Wednesday 19th Aug. 2020. Kirkby Lonsdale to Lune via Whittington, return via Lune - 6 miles
If I walk a recognised long distance path my preference is to walk it in the same direction starting at one end and finishing at the other end. This tiddler is only 17 miles altogether and I had already walked the first part and then the second only a few days ago - see previous post. Today using a circular route I was able to continue but filling in the final section out of order. The middle section will at least be completed in the ssme direction. I previously found a location to leave my E-bike for that middle section next time and the same for a car park at the northern end.
I was lucky to get a vacant parking slot at Devil's Bridge in Kirkby Lonsdale and was soon off onto footpaths from the Whittington road. A steep grassy climb gave me good views back down to Kirkby Lonsdale. At Low Biggins an ancient narrow mule track was initially overgrown and rocky underfoot making for potential ankle twisting progress. The path then developed entirely into a fast flowing stream across its full width for over a hundred a yards needing care and skill to keep the feet dry. which alas I didn't. A couple in front of me were making heavy weather of this and at first I thought they were going to turn back.
This walk had a little bonus: a short diversion to Sellet Bank trig (117m.) I was able to see right back up the Lune valley beyond Kirkby Lonsdale, the scene of a number of recent walks exploring this area. It is always pleasing to let your gaze wander over large amounts of terrain that you know you have had the pleasure of previously exploring.
A narrow, grass-in-the-middle tarmac road took me down to Whittington. The church stands superbly on a mound overlooking this pretty village, and the site dates back to the 1200s. The oldest part now is the tower dating to the 16th Century, but the rest is as recent as 1875; its stance in the landscape made me think it deserved more interesting history than that.
There were two lane options just after Whittington to get me to the Lune and the return to Kirkby Lonsdale which was the main aim for this walk. I chose the most southerly. It started as rough tarmac then became unsurfaced. There were perhaps a dozen unavoidable mini lakes across its full width over a half mile distance. I had no alternative but to teeter through on tip-toe but inevitably I had wet feet again. My thinking was to shorten the distance of the final section when I complete it, but I will for sure walk that bit further and return by the more northerly lane which in any case comes out at a convenient spot to park the car.
The walk back up the Lune was pleasant enough. It is now a wide river with varied sections of fast flowing water and slower parts - an angler's dream. I saw a chap wading in the middle casting and had a touch of envy thinking how he would be enjoying his pursuit. I took a long zoom shot. When I was back home looking at the photos he had the most miserable expression on his face.
As Devil's Bridge came back into view I was reminded of publicity last year of youths dying and being injured "tombstoneing" from the bridge. I crossed the road and walked back through the little park to my car. Memorial benches are dotted here and some seem to commemorate deceased motorcyclists - the bacon butty wagon here is a Mecca for these guys and on a Sunday all the surrounding roads with their sweeping bends are resonant with the sound of high revving machines - police proliferate, but there are still many accidents.
I hope the next, and final part of this adventure will include deployment of my recently acquired e-bike.
PLEASE CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
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| Leaving the Whittington road just out of Kirkby Lonsdale - a steep grass climb ahead |
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Approaching Low Biggins
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The overgrown rocky lane that developed into a stream
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On the waay
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There was no option but to paddle
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| Sellet Bank - 117m. Trig out of sight |
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Looking north back up the Lune valley - site of a number of recent walks
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Tarmac down to Whittington
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Whittington church. A commanding position
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Tidy and pretty Whittington
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| I did a search. He seems to have been a dedicated scientist with nothing else of note attached to his name, nevertheless it's good to see him commemorated |
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There were a dozen or so of these spread over half a mile or so. The second time on this expectedly benign little walk I had to get my feet wet
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Back up the Lune to Kirkby Lonsdale
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Pied wagtail. Full zoom. Difficult to hold still
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Leck Beck joining the Lune. That flows down from Easegill and Leck Fell, scenes again of fairly recent more exciting walks than this gentle affair which if nothing else has sparked off pleasant memories.
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This zoom was taken from a couple of hundred yards away.
I was thinking how much this chap must be enjoying himself
wrapped up in his chosen pursuit.
Back home the photo seems to tell a different story
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Water from Haweswater on the way to Manchester - see pipes below
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| Devil's Bridge, my start and finish. In recent years youths have died and been injured "tombstoneing" from here |
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Anti clockwise
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Well done for persevering through mud and puddles. The expression on the angler’s face is priceless.
ReplyDeleteRuth - I am no hero. There was really no alternative. It is always a joy when you uncover something more about your walk from your researches when you get home.
ReplyDeleteA trig under your boots, good views, a bit of splashing about and some historical interest. Not a bad day out I'd say Conrad.
ReplyDeleteafoot - Yes all enjoyable. A contrast from your wanderings in the Ochills. I don't mind getting wet, especially when I know I'm returning that evening to a hot bath at home.
ReplyDeleteI question your caption to the William Sturgeon plaque. "Nothing else of note" you say, and yet the electric motor transformed the world. And still does.
ReplyDeleteIn fact Sturgeon invented the first DC motor. Yes it worked but it had to wait for the creation of the electrical grid before it became a practical proposition (in 1886). However I sympathise with the plaque creators and their lack of space.
North of Hereford is Lucton where a battle was fought
and Owain Glyndwr's hopes for an independent Wales came to an end. The political background together with an account of the battle are covered in detail on a cast plate similar to, but larger than, the Sturgeon plaque. Proof that one doesn't have to limit one's plaque size. But there is a danger; the more the detail, the greater the risk of error. And correcting a cast plaque involves rather more than the casual deployment of the Delete key.
RR - I did not intend to detract from WS's achievements and importance. The brief detail on the plaque conveys that and anybody who wants further detail can easily search the net. When I unearth such items including obscure saints, owners of stately homes, sites of notable happenings part of my pleasure is in researching back at home afterwards. With personalities I hope to find some scandal: the wayward son who squandered the fortune, or the one done for embezzlement, or the plane crash site that involved some heroic rescue story. What I meant about WS was that his personal history was disappointingly bland which probably accounts for all his energies being channeled into something worthwhile, but alas no blogger's gift.
ReplyDeleteJust belatedly playing catch-up on your posts (before I decide it's an appropriate time of day to annoy the neighbours with power tools!).
ReplyDeleteThe benefit, I think, of getting wet feet early in a walk is that you don't mind so much wading through more water obstacles - provided they're not spaced so far apart that the feet have just reached the point of feeling reasonably dry and comfortable at the point the next one appears. In your lane with multiple pools, it's nice after the 'oh goodness, isn't there a way around?' feeling at the first one, to feel no hesitation at just walking through the rest.
Gayle - words from one who knows. That is all so familiar to me.
ReplyDelete