Following the coast (10)

Thursday 5th March 2020 - Freckleton to Preston - 7.5 miles

This part of the route demonstrates the difficulties of having a true English Coast Path. One can't avoid long detours inland round estuaries like the Ribble on this section where you have to walk all the way into Preston before you can cross, but there are no public rights of way that follow the river and so my route today seems to have no connection with coastal walking

My research lead me to believe that the 68 bus which would drop me off at the Lower Lane bus stop east of Freckleton where I finished last time would run from Preston Portal Park and Ride.

I parked and prepared to ride.

There was only one bus stop: the shuttle back to Preston Bus Station.

An onlooker advised me there was a Blackpool bus stop 400 yds. down the road. I walked there to find it wasn't for No. 68. I walked back and boarded the crowded shuttle to Preston Bus Station where I found the 68 and within ten minutes I was on my way. All this messing delayed my walking until  10:45 am.

A harassing kilometre had me back up the A 584 to find a muddy track heading north: Lund Way. A sign indicated that its establishment as a local path had input from the Women's Institute which seemed to be a similarly uncharacteristic project for them as posing naked for a calendar.

Lund Way became more and more muddy. At one point I left my trail shoe embedded, staggered as I tried to extricate then blundered shoe number two into embedment leaving me standing on the grass edge extricating both shoes with my walking poles - not such a good start especially after all the bus faffing, but I had to see the funny side and I had a bit of a laugh and was just glad nobody else appeared on the scene.

A better track lead to Newton with Scales, a village presumably suffering from an incurable complaint. From there a footpath which was really an intermittent marsh made for slow going and hopping from tussock to tussock. At one of the several awkward stiles I stepped off on the other side onto what appeared to be solid earth and went in again, but this was slurry not benign mud and I went in with both feet right up to my shins, but good news, this time I managed to overcome the suction but with much huffing and puffing without shoes detaching. Just when I thought I was leaving the nasty stuff behind when the path became a two foot wide lane with barbed wire on each side I found that despite it having been scythed there were still many brambles trying to snag and topple me. There were also several large storm broken branches across the path which had to be heaved off into the woods, and then a final full-scale double tree trunk that needed ingenuity to climb over.

I crossed the busy A583 and walked through Clifton to exit by a very minor country lane which sported a "Road closed" sign, but I've seen many of those and pressed on. After half a kilometre the road dipped to a brook where the road was blocked by a lorry and behind that an excavator and a portacabin. I took a zoom shot from distance being aware that photography may not be welcome. I walked past the excavator and the road under repair and two chaps were lolling in the doorway of the portacabin. Despite the fact that my walk through presented no more difficulty than walking anywhere one of these chaps started telling me off saying I shouldn't have walked through "a building site" and that it was "dangerous" and some more. I was a bit flippant and said "well this is the only way I can go and I'm not going back so hard luck" and I marched on. I am normally more diplomatic than that but these guys were so petty when we could just as easily have had a pleasant chat.

At the point when I would leave this lane for another footpath a couple of old tractors were on display. One was the iconic grey Fordson which revolutionised the use of machinery with tractors (forgotten the model), but the other was I believe much rarer - see photo. My camera translated all the bright orange paintwork on the surfaces caught by the sun into a vivid yellow that just wasn't as my eyes were seeing it. I have tried since in Photoshop to correct the colour but gave up as a bad job.

There was a notice about footpath closure on a whole sheet of A4 tightly scripted in legalese and practically unintelligible for anybody without a law degree, but I gathered the footpath was closed. I ignored that and proceeded. Some new fencing blocked the path after a couple of hundred yards, but I was able to climb over and and cross some recently excavated earthwork then down to Preston Golf Course, through Ashton. I met a woman dog walker with a young Labrador and I tried to make friends (with the Labrador!) but he was very wary and I was told that it was because of my rucksack - normally these fatuous statements annoy me, but she was good humoured and pleasant and certainly not accusatory as some are. The Larches Estate proved to be a decent residential area contrasting with its dire reputation from my memories of living in Preston over twenty years ago; I think nearly all the houses are now privately owned. I skirted south of Ashton Park. A pleasant finish alongside Preston Dock had me back at my car at Preston Portway Park and Ride. I suspect my account sounds as though this walk was tiresome, but what matters is one's mood at the time and all in all I had enjoyed myself. I'm looking forward to getting south of the Ribble now and hoping this damned Coronavirus doesn't put the block on everything for what for me seems a long awaited summer.

Off the A 584 onto Lund Way

Further on I bbecame two-foot embedded - no photo

This was the second embedment but SLURRY this time

Are these celandines? Whatever they seem to be blooming very early as are many other flowers.

The uunusual tractor. My camera turned the highlights yellow - Photoshop was out of its depth. Note the plaque on the wall - see photo below

Attachment on the ttractor- see nameplate below

George Sella & Son - Huntly. I Googled: an old established and apparently well respected Scottish manufacturer of agricultural machinery - I don't think they are still going, well I couldn't find a website, but lots of history

Note the old iiconicFordson in the background

Preston dock

The blue and green routes are yet to come safterI cross the Ribble

Following the coast (9)

Monday 2nd March 2020 - St. Annes to Freckleton - 9 miles +

I lived in Preston for many years. Walking down the seafronts at St. Annes and Lytham today reminded me of, well read on...

