Friday, 28th February 2025
A dingy day despite a sunshine forecast, but as always good company with Bowland Climber.
As our route mainly followed the Ribble Way combined with the Tolkien Trail, at only about 30 meters above sea level, I think we were walking in an inversion with the predicted sunshine abounding at higher elevations. It was so murky I considered converting all my photos to black and white, but only did that for the splendid aqueduct we encountered after descending from Hurst Green to meet the river. Victorian architecture for civil engineering was so bold and built to make an aesthetic statement for posterity.
Bowland Climber has absorbed a massive fund of knowledge of this part of his own locale, so I had the benefit of an almost professional tour guide. I had not noticed until BC pointed out we were walking on a path of astroturf. This had apparently been salvaged from Preston North End football club when they reverted to playing on grass, We were amused by the incongruity with our surroundings of nature and seeing pitch line markings every so often. They probably indicated the spot from where famous goals were scored, or vicious tacklers were sent off, and for walkers who are more football aficionados than I am, there would be endless conjecture.
We noticed the previous flood levels from debris attached to the path fencing on our left. It was difficult to imagine the scale, and at its height the river must have been perhaps thirty feet deep in places, and with an overall width out of proportion to what one imagines for rivers in the UK.
Across the river, only just visible in the gloom was Hacking Hall.
From Wikipedia:
Hacking Hall is a Grade I listed, early-17th-century house[1] situated at the confluence of the rivers Calder and Ribble in Lancashire, England.
It is thought that J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, may have taken inspiration from the ferry here for the Bucklebury Ferry over the Brandywine river in his book, as it was still operational when Tolkien visited nearby Stonyhurst College.[2]
I have not read Lord of the Rings so that connection with our walk today had no resonance with me. For a not logical reason I can't help bracketing that non-read with my non-read of Harry Potter.
With Bc's local knowledge we had no need to worry about finding seating for our lunch break. A strategically placed seat overlooks the joining of the River Calder with the Ribble - perfect.
We saw fly fishermen and wondered at their luck. There is much pollution in the river and from many reports salmon are no longer so frequent.
A littler further on the Ribble Way has to divert where the River Hodder stops progress for some time along the Ribble. However, we left the river here to walk back through Stonyhurst College. This is now a well known boarding school. There is much history on Wikipedia if you want to know more. Suffice to say the buildings and the setting are magnificent.
A most enjoyable day.
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| Leaving Hurst Green, this and below. |
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| Also in Hurst Green. A Boer War memorial, not so often seen as the usual World War memorials. |
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| BC looking for a Tolkien first edition? |
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| The footpath from here down to the Ribble |
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| Black and White conversion of photo. Impressive Victorian architecture, but subdued in today's gloom |
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| Astroturf from Preston North End FC. Do they have blue lines on a football pitch? did some celebrated or infamous incident take place from this section of the pitch? |
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| Here, I am competing with Gainsborough |
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| Hacking Hall |
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| Our lunch spot. Confluence of Calder and Ribble. BC descends to get a better photo. I settle for this and avoid a possible swim. |
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| You all know of my rantings about horrible orange hairy string used by farmers to tie up gates with untie-able knots. This one has splashed out on some "yellow", slightly more expensive I guess? |
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| This is just the chapel for Stonyhurst College. It rivals many a UK catherdral. See the main building below |
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