| Stile-ish Grimsargh |
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Date : 20th September 2009
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Leader : Phil Bedson |
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Report by : Phil Bedson |
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Photos © : Phil Bedson |
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| St.Michael's, Grimsargh | |
St. Michaels’ Church car park in Grimsargh was the starting point for a 10 mile walk by Phil Bedson who was accompanied by five others. It was a fine September morning and the blue skies were to remain for the whole day. A little bit of road walking started the day as we headed south from the church to take a footpath off to the left which led us along a little walked path next to an industrial estate. After battling our way through the undergrowth we arrived at a stile into open fields and with the sun warming everyone up it was time to remove a layer. Soon we had crossed the fields and entered a small wood which, like earlier, was difficult to navigate due to undergrowth (although overgrowth would be more appropriate!) Some steps led us downhill to a bridge over a stream before more steps took us up the other side although one must say it was more akin to The Lost World at the bottom of the valley! Once at the top again we found our way ahead was through yet more fields, momentarily interrupted by Elston Lane which afforded a great view of Longridge Fell, before we arrived at Wood Farm via yet another little used overgrown path. From here it was straight forward to the B6243.
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left:
Trudging through the fields |
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right: View towards Longridge Fell |
Crossing the road the route went on between the Grimsargh Reservoirs and was indeed pretty straight forward as we continued over fields, skirting Sudell’s, to a field lane leading us up to Pigot’s House. It was here we came across a ladder stile that was extremely unstable and a great deal of care was needed to cross into the next field. Not long after we had to cross another unusual stile which had been extended to cross two fences and from here it was a short field up to the lane.
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left:
Unstable stile... |
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right: ...to extra long stile |
The next stile off the lane was taken and this path was alongside a field full of alpaca’s, both young and old, and one youngster in particular seemed happy to see us and escorted us right across the field. Two more fields led us to Withy Trees and the B5269 which was followed along to Cumeragh Village. A small diversion took us into the NHS grounds to have a look at the old church associated with the nearby, now obsolete, Whittingham Mental Hospital. It was a sad sight to see the building fenced off and probably earmarked for demolition. The fence had also blocked off our way forward and so we were left no option but to return to the road and follow it round to the village of Goosnargh where The Stag’s Head was declared the lunch stop.
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left:
Alpacas! |
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right: St.Johns complete with railings |
Being fed and watered the Group set off along the road to take the lane down to Chingle Hall. The building and its moat obviously have its origins from times past and are probably circa 17thC. The lane led us past a fruitful damson tree and continued on down fields, past a stile that was standing by itself in the middle of a field, to join a lane up to New Chingle Hall. As we neared the buildings a stile on our left took us across another field to a hedge stile where we turned right uphill with the hedge on our right. Just one more field and we arrived at Haighton Green Lane.
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left:
Chingle Hall |
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right: Stile to nowhere |
The lane opposite made for an easy pace and upon arrival at a compound we took a path that led around the outer perimeter. This in turn took us to an enclosed lane which we left via a stile to ascend a field up to Clarkson’s fold and its very loud and annoying dogs. Following the lane along to Goose Hall it was but three more fields before we arrived back at St.Michaels and the car park. With a little over the 10miles on the gps carried by one person it had been a great walk.
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| Enclosed lane | |
