In the steps of Mole - Chipping with BC

 Wednesday 4th March 2026

Spring commandeered Mole in Wind in the Willows:

“O blow!” and also “Hang spring-cleaning!” and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously...

and so it was with me receiving a call from "imperious"Bowland Climber ( good word not quite appropriate,for BC but I couldn't resist it) on Tuesday evening uggesting a walk on the morrow knowing I had the dreary job earmarked to replace a rotten threshold on my front door - there was no hesitation in my acceptance.

BC has his arm in a sling but apart from being unable to drive he is managing well.

Chipping was our starting point. Steady climbing on a well laid concrete road through parkland took us to Laund Farm where we found sheep sheering in progesss, and we chatted a while with the sheerers.  In an animal shed there was also a flock of Blue Faced Leicster sheep who despite being well provided for in their quarters were straining to crop the grass they could just reach on the outside of their enclosure.

The parkland dates  to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries when it was owned by the monarch as a deer park and now remains as a pleasing quintessential example of part of the makeup of our countryside..

Eventually the concrete road finished and we had a short trek across upland tussocky ground under the foot of Parlick and its associated Bowland ridge. It was heartening to witness curlew and lapwing in some numbers and overall on this walk much more bird life than I have seen elsewhere for some time, although I suppose the start of spring  has them  all tuning up. Unfortunately there were no hen harriers, they have been systematically exterminated here.

A descent took us to stepping stones over Leagram Brook where care was traken by both of us. Later on during  a call from BC's son BC mentioned this esposode, and with BC's fairly recent dramtic entanglement with is kitchen furniture BC's offspring are trying to execrise some control and questioned the wisdom of walking with me.

Pleasant quiet road walking took us back into Chipping and a look round the church including the grave of Elizabeth Dean. In 1835 Elizabeth was thwatred in love. Her intended bailed out and married another. On the day of the wedding Elizbeth hung herself from a high window of a building opposite the church  entrance. The first thing the newly marrried erstwhile boyfriend would see on exiting the church would be the sobering site of Elizabeth hanging on high. Elizabeth's ws well liked in Chipping and despite  the taking of one's own life  denying the burying in consecrated ground, public opinion prevailed over the clergy and Elizabeth was buried in the church graveyard. Her ghost is said to be seen from time to rime.

That was a most enjoyable walk and finished off in style with BC treating us to  ten-out-of-ten coffee and lemonn drizzle cake to die for at the excellent café in Chipping.

A contraption for unfurling the rtoll of fencing wire with a teactor we deduced.

Royal parkland from the 14th century.

The eastern end of Longridge Fell

Any slower and I weould have been static.

Blue Faced Leicester sheep - The grass is always geeener..?

It was our turn next after this zoom shot from some distance

With his other arm out of action BC has to be extra careful. 

Parlick

The old H J Berry chairmaker factory. The felled timber for chair construction was hauled from wagons on the road by the crane. Note also the steps down to the stream in the forground, presumably where washing was done?

Elizabeth Dean's grave

1675. It surprises me that the average height of we humans has increased so much in such a relatively short period considering the eons of time for evolution. These doors must be not much more than four and a half feet high.

Anti-clockwise from Chipping