BOOTboys

Great Little Walks

GLW1104 Around Underley Hall

3rd April 2011

Poor Margaret was not in the best of spirits as we parked at Kirkby Lonsdale. She had changed her trousers before setting out and now she was worried it might rain in which case she had the wrong ones on.

Then after crossing Devil's Bridge and climbing up through the caravan site with its strange lodges she realised that she had forgotten to lock the car.

To make matters worse, the path thereafter was narrow and muddy and unpleasant under foot. She was not a happy mummy on Mothers Day.

River Lune road bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale

A strange lodge

On the other hand, I was in strangely good spirits, despite, for the first time in a long time, having to wear my girdle because I had damaged by back through watching too much television whilst lying on the floor!

As we passed the golf course, I found a golf ball on the path. Then another, this time a striking orange colour. As I am not a golfer, I don't know why these discoveries gave me so much joy but they did!

Heading round Casterton Hall was interesting and even more so on the other side at the Malt House, very nicely modernised accommodation.

Casterton Hall

One of many trees down

Casterton Hall sheep

Next we headed into the woods, where there were a surprising nmber of fallen trees. Occasionaly we could see, on the other side of the river, glimpses of Underley Hall.

Margaret, who, to be fair was now in slightly better spirits, realised that her real problem was nothing to do with trousers or keys or mud. It was food. Her blood sugars were getting low and she needed to eat.

Once we emerged into the open fields we took shelter from a modest breeze behind a wall, facing the sun, and refuelled. A jealous lamb was very inquisitive.

Underley Hall

Team picture

The friendly lamb

A distant Barbon Fell

In much better spirits we crossed the fields and circled round to the river. The Lune here is very broad and purposeful.

A bend in the Lune

The grand bridge

Upstream with broken banking from the bridge

The bridge over the river is strange- very 1870s mock castellations with the two sides seemingly build three years apart. Strange.. We crossed over and headed off up the drive until the first junction. The problem was that it did not correspond with the map.

Stupid me.

Wrong bridge- we should have continued upstream another half mile or so.

Correction. Clever me.

This was a much better route, if not exactly on public footpaths. We emerged at Home Farm and took the permitted route through Underley Park. The view over to the Hall was never unobstructed and it soon vanished behind a small mound.

Underley Hall

On reaching Ruskin's View, it was time for a coffee stop. Shortly after, we dropped down the steep steps to the river and returned to the Devil's Bridge Car Park.