LEYLAND

 WORDEN PARK 

SNAILSPACERS :- Anthony, Mike, Danny

                                  John , Paddy,  Jim.

We are blessed with many fine parks in and around Preston and Worden Park in Leyland doesn't let us down.

After parking in a seemingly up market suburban Road - Parkgate Drive we crossed the bridge from the road into the park. 

"SNAILPACERS" ???    I must remind readers that as the years pass quickly our walking speed does not . Our walking pace is no longer of "Olympic Standard"   Was it ever ???

Paddy can just be seen at the rear left of this photo,

A few directions from John.........         This way Paddy !

before we set off across the top end of the park.

Past the large and attractive children's play area

We briefly considered cycling round the park but didn't fancy the saddles. Seriously, however, what an imaginative  style of bike rests.

Here we are at a junction. Follow the narrow strip of woodland straight ahead of us or follow the tarmac path to the car park in the distance ?

We took the woodland path.

Arriving at the busy car park it looked like some naughty child had been told to "Hop It"

Did I say the Car park was busy ?  well it was BUT one section was closed off . WHY?

This well, and probably expensively, appointed section was closed off. Again WHY

These equally well appointed steps led steeply down to Shaw Brook which was flowing through an understandably soggy wood.

Although the woodland floor on either side was sodden, the path itself remained almost entirely sound and dry.

As well as the ubiquitous bluebells wild garlic grew alongside the path. 

Some of the BLUEbells were WHITE but that is surely an oxymoron and we don't need anymore morons on our walks.

"C'mon" says our erstwhile leader as he forged ahead.

Is this the remains of an old building or simply a folly .

Paddy came to take a closer look.......... I think.

Leaving the rather damp but non the less attractive valley we climbed up and as lunchtime loomed we headed for the cafe complex.

BUSY ?  It certainly didn't appear so from the outside.

The food and drink were all very good but also in my opinion very expensive, In fact the most expensive of the many cafes we have visited.

Paddy was determined to "Kill" his offering before he consumed it.

DOGS !  I shall probably be offending some people at this point. There were a lot of dogs in the cafe.  At one point two them started fighting. This is not good. People are very fond of their dogs and understandably so. I myself like dogs but NOT in cafes and restaurant where non doggy people come for a quiet , undisturbed lunch. During our lunch one dog left it's owner and trailed it's lead round our feet under the table.  As no-one came to retrieve it one of our group (me)  stood up and said in a loud voice "HAS ANYONE LOST A DOG ?" It's owner eventually came to retrieve it without explanation or real apology.

There. That's it . I shall now keep my head down to avoid various flying missiles.

I hope Paddy has another leg !

Here's Mike emerging from the maze. He was the only one of us brave enough to enter it. (After two metres he turned round and came out..... We have all done it several times before i must add)

Rap on the knuckles for John here. He told the group we were visiting the old Yew Tree, WRONG !!!!!  It was a CEDAR OF LEBANON,   That's blown his dendritic credentials completely.

and so to the cars and home. 

"On the trail of the lonesome..... er..Pine?..Ash? ..Willow?....Horse ch?......      ..............TREE !"

JW

AVENHAM

 CONFUSION ! 2 Miles

The Gathered :- John W, Danny, Anthony, Paddy,

                             John R, Jim C,  Mike.

With John W giving his new knee it's first real outing our walk this week was planned to be short.

We parked at the end of the Boulevard which runs beside the river at the bottom of London Rd. (or did we ?) There were four of us to begin with.

Jim C said he would meet us there and after a few minutes he phoned us to say he was close at hand and would be there in " 2 ticks". So we set off to meet him en route. 

There are two paths from the car park leading to Avenham Park. we chose different ones and so, like blind men in the dark, we walked past each other.

 

It was only a short walk to the Tram Bridge where Avenham Park begins. Realising our mistake, phone calls were exchanged ............

........and soon Jim arrived to join us.  Here comes Jim !

