GLW2122 : What are we going to do now?

Monday 2nd August 2021

“What are you going to do now?” asked the man after we had freegled him something like 250 magazines.

“Go for a walk,” said I.

“Find a café” said the Dearly Beloved.

“The Old Post Office in the village is now a café” responded the man.

And that is how we found ourselves sitting in the back yard of the Old Post Office at Hornby, drinking tea in the sunshine.  What perplexed me was why, here in the heart of the Red Rose county, were they so proudly promoting Yorkshire Tea? Weird.  Still, it was a good brew and Margaret certainly enjoyed her huge scone (or scon as she calls it) with jam and cream.

"What are we going to do now?" we asked ourselves.  “Let’s just have stroll round the village,” we answered.  So we headed north, over Hornby Bridge, past the castle entrance (not open to the public), past the church with its unusual octagonal tower, and on to the end of the village.  

We crossed over the road and returned to the car.

"What are we going to do now?" again was the question. “Let’s have a stroll along the river,” was the answer.  So back across the strangely wide bridge we went, then turned east along the north bank of the River Wenning, looking back at the village.

After about a mile we reached the River Lune, a very pleasant confluence.

In the banking were many holes; nesting places for Sand Martins.

We followed the east bank northwards, past the Priory Farm as far as the Loyn Bridge.  

Its name made me wonder if it were a corruption of “Lune” (or vice-versa).  Uncle Google hasn't exactly helped but I have discovered that the name “Lune” derives from an Irish Celtic word meaning “health giving”.  I’d rather drink the tea, thanks, even if it does come from Yorkshire.

Near the bridge we found a Captain Mannering Pill Box set on the site of an ancient Motte & Bailey (sounds like it should be a TV cop show) Castle.

The road led us back to the north end of the village where surprisingly is a public swimming pool and a rather strange school.  Strange in the sense that we couldn’t work out who the pupils might be.  The signage is for “OneSchool Global” with the strapline “Learning to learn”.  Its dire website (which won’t work with Internet Explorer if you still use it) suggests it is some sort of teacher training college that is part of some sort of international organisation that specialises in teaching cutting-edged, technology-empowered buzz phrases.  The signage “Lancaster campus” had led me to think it was part of Lancaster University but I now know that it is the Lancaster Campus of the OneSchool Global Schools organisation which is associated with the Plymouth Brethren Church.  Hmm.

There were two very sad looking closed pubs not greeting us.  On the other hand and other side of the road next to the church, the pie shop, looked much more inviting but it was by now closed. The local children appeared to appreciate its produce.

It was getting late.

"What are we going to do now?" once more we queried.

“Let’s go home,” we agreed.  

That makes it sound as if we hadn’t enjoyed the walk.  We had, especially alongside the River Lune.  It was shortish and rather different to our typical ones but it still qualified as a Great Little Walk.

Don, Monday 2nd August 2021

3.9 Miles, 150 feet

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