Galgate,Glasson Canal and Lancaster bomber

 Thursday 15th May 2025

I seem to have adopted the idea of looking for remotely located churches on the map. I wanted a quick sortie not far from home.

We are in the middle of a prolonged period of hot weather with lack of rain for farmers and general water supply making the news.  For me it is all delight. No mud, shirt sleeve walking, and shorts.

Tarmac out of Galgate quickly lead to enjoyable country walking on new paths for me until I finished up with the final stretch back to Galgate on the familiar Glasson canal tow path.

The church was visited but unfortunately locked. I gleaned some history from the Internet:

"The Parish was founded in 1785 with Fr. James Foster as Parish Priest. Previously the district was served by travelling priests who usually stayed with the Dalton Family at Thurnham Hall. The first named of these priests was Rev. North who lived at the end of the sixteenth century. However, the most famous was a Rev. James Swarbrick who was well known as "The Riding Priest". He was arrested in 1715 and taken to Lancaster Castle where he was condemned as a priest. A few days before he was due to be executed the old man died in prison in 1716, possibly as a result of torture. We still have the little chalice he carried on his travels." ------  Happy days!

My italics.

From Wikipedia regarding the extant church building:

Fr. Foster’s successor, Fr. Thomas Crowe, oversaw plans for a new church. Financial support came from Miss Elizabeth Dalton, who covered most of the costs. The foundation stone was laid on March 18, 1847, and the church was consecrated on August 29, 1848. Three bishops—Bishop Browne, Bishop Briggs, and Bishop Sharples—were present at the dedication, which included a grand procession from Thurnham Hall. The final cost of the church, including furnishings, was £5,000.

Walking out of Galgate this seemed to be quite out of place, just parked up. I reckon some farmers use their tractors as personal transport from time to time?

Ellel Hall Bridge. Lancaster Canal

Transcript:
"Ellersley Farm Museum.
Ferguson A 20
Serial No. 31363
Bought new in 1948 by Sellery Farm"
See below

Oddly pitifully stored and neglected with the faded sign above. So sad. It is the same MF I made a model of. An icon in tractor development

The tractor is just behind me

 My route followed the wall in shadow, right centre

Perfect walking surface

River Condor

Here I crossed the Glasson branch of the Lancaster Canal. Great views of the Bowland Hills from the top of the bridge - Clougha Pike, Ward's Stone etc. They were evident during most of the walk

Under or over? Neither seemed a good idea. I climbed the gate

Looking towards Glasson on the Glasson canal

Thornham Hall. Event venue and holiday cottages. Quite pretty.

The target for my walk

Overflow graveyard. Regimental.

This and next from its other side. Although obviously not used I imagined the farmer was sentimentally attached and jibbed at consigning it to the scrap heap, so now it performs sentry duty at the farmyard entrance.

Looking back at Cock Hall Farm, home of the David Brown 990

Perfect pleasant picnic perch.
 I watched a pair of buzzards high up putting the Red Arrows to shame

The rest of the route followed the Glasson Canal and then back to Galgate after joining the Lancaster Canal proper

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The finished 1/72 nd. scale Lancaster

Clougha and a bit of culture.

 Monday 26th April 2021 - Clougha Pike - Grit Fell

The objective today: Andy Goldsworthy's installation near (supposedly) Clougha Pike. Andy is a British sculptor who has created many drystone wall works of art scattered around the globe and other varied artwork. Have a look at Wikipedia if you want to learn more of his metaphysical rationales for his works and his biography.

With Lockdown at bay and spring on the march I wore shorts for the first time this year.

Four years ago I ascended Clougha Pike with full knowledge of a dire forecast for a foul day with persistent rain and limited visibility. That could only have been indulgent masochism. I had already walked a couple of miles before seeing these cyclists at the Jubilee Tower from where I launched off into peat bog and swamp.  Click here if you want to know more.

Today was complete contrast with blue sky and in company with BC. We were on old tracks including an old cobbled lane where we found the "relic of all relics" for my photo file of abandoned and decaying items in the countryside. At a farm we chatted and learnt of the arduous efforts made in the early days of industrial revolution  to divert water for wheel powered mills. We crossed the path of the aqueduct that runs by gravity only from Haweswater to supply Manchester. The line is dotted with the unique waterboard iron gates, often stood alone in the middle of fields.

Rather than cross pathless moorland from Clougha summit to Andy's installation we went by Grit Fell and then onto a proper road scarring across the moorland for the grouse shooters. Grouse were evident frequently and unusually tame, probably because all their predators have been exterminated.

Andy's triple thingy was impressive, and even more so when viewed from inside where the drystone structure is  skilfully corbelled so that one seemed to be inside an egg. Andy Goldsworthy's features are certainly worth a visit. I have been to others and they are not always easy to access.

