Sunday, 5 April 2020

Circular from home 2

Saturday 4th April 2020 - Arnside

The map below shows the route in red (clockwise) for my post a few days ago (Arnside Circular 1) 

The green (anticlockwise) is my route today.

The start/finish is the approximate location of my house.

A click on the map will enlarge the map and the other photos for a slideshow, but it may be best to view and read the captions first.

My idea here as in the previous circular is to give a more or less continuous photographic record of the walk to try and give a more joined up impression of a circular walk from my house and add comments which describe my own connection with what is seen.

I have ended the green route today at my convenience store in Silverdale Road where we coincide with the earlier walk to get back to my start by common ground.






Having turned left out of Hollins Lane we turn left again just past the cars to go steeply down Swinnate Road.
The Post Office van is one of the few vehicles on the move during this Coronavirus lockdown - it seemed to be dodging about all over the village.

Descending steeply down Swinnate. The upper Kent estuary with the Lake District hills behind - it is a splendid view from here.

Bottom of Swinnate, turning left into Black Dyke Road. A few hundred yards to the right is the level crossing over the railway.

Along Black Dyke Road. Briery Bank off to the left beyond the Post Office van which seems to be following me.

Briery Bank up left, but we carry straight on. Note the post box. I have two posting options, this and the other I mentioned in the previous walk in the other direction from my house.

Just opposite Briery Bank. The road to the right goes down to the railway in about 100yds and then becomes The Limestone Link footpath to Kirkby Lonsdale. We continue straight along Black Dyke road.

Further along Black Dyke - a rare cyclist - our village is usually teeming with them especially at the weekend and this is Saturday.

And more of Black Dyke - the walk to the station from my house always seems longer than expected.

The shrubs and garden opposite the road junction to Milnthorpe are well maintained on a regular basis by village volunteers. See next photo to look down that road to the right.

Right turn off black Dyke - the road to Milnthorpe. When you drive up there and see a high lorry coming the other way you know there's going to be a problem, but we carry on left out of the picture.


Strategically placed outlet for mobility scooters to service the less agile population of Arnside, and by contrast next door a well established garage specialising exclusively in rally car preparation.

A bit further on opposite the station - our jazz café. In normal times they will play jazz requests from Spotify while you drink excellent coffee and munch their cakes.

Arnside station. There is a temporary footbridge in operation whilst repairs are done to the nearer original.

This road is usually lined on the left with cars using the station - not today!

The famous Arnside fish and chip shop - café at front and take-away up the side. It  is much more impressive when you get in there - their website is worth a browse - http://www.arnsidechipshop.co.uk
and next door...
...Phil Fallows, hairdresser, part of the Arnside Establishment and Hackney and Leigh  estate agents, and further on...

... Bulloughs convenience store and post office. Ian B is a legend in the village and this is perhaps the best stocked convenience store in Cumbria, a great asset to our village.

The Fighting Cocks pub - unfortunately closed during the virus lockdown. They do accommodation normally.

Our posh public conveniences - not a bad view.

Antique and bric-a-brac shop and next door Arnside Sailing Club, function room and bar  - occasional entertainment evenings.

We are now about two hundred yards up from Bullough's shop - this being the main row of shops along the seafront opposite our mini pier.
Home interior shop,  The Posh Sardine - coffee and gifts (anagram on Arnside Shop), The Coast Office - sells the most tasteless stock of gifts but seems to thrive.

The old bank building now selling antiques and curios, and in blue, good friends of ours, Arnside House  - they sell a huge range of quality gifts, greeting cards and are renowned for their many varieties of locally made quality ice cream.

Just a long shot of the front. The Albion pub is the cream building at the end going round the corner.

She Sells - ladies clothing, Wagtail - café, Gado Gado - restaurant, The Country Shop - high class clothing, chemist and bakery out of shot.

Kent estuary going out into Morecambe Bay.

The Albion looking back down the front and shops. Very popular but expensive. Normally many people sat at the outside tables here.

Railway viaduct. A recent high tide was not far off the top.

Looking up Silverdale Road on the way to my convenience store met on the previous Circular tour, but we branch off to the left on...

...Orchard Road to pass...

...the Women's Institute and loop back to Silverdale Road and...


...rejoining my convenience store in Silverdale Road to follow by same route as before back to home.

11 comments:

  1. Phil Fallows, obviously not a friend of yours. Why would you otherwise deny him his crust?

    All those serious stone frontages. Hinting at equally serious high asking prices. My compliments. You've not only captured Arnside's essence, there's enough for a gallon of soup

    ReplyDelete
  2. RR - He is a women's hairdresser. To be truthful I don't know him but he is popular with the female population here including Pete's wife Liz.

    ReplyDelete
  3. All very familiar. Interesting walk.
    The weather continues fine so you will be able to alternate your two walks unless you have a third up your sleeve.

    ReplyDelete
  4. BC - I do have another in mind but I'll let things brew for a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. There's got to be an opportunity for Rally Mobility Scooters there.... a new market segment?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Conrad for another view of the village. We enjoyed our stay last year. The chippy was great and very chatty proprietors. The bric a brac shop seemed dusty and closed. The cafe next to the chippy was enjoyed.
    The Albion! I’m not sure I have recovered from the cost in there. Staff were nice though. Walking the coast line, watching the boom, seeing the bird life was all splendid. You are lucky living in such a nice place but I can imagine in summer it can become a bit annoying.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Paul - Yes, I look at the mobility scooter shop with a touch of concern when I pass wondering if and when I may become a customer myself. Good to have you back after your recovery from CoronaV.

    ------------------

    AlanR - Not many local people go into the Albion these days - it used to be a meeting place for a fairly big group of local friends who liked to gather and socialise together but no longer. Having said that it continues to be heaving with visitors most of the time, except for now of course.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm liking this series of posts (if I can call it that after two of them). It puts me in mind of a long-extinct blog of an American chap, who used to refer to his early morning walks around his neighbourhood as 'walking and gawking' as he posted photos (superficially mundane, but interesting to an outsider and with a narrative) based on his observations.

    How is the stair climbing going? Still doing your ten reps a day?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gayle - The Two Blondes posted quite amusingly about stair climbing:

    https://www.twoblondeswalking.com/finally-at-the-summit-climbing-cad-stair-idris/

    This was my comment:

    "I have been doing something similar, but your added virtual mountain makes it into something more imaginative. Since 25th March I have done 10 stair ascents every day and walked from home on average every day approximately 1.75 miles. That means I have only done a measly 938 feet of ascent and 24.5 miles in 14 days – shame – must do better."

    Back to you Gayle -although the ascent and distance are derisory at least they have been done every day and so far I am more than mildly motivated to continue.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't want to appear particularly churlish, but you should have waited a day or two and taken these pics in the dazzling sunshine - with one looking back up the estuary at the delectable (but forbidden) mountains - one of the most spectacular views in the realm!
    The phrase 'the old grey toun' looks very apt - yet it is actually quite a gay and pretty village !
    Une retour est demandé.

    ReplyDelete
  11. gimmer - I take the point. It will be saved for another day perhaps with a different focus - here I was trying to convey the village itself close to a video but with static photos. Although it wasn't exactly the case here days without bright sun can be better for photography. Bright sunshine days are are best when using the early morning or late evening light. For me that would require firing up of some will power to either arise early and march to the top of the Knott, or forfeit the comforts of my evening relaxation, but one day soon perhaps...

    In fact a germ of an idea is just filtering through - thanks for the catalyst.

    ReplyDelete