A tale from an erstwhile criminal

 Monday 15th September 2025

Just browsing back I came across this in the comments of an old post:

From Gayle - 20th May 2021

https://conradwalks.blogspot.com/2021/05/trigs-os-103-from-hoddlesden.html

Gayle:

"I was done back in 1959 for Obstructing a Public Footpath." (Me quoted from the post)

"Now there's a statement that demands more context!"

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Not much of an anecdote, and at the time it was one of those requested explanations that was more enticing left in suspense, but "now it can be told."

At the time I was employed as a representative for North Central Finance Ltd., the finance company subsidiary of Nat. West Bank. We mainly provided a service to motor dealers to provide finance terms for their customers buying cars. My job was to persuade the dealers in our area to use us rather than several other bank subsidiaries providing the same service. I also had to do door to door chasing of defaulting customers, and if required actually repossess the cars. If a dealer proposed a customer with dubious credit history, but not too serious we sometimes agreed to provide the finance backed by the dealer's Repurchase Agreement. In the event of repossession the car would be returned to the dealer and he would pay off the remaining balance on our finance agreement.

Taking a repossession back to a certain dealer he was not happy and uncooperative and there was no space to leave the car on his forecourt. I left the car slightly up on the kerb outside his premises but it was mot a no parking location.

Later I received a summons and a fine for Obstructing a Public Footpath. My manager refused to sanction any help in paying the fine. That was back around 1960 and it all still rankles with me.

Brigsteer, Scout Scar

 Monday 8th September 2025

Forecast said sunny with showers. I had to believe it because I couldn't see another weather window for a while. But at 9:00 am it was pouring with rain. That persisted with a vengeance non-stop as I drove the half an hour to park at Heslington church. I have recorded the history perviously and there is plenty on-line if you want to look it up. As I sat in the car looking out at the  rain I wondered if I should just turn round and go back home. I had a coffee from my flask and dithered, but then bevcme  intrtigued by a group of cows sheletring under the trees of the churchyard. A  sort of cowboy film fantasy came to mind - see the first two photos below (click to enlarge to read the dialogue boxes.) The second photo was taken just after the rain seemed to have ceased. So I was out and off, in the opposite direction from the cows.

Back at the main road a path leads off running below the summit ridge of Scout Scar providing excellent grassy limestone walking on a wide undulating track with impressive views across the Lythe valley far below and Whitbarrow crag beyond, and even further the Lake District Coniston range. That view is seen to great advantage from my parking at Heslington church but photos just don't show the dramatic steep drop off just a few yards from the parking, falling away 450ft or so to the wide flat plain spread of the Lythe Valley.

Evntually a narrow, steep rocky path drops away down to Barrowfiled farm. Care was needed on that track with the limesdtone still slippery wet from the earlier rain.

At the farm a Massey Ferguson tractor appeared to have been basnished to doing dirty work in the slurry pit, but round the corner a shiny blue, more modern New Holland tractor was rejoicing in more agreeable duty. See photos below.

 A pleasant track through the woods took me back to the Brigsteer road and then  another  track conquering that previuouly mentioned steep loss of height to regain Heslington church from the Lythe Valley bottom.

A splendid little walk of only three miles not far from home and snatched from doubtful weather - once that rain stopped it had been continuously sunny.

PLEASE CLICK TO ENLARGE

From the church to the distant Lake district hills. Photos cannot do justice to this, one of the best views in Cumbria - see pano below

Just beyond the middflegound row of trees the land drops away steeply for about 450ft to the Lythe Valley floor which is flat for sbout three kilometres before the land rises to form Whitbarrow Scar.

From the road onto the friendly Scout Scar track

The track down to Barrowfield farm goes off just before the steep crags

Zoom to clouds clearing on the Coniston range

The slippery narrow path down to the farm

Perhaps the Massey Ferguson had been naughty whilst...

...goody New Holland was laping it up in the dry fields

Zoom to Arnside and the Knott

Start and finish at the red flag - anti-clockwise

Red Bridge and Leighton Moss

 Sunday 7th September 2025

Just a quick walk from home was the intention but I also fancied a café halfway.  It is only ten minutes drive to the National Trust  car park at The Row on the edge of Silverdale. A short walk up ther road to Red Bridge leads to Moss Lane. From here I knew of a short footpath descending to cross the railway. Sure enough the old footpath gate was located and I descended the hundred yards or so on an overgrown path only to find there is now no access to cross the railway. I backtracked to Moss Lane which now  bridges the railway and offers an alternative path immediately afterwards. So much for local knowledge. It doesn't seem all that long ago that I used that little shortcut.

The path now crosses Silverdale Golf Course and it was quite busy this Sunday morning but I managed to avoid being cannon fodder and even had a few cheery greetings from wannabe McJKilroys.

At Leightom Moss visitor centre I climbed the stairs to the café and ordered an Americano coffee and a slice of caramel shortbread and was a bit taken aback at £7.15. I know one is supporting a worthy charity but this seemed top weight. Even though the coffee came from one of those pukka machines with freshly ground I only rated it at seven out of ten. The shortbread  though got a nine. At least this wasn't in the category of worst product at high cost. 

Further up the road I crossed the golf course again to climb up to The Row, and then took a shortcut footpath pleasingly new to me before cutting back to The Row and my starting point.

The short stretch of road to Moss Lane

Moss Lane

The now cul-de-sac footpath no longer providing a crossing of the railway

Onto Silverdale golf course

Boardwalk taking me to RSPB visitor centre

A house for BC here with its own bouldering facility, and further down its garden...

... this garage, and note the sign above the door, then...

Odd because there was no way whastsoever any member of public could be walking in that garden. I reckon this must have been uplifted as a trophy during a visit to Scotland and so placed by the oswner with his quirky semse of hunour

Well as marked on the map. This and the sign etc on the  previous pics were on the shortcut path I had not prerviuosly walked, so multii bounses for this walk

Start/finish at car park, top left - clockwise