GLW1702 : High Bentham and the Beef Baguette

Tuesday 7th March 2017

This oughtn't really have qualified as a Great Little Walk. It was a Walk and it was Little (very) but Great would be an exaggeration. However, it was pleasant, had its points of interest and could lead on to a genuine qualifier.

We were down near High Bentham visiting Art Restorer Richard Zahler so decided to have a walk along the River Wenning to Low Bentham and back, stopping en-route for lunch somewhere.

We set off with good intention but it was colder than expected and by the time we reached High Bentham we decided to stop there for lunch. It is a somewhat sad looking place, not helped by plumes of intense black smoke rising periodically. Basically a small mill town in which most of the industry has gone.

It seems to be just too far from Lancaster to be gentrified by commuters (despite the train station) and just too far from the Lake District, to a lesser extent the Yorkshire Dales and even the Trough of Bowland to provide much tourist trade.

In contrast, Low Bentham (or at least the part which we saw from the car on the way home) seemed to pass the first and maybe the fourth test.

Still, it was cattle market day and the Auction Mart appeared to be very busy.

Although many of the shops looked as though they had seen better days, several had interesting tromp d'ouils.

Lunch was good. Service in the small café was slow but I have to say that the beef baguette that I ordered was one of the finest I have ever had.

Once fed, we decided to head back to the car and set off home.

However, we had discovered information boards and an attractive leaflet, amusingly illustrated, that described a set of walks which looked really very interesting. The only problem was that they went upstream whereas we had strolled down stream.

One day soon we will need to return to Richard Zahler's and this time we will be better briefed, maybe to undertake what we hope will genuinely be a Great Little Walk.

Don, 7th March 2017

Click on the Bentham Heritage Trail Map for more information