BOOTboys

Great Little Walks

GLW1111 : South from Bowland Bridge

or Mud, Mud, Not so glorious Mud

Saturday 15th October 2011

One advantage of arranging to go to a pub for dinner in the evening is that the landlady is usually amenable to you parking there through the day.

So it proved with the Hare & Hounds at Bowland Bridge.

We set off walking up the road towards the competition, the Masons Arms, but before reaching it turned left with the sign for Cartmel Fell.

Whitbarrow Scar

There was a fine view over to Whitbarrow Scar and eventually we came across the path that drops down to the very old St Anthony's Church which is a little gem.

The path to St Anthony's

Inside St Anthony's

St Anthony's Church

The font

Outside is the old school, now a village hall, complete with interesting mosaic and an even more interesting sliding rock!

The mosaic

The sliding rock

South, we continued, sometimes by road, other times through pleasant woodland trails.

At the Ashes we saw a display of washing for the record (although strangely Margaret seemed more interested in the barn behind).

Washing with barn behind (click on picture)

Snack team picture

Shortly afterwards, a snack and team picture was taken before passing by Little Thorphinsty, finally reaching our turning point at Thorphinsty Hall. Unfortunately the presence of owners prevent a better photo being taken other than of the cows and the pampas grass.

Thorphinsty cows

Thorphinsty Hall

Thorphinsty pampas grass

Whitbarrow Scar with Yewbarrow to the right

It was road work as far as Hodge Hill Hall, once a restaurant but seemingly no more. Presumably the "no more" similarly applies to its anti-invasion gun bunker?

Hodge Hill Hall

Hodge Hill Hall bunker

Our way now led across increasingly boggy fields and through streams that don't appear on the map, such has been the recent (i.e. since May) dampness.

The first hint of bogginess to come

The second hint

Margaret found the going particularly difficult and her husband particularly insensitive to her predicament when she slipped and fell into the slime and all he could do was laugh and take photos. I have to admit that I was surprised at how much effort it took to retrieve her from the not so glorious mud.