After paying £4.50 to park for the day at the car park near StAnnes lifeboat I was off at 9:30 am in good weather but still needing layers and headgear to keep out the biting wind. As I approached Lytham the beach path was closed off and I had to divert back onto the road. The reason became apparent:  much sea defence work is afoot.

A cormorant posed whilst drying its wings on a jetty at Fairhaven Lake - ok, it may have been a Shag but I think the wing spreading is more characteristic of the former.

I spotted a number of litter pickers on the beach and met their leader coming rowards me up the prom, on the way to "round up her flock" as she said. We chatted and she identified the distant horizon across the bay - I had wonderd if I was looking at Liverpool, but it is Southport - that looks an awful long way away but I will be there 'ere long. I was told that Liverpool can be seen further round to the right "on a clear day."  It was pretty clear today but no show.

The Ribble Cruising Club i.e. sailing club loomed to jolt my memory. With my late brother Nick we raced our Merlin rocket dinghy back in the 60s. Here at an open meeting there were two races but because of tides we couldn't come back ashore in between and the sea was decidedly choppy. I reckon we spent about five hours out there and when I stepped out onto the landing stage afterwards my legs just collapsed like jelly.

Further, on the other side of the road, another memory was triggered by the Clifton Arms Hotel. In my erstwhile occupation I took customers for lunch from time to time. On one such occasion I took a prominent Fylde businessman and his attractive wife to the Clifton. They were good company and we had a throughly enjoyable meal. As we were getting into our respective cars Mr. B said to his wife "We're just going back to the factory" she replied "No you're not, you're coming home with me'" That was perhaps my most successful business lunch ever.

The England Coast Path seems to be getting a few mentions recently; I encountered the first way-marker I have seen - a superb substantial cast iron affair pointing to low and high tide options. I chose to walk by the high having been lead to believe flooding was likely on the low option. I think there will be endless work to establish the whole of that path - there are many places where one is  froced to come inland a long way, but where permissive paths may be negotiated to stay nearer to the concept. Having said that I walked the whole of the Welsh coast just before the official path was opened and I had a feeling of satisfaction that I had done my own thing, but I am not decrying the formation of good long distance paths. The ones I am not enamoured by are where some local authority has connected a lot of inferior paths round the edges of crop fields with no particular objective other than perhaps encircling their borough or domain and claiming this as The Whatevershire Way.

I walked up one side of Lytham Dock boatyard to the road then back down the other side on a banking path by-passing the road. As I heard the tinkling of rigging on the metal masts in the wind  I estimated that perhaps eighty percent of the forlorn craft were in such dilapidated state they were never going to sea again. Owners must be paying for their berthing - so how long do the owners continue paying, and how do you dispose of such a thing when it is scrap?

The banking path lead to Warton Bank, but I had been told the path beyond skirting the south of Warton airfield was also flooded so I was back to road walking through Warton to the far side of Feeckleton for the rest of the walk. Emerging onto the A584 I turned left for only about thirty yards and waited four minutes for a bus back to St. Annes and my car.

Looking back to the St. Annes lifeboat...

...and then looking towards Lytham

Diversion back onto the road. New sea defences under construction

Towards Fairhaven Lake and Lytham

Fairhaven Lake. The cormorant is just identifiable on the end of the centre jetty - see next photo zoom

New sea defences underway

Distant Southport - about seven miles in a straight line. The tall structure at righthand end looks like some kind of suspension bridge. That may awsit discovery until I get there

The litter collector I spoke to who identified Southport to the south pointed out distant Winter Hill on the horizon here. That would be twenty miles away

Lytham sailing club, scene of my dinghy racing back in the 60s

This was our Merlin Rocket, an elegant clinker built wooden classic design. It is being impeccably helmed here, by my late brother Nick approaching tight into wind. That was taken at our own club on Hollingworth Lake

The famous Lytham windmill. It ceased grinding wheat in 1921 and has been restored several times, once after a fire. We attended Lytham open day with the family back in the Eighties held on this open sward between road and sea - I had a helicopter flight.

The Clifton Arms. It was an excellent dining place when I entertained customers back in the Eighties

Posh seats on the prom at posh Lytham. There is the usual line of memorial seats here but they are all identical. Lythsm local authority must have dictated their non-negotiable use to avoid anything tatty lowering the stanadards.

My first England Coastal Path sign - they are setting themselves a high standard to follow

Jut below Lytham dock boatyard

Lythan Dock boatyard - a sad collection of negelcted craft

This tractor (and below) was stood in the water with engine running and nobody in attendance. I think it was pumping water but I reckon it would be struggling to make much impression. The model is not familiar to me - another for Allan.

Following the coast (8)

Thursday 27th February 2020 - Starr Gate tram terminus Blackpool to St. Annes-on-Sea, 2.5 miles

On the previous section I had intended to walk as far as St. Annes-on-Sea but bailed out at at Starr Gate tram terminus for deteriorating weather and time constraints.

