Paradise Lane

Thursday walk with Pete,  21st June 2018

After moving to Arnside eighteen years ago I enthusiastically explored on foot and by car including a drive down Paradise Lane: over a mile of single track, deeply set between high hedges, grass growing in the middle and only about three iffy passing places, which even if used would risk hawthorn scratches down the car. I vowed never to put myself under that stress of meeting another vehicle on Paradise Lane again. At my age I am a reluctant reverser, I don't trust the gimmick camera, and turning my head is like turning a cross threaded nut. But as my teacher-daughter tells me there is some good in,...well in her case: "all children."

As I scan the map for increasingly obscure new venues to suit our Thursday walks, that is tarmac if possible, and only gentle undulation, and hopefully no traffic, I find the Mac's cursor fancied Paradise Lane - ideal!

At the start,  a modern cast iron sign said we were at the old boundary between  Heversham and Beetham going back to the 1700s - the modern sign seemed to be competing with the extant nearby 1820 cast iron boundary marker which was still in pristine condition after two hundred years, albeit almost buried in the long grass - wow!

The modern sign also boasted of the high hedges with a wide variety of trees and shrubs proving apparently that the lane dates back to the  Middle Ages. Alighting from the car there was a cool breeze, enough for us to don windproof gear, but once in the sunken lane we were protected, but if we stopped, as one does to emphasise a point in one's conversation, horse flies were on the attack.

My expectant prediction of nil traffic was short lived - this was a there and back walk and on Paradise Lane alone we encountered at least three vehicles in each direction - some considerate, and some gung-ho, but forcing us to tiptoe onto the grass and press against the hedge to avoid being scythed by wing mirrors.

The other lanes were not much better in that respect and on one occasion we were nearly ploughed under by a fast moving tractor which showed no indication of slowing to let us re-group ourselves into the side; I suppose ploughing was it's vocation.

There were photo opportunities along the way, and although I have made this sound like The Wall of Death the bits in between provided interesting and attractive country walking.

CLICK TO ENLARGE
 The next photo is the medieval country lane with ancient high hedges referred to in this sign,
 and the one after is the two hundred year old boundary sign

Farleton Fell

Another for tractor enthusiast Alan R. I thought there was something unusual about
this one although I don't think it is all that old, but it was on private land and this zoom was as good as I could get.

How many ways are there of hanging a gate?

This is a pretty complex old oak tree, yes it is all the same tree

Paradise Lane again

Thursday walk with Pete - 7th March 2019 - Paradise Lane circular

We walked most of this route on 22nd June last year. For such an insignificant venue it promoted a disproportionate amount of discussion:  nineteen interesting and varied comments. I don't often refer readers back to previous posts but reckon this one is worth another glance:

Paradise Lane - June 2018

At my age I am ambitious to mop as many new sights and unvisited curiosities as possible. Although previous outings have been rewarding I feel I am wasting valuable time by revisiting. I remember being criticised somewhere for this stance and wonder if I am in some minority, or if I am suffering from some kind of blind spot?

There were discoveries last time that I will not repeat. Pete is laid-back about covering old ground again saying it is more about getting together, having some exercise and a natter, and a pot of tea at Café Ambio afterwards. I wholeheartedly agree, but when I walk alone, which I strongly favour, that is not the case.  By saying that I don't mean that I am demeaning walking with friends - it is just a different kind of enjoyment. Pete also points out that if you walk a route in reverse you benefit from the new views, often quite surprisingly.

Some old tractors were largely hidden on a track amongst ramshackle wooden sheds. I photographed three having no  recollection from the last visit, and then found I had photographed one of them last time.

A massive tree had fallen across the road recently requiring what I suspect must have been monumental effort to clear. The newly exposed cross cutting of the trunk had a warm glowing colour unusual in nature and the tree rings were exposed in fine detail. It was sad to see that such a giant had fallen, but for some perhaps atavistic reason I found the sight fascinating and interesting.

After Paradise Lane we crossed to use the footpath alongside this busy road. On one's own territory significant sights are taken for granted. I have driven and walked past Billerudkorsnas paper mill hundreds of times over the years. They claim to be a world leading manufacturer of specialised papers for medical, foodstuffs and many other applications. There has been a paper mill there from 1788 at one time converted to a flour mill then back again to paper. The old corn mill is worth a visit (for free), but the modern paper production plant has now been taken over by Swedish owners. We walked alongside what I presume is a water filtration process with channels of gushing water, today a sort of pale turquoise colour. The works are situated on the River Bela snd I guess that is their water source.

We continued along Hangbridge Lane to emerge on the B6384 at Hang Bridge, a fine 1890s double arch spanning our second meeting of the River Bela, now in a more countrified setting. I note Ordnance Survey use one word for the lane and two for the bridge. A short stretch on this busier road took us back to the car.

This and below - the two that got away last time.

I seem to be finding tractors for Alan's identification that are more and more obscured by rubbish and the like, and only at a zoomable distance - I must have had the shakes here for these blurry images

Water filtration at the paper mill alongside the A6 walked and driven past many times before without bothering to comment.

River Bela from Hang Bridge

Hang Bridge (courtesy of the Westmorland Gazette)

Doing what I do best

On Sunday I walked locally, and even though this was only a few miles from home it was new territory for me, so my only information was from public footpaths shown on the OS map. After the first one hundred yards on an unsurfaced, but sound track there was a branch left through a gate. This lead into a lane overgrown with nettles and long grass and other mixed flora. After much recent rain this was all sopping wet. I thrashed my way through for about three hundred yards until I emerged into a field.

Further on I crossed the river Bela which was a fine sight in full flow between lusciously green fields.

I met one other walker along the way and also stopped to chat to a friendly farmer as I tracked through his farmyard.

At 2.8 miles this was my longest venture so far, and the knee seemed to hold up well. The main thing is that I just couldn't have done that walk before the operation.

Modest as this short trip was, I was elated to be walking in our  rewarding countryside again exploring new locations, and having surprise encounters.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sunday - one day later.


Uplifted by yesterday's jaunt I was off again. I parked the car at Dallam Bridge (yes, I am driving again). I walked over Dallam deer park to Beetham.

Dallam Bridge

At Beetham I stopped at The Old Post Office Tea Rooms for soup, tea and a chocolate brownie. The tea shop owner is a young girl and a keen outdoor type providing a friendly welcome, with good food, and proclaiming "dogs welcome". I chatted here with the girl and her mum and heard about a backpacking trip round the Isle of Man - sounds interesting - must look it up.

The tea rooms at Beetham - always worth a visit.

I crossed the A6 where one often sees cyclists and walkers tackling Land's End to John 'o Groats (or t'other way round). Branching off the A6 after a few hundred yards took me up Paradise Lane, and then onto another new footpath for me across fields to Milnthorpe, over the cricket field and back to Dallam Bridge.

This trip was just 4 miles which is a half decent afternoon's walk, so things are progressing. Watch out, I may be following Mick and Gayle on The Pacific Coast Trail before long.