managed some (for us) quite strenuous walks. Much as we love walking in Lancashire the Lake District always comes as a delight.