Today should have been my Thursday walk with Pete. During the night I had developed a literally STREAMING cold but with no feelings of illness or temperature. I phoned Pete and he was emphatic about not wanting to be blighted, but it was now later than I would normally set off on my coastal campaign. But, including those extra 2.5 miles to St. Annes on the next section to get me to Freckleton would have involved 11 miles plus, so I decided to knock off the 2.5 miles so I could be more relaxed for the eventual section to Freckleton.

I was able to park in a side street at Starr Gate. I thought I would be walking down the main road but a path lead off into sand dunes in the direction of the coast so I followed but anticipating endless difficult one foot forward one foot backwards sand dune walking, but after some such quite arduous uphill I dropped down onto the beach and walked all the way to St. Annes on glorious firm sand. Huge rolling white clouds against deep blue sky and wild sea on my right and wide expanses of golden sand stretching into the distance made for enjoyable seascape walking. Again I was well clothed and well protected from the cold wind. A kite surfer was busy preparing his kit - at one time I might have been envious, but these days I value more my comfort.

Dog walkers were numerous, some a long way out on the edge of the breakers and looking vulnerable. All the dogs seem to have an endless appetite for chasing and fetching their balls. I remember my Springer Barney preferring to find the longest possible branch he could manage then using at as a scythe to fell you from behind.

I could see St. Anne's pier in the distance and as I drew nearer it looked run down but apparently it is till active which is not bad to say it has survived storms and raging sea since 1885.

This may be difficult to read so I have transcribed it below, but whatever I strongly recommend reading. There is more about this on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeboat_Monument,_St_Annes

I walked as far as the lifeboat station and recconoitered the car park there for next time. Here there is a fine statue of a lifeboatman looking out to sea, high up on a good plinth.

The plaque describes the worst RNLI disaster ever in December 1886 (see my transcript below.) The thought of those men and their selfless determination to save lives with the knowledge that they may likely sacrifice their own had me feeling emotional and as I type now just having re-read more carefully I am moved again to a tear. Just imagine launching out in what were open rowing/sailing boats in a full gale in December at night. That is true braveness.

The Mexico lifeboat disaster was one the RNLI’s worst-ever tragedies. It was a German cargo ship, a barque that was wrecked in a full WNW gale off Southport on 9 December 1886. It was on its way from Liverpool to Guayaquil in Ecuador,

Fearing the vessel would be blown on to the sandbanks to her doom, the Captain sent out distress signals. The Lytham, St Annes and Southport Lifeboats answered the call. They rushed to save the crew of the Mexico – which by this time was being blown down the River Ribble.

The Eliza Fernley lifeboat was launched first from Southport, and that capsized, losing 14 of the crew of 16.

Shortly after the Southport lifeboat was launched, the St Annes lifeboat Laura Janet set sail. No one knows exactly what happened to it – except that the next morning the lifeboat was found washed ashore. Three dead bodies were still clinging to it, and all the crew of 13 men were lost.

A third lifeboat, the Charles Biggs from Lytham was also launched. On its first rescue they successfully saved the twelve crew of the Mexico.To date this is still the worst loss of RNLI crew in a single incident, with 27 men lost.

16 widows and 50 orphans were left behind. An appeal was launched to raise money to help them, and for a memorial. It was this fundraising which led to the first RNLI flag days. Generous donors included Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm.

Following the coast (7)

Tues. 25th February 2020,  Rossall School (Wyre Way) to Starr Gate, Blackpool.
Aprox. 8.5 miles


Drove to Rossall School - walked to tram terminus, Starr Gate, South of Blackpool. Returned by perhaps my second Blackpool tram journey. I vaguely remember having a holiday in Blackpool with Mother and brothers circa 1946 and I suppose we must have journeyed on the tram at some point then. today I was impressed by this efficient, clean and comfortable transport.

These sea photos are worth clicking to enlarge

Starting out from Rossall. Blackpool Tower visible, centre horizon

Artwork on sea wall, and below

The "wild and wasteful ocean." I was wearing a base layer, a Rohan Explorer shirt, a lightweight hollowfill jacket and my Paramo Jacket, the latter with hood up and zipped to chin and I remained so cocooned for the whole walk. The wind was torturing the sea forcing huge foaming breakers and what appered to be full tide for the whole of the four hour walk. It was difficult to remember that this is an iconic, extensive beach, holiday venue - there was no sign of that today.

Zoom.

Gulls were active all the way with continuous mock ups of Battle of Britain dog fights.

Monument to hundreds of shipwrecks off this coast since 1643 - all the names are laser cut into the panel, also listed on engraved panel below

A monument listing the names of hundreds of shipwrecks

Norbreck Hotel. It is up for sale.
Note also the tramlines. I hadn't realised whilst walking how obtrusive the tramway infrastructure now appears on the photos.

The tower on left and North Pier Blackpool in distance

Blackpool Tower. Well I might have some viewers from abroad who  wouldn't recognise it?

Huge area of ceramic type flooring on the prom showing quotes from and listing all the entertainers. This appears to be an extremely well constructed feature

Rossall School. Full time boarding - £11,000 + (PER TERM)