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.
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 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 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.
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!
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.