Jim informed us that the Car Park was NOT at the end of the Boulevard (as instructed) which had by then become an "Esplanade" ( Which amongst other things is a flat area where people may walk back and forth for pleasure...( OXFORD DICTIONARY)

We stopped here a little while discussing the imminent rebuilding of the tram bridge. A seemingly knowledgeable young lady told us that the new bridge HAD to be built soon or the money for it (Levelling up) would be withdrawn. She also explained how a giant crane would work from the opposite side of the river dropping the various parts into the river from there. The next photo shows that trees have already been cut down to clear the way for it.

Then along the riverside walk and into the PAVILION (cafe).

Although the cafe was busy we were able to find a table to accommodate us all and as it was quite early we ordered drinks whilst we thought about what we might eat.

Not long after we arrived we were joined by John Russell (on the right here) who had come down from Penwortham and entered the Park from the opposite direction.

At this point Paddy announced that he had to go home and standing up and putting his coat on he left us ????? Fortunately he got home safely.

Then Mike H joined us having parked, he thought, on the Boulevard to the west of the parks. ( Actually Broadgate )

We now ordered food. Being Gourmands rather than Gourmets bacon/sausage Baps were the popular choice for a light lunch. 

We took a leisurely lunch, talking and laughing all the while, before leaving the cafe to continue our short walk. Once outside the cafe we said goodbye to John Russell as he left to return to Higher Penwortham.

Rather than simply go back along the riverside walk we walked uphill past the Japanese Garden.

As a group we are somewhat addicted to "Bridge Photos" so we couldn't walk past the Japanese Garden without taking a couple.

Arriving at the top of the slope we took a right turn back towards Tram Bridge.

As we walked along the top of the park the lady on the left of the second photo below offered to take a shot of all five of us together. (Two had left remember) Thank you kind lady.

                  Danny         Anthony            John      Mike            Jim

From the top walk of the park we looked back over the "Amphitheatre" to see the rather handsome "County Hotel". It's name has been changed to .....??

A short stop to investigate this building (Belleview,, Beauregarde ?) before dropping steeply down to Tram Bridge once more.

From here Mike and Jim turned right to follow the river back through Miller Park to where they had parked their cars.

The small remaining group returned to the car to drive home.

Just before we reached the car we came across this warning....

Oh ! I'm glad they told us 

JW

BREAKING THE SILENCE

 THE ROAD AHEAD

A Long and Winding Road (The Beatles)

The Road is Long with Many a Winding Turn  (The Hollies)

Keep Right on till the End of the Road (Harry Lauder)

So many songs have been written about travelling a road. It is, it seems, part of the universal human experience. A metaphor for life itself. 

There is a certain melancholy about such songs, A certain realisation that such roads are difficult and challenging. Demanding fortitude and determination. 

But in practically all of them HOPE remains constant. No road goes on forever The promise of better times lies ahead.

Good heavens JW . That was a bit over the top for a bunch of old fellas pottering around rural (and urban) Lancashire. 

Well yes , dear reader, you're right,  but if we wind it down a notch or two (or three) The Meanderthals have been on the road for quite a number of years and just at present the road seems to be definitely winding and rocky.

A New knee for one walker.  A heart needing attention from another. A health related driving prohibition for another and major surgery on a foot for another. All these things combined with long list of chronic health conditions mean the Meanderthals can at times be rather depleted.

And then of course the BIG ONE...............  OLD FATHER TIME !

After many, many years of walking together.............

............ The Meanderthals are...  to a man ................. arriving at or have already arrived at.......... OCTOGENARIAN status.  Like an old car,  parts need repairing or replacing and the whole  system needs a service. The only question now to be asked and answered    "Are we Veterans or Vintage ?"

We are, most of us, becoming aware of our advancing years. Some of us are beginning to find more than a mile or two challenging. Others (e.g, Danny) seems oblivious or immune to the accumulation of past birthdays. We are agreed, though, that the most important thing is the continuation of our camaraderie. So our Thursday walks are now more accurately  "Thursday Gatherings" which may and usually do include a walk of varied lengths and a visit to a cafe for a  coffee/snack  of UN-limited length. Where much talking , laughing and hot air is exchanged.

And So....... to misquote Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear...... "To the unknown...and beyond." ................  together.

See you all in the future ?

JW