Midge Walkers

Walk No.  174

 Cottam/ Haslam 19-11-23  

The comedy writers Flanders and Swan, who were around in the 1960’s wrote many songs about the weather. I’m sure you will remember “Mad  dog’s and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun”. If they had been around  on Sunday the 19th I have no doubt they would have composed a ditty  regarding the 14 adventurous souls assembled in the drizzle at the bottom of  Egerton Rd opposite Ashton Park. Initially our leader recanted some of the  history of Ashton House, built in 1810 by Thomas Starkie Shuttleworth who  lived there until his death in 1819 when it passed into the hands of James  Pedder who founded his bank in Church St and gave rise to the name  Pedder’s Lane. Another well known name owner of the house, for a period  was one of Preston’s greatest benefactors Edmund Robert Harris.

Setting off up Pedder’s Lane and duly crossing Blackpool Rd at the point  where Jaguar House used to be, we passed along Cottam Lane and under a  subway supporting both the main rail line and Tom Benson Way, continuing  to a point where we branched left through the trees and along side Savick  Brook. This brought us to the side of the main road which we crossed at a  set of traffic lights and passed along a footway under another bridge at the  side of the Millennium Ribble Link. The rain had increased by now and  fortunately everyone had started out with appropriate clothing which this sort  of weather would certainly test for effectiveness.  

Arriving at Savick Way, where a bridge crossed the canal to the right brought  us on to a section of the Guild Wheel, along a tree lined route and under a  further rail bridge and into the UCLAN Sports complex. Despite the adverse  weather, youths were still participating in games of football. We hastened  through the area arriving at the canal tow path at Bridge No 17. Continuing  to a large basin area where seats were available and we had planned a  stop, the weather was not conducive, so the coffee remained in our  rucksacks.

The towpath route eventually arrived at a path leading into Haslam Park and  following a perimeter route, we arrived at the gates at the end of Bristol Ave.  Here a plaque displayed how Mary Haslam, the daughter of a local mill  owner gifted the gates in memory of her father, when the park opened in  1910.

Our route back was via the path through the park and returning along Cottam Lane to our starting point very much wetter than we had started. So much for wet weather clothing.