As we marched on the long descending grouse road BC was reminded of a climbing quarry which he had helped to pioneer many years ago. We only located this after having passed by and a chance look back after being distracted by crossing an aqueduct for the aforementioned pipeline from Haweswater. This was a substantial multi-arch affair demonstrating the amount of effort expended just to cross a tiny stream in a deep ravine, and that along with many other similar engineering endeavours over the 70 miles or so distance.  Construction took place between 1933 and 1955. 

We retraced to the quarry to find a couple of climbers in situ and BC was able to have a good old reminisce.

Another fifteen minutes on a good path had us back to our parking at Rigg Lane.

Onto tracks after half a mile walking down the road from the car parking

Old cobbled lane - atmospheric Industrial Revolution stuff

What a gem of a relic. Note also the old barn behind

With the help of the Chrysler badge on the bonnet I was able to identify the model back at home

Avenger, early/mid seventies. It was a good rally car in its day but not much good otherwise.

Good going on the way to Clougha

Why do they use this stuff.? I suspect it is some kind of subconscious protest

Clougha summit

I've become as bit carried away recently putting rondels on my model aircraft - it must be catching

A lonely pine. Pining for the The Two Blondes to come and decorate at Christmas?

Conspiracy theorists may say they are Stone Age beam-me-up-machines?

The Haweswater pipeline aqueduct. The quarry is behind my left shoulder

Littledale with BC

Monday 31st. August 2020 - Littledale, Lancs. 7. 5 miles 

There is a large lay-by on the single track road near Baines Crag. This was a bank holiday so we met at 9:30. There was one other car and another rolled up before we set off. Surprisingly there were only twelve in total when we returned six hours later.

I have had several outings in Littledale before. The terrain is similar to our recent walk in the Hindburn valley with heavily wooded, steep sided valleys and cropped turf and old tracks above,  giving extensive views. Looking down at the wooded valleys with their offshoots gives an air of mystery and secretiveness and there is a real feeling of exploration and possible tempting alternatives for other days.

We passed the abandoned church in Littledale, deconsecrated, stripped out and used as a barn for the nearby Littledale Hall estate.

From the Internet I gleaned that Littledale Hall was built in 1849 for Revd. John Dodson. He had been vicar of Cockerham but seceded from the Established Church because of the Gorham Judgement and retired with his family to Littledale.

Further research informed me that the Gorham Judgement arose from a bishop refusing to appoint a vicar in 1850 who argued that baptism was not "sacramentally effective" and that to "accept Jesus" required an adult decision. That apparently clashed with The Thirty Nine Articles of the Anglican High Church.

I've always thought that dunking babies, thereby having them traumatised and screaming, was not a kind thing to do, but then I would never have been a vicar having to make a decision on that matter of principle, but I reckon one should have the choice whether to "accept Jesus" or not rather than having it forced upon one at birth. The church hierarchy seem to thrive on creating these kinds of arguments and dissensions.

Littledale Hall is now a residential rehab centre for people with drug problems. There is a website giving details but strangely there is nothing about the principals who run this establishment - no names or company details at all. I presume this is a private enterprise that receives candidates mainly sent by and paid for by local authorities?

Beyond the hall Ordnance Survey said we were still on the public footpath but we were battling through waist high bracken until we discovered a substantial farm track a little higher up.

We walked as far as we could to get a view of the upper section of Littledale and were able to see where we had crossed higher up when we were walking the Lancashire Witches Walk in 2016. We then backtracked to pass through the buildings of Littledale Hall and eventually climbed up onto the edge of the Clougha Pike moorland. For me the track through the heather just coming into bloom was the highlight of this walk. I had not been on that part before and the views across to Black Coombe, Caw and the Old Man of Coniston and the rest of the Lakes hills was unusual and dramatic bcause we had enough height to be able to see these hills with the whole expanse of Morecambe Bay stretching out below them. Magic.

We had speculated about being able to match the appeal of our recent walk in the Hindburn valley and we reckoned that they both deserved equal merit.

Baines Crag and my parked car. A bit of Morcambe Bay in the background

Zoom to submarine construction buildings at Barrow 23 miles away

"C " number plate - 1965

At least it's still got some tread left on the tyres

Wooded valleys. Clougha Pike moorland - heather just coming into bloom

In Crossgill

We sat on the wall until this procession had passed by. They were in no hurry and neither were we

Littledale abandoned church

Littledale Hall

BC battling through the bracken. He turns back questioningly.

We found a proper farm track about twenty yards up the hill, but OS said we were on the public footpath here

We walked just beyond the far red line to get a view of upper Littledale then backtracked to pick up the return route - red line going right

Onto the moorland track

Looking back at our route. Littledale Hall the other side of the cleft top centre

Baines Crag - BC had of course climbed there but rough boulder terrain at the foot of the crags was off-putting 

N.b. - The underlining on the captions is happening randomly in New Blogger and whatever I  do I can't remove it. Googling tells me others are having the same problem.