Midge Walkers

Walk  No. 67

Hurst Green  26-06-2014

11 walkers met in Hurst Green with time for a toasted teacake and coffee at Millie’s tea room. Millie runs this tea room with help from her parents and it’s well worth a visit if you are in the area. The weather was very pleasant as we set off promptly at 11 o-clock from the war memorials and we made our way through the Shireburn Hotel carpark to head towards the first of our three rivers, the River Ribble. We were promised one stile and we quickly encountered that stile soon to be followed by a second, third and fourth. We were later to climb another stile to make a total of 5. “Not even close Rodney.”

When we came to Hacking Hall on the far bank, we stopped for a short coffee break and to watch the Swallows and Sand Martins swooping and diving over the river. It was here that there used to be a ferry but it was unclear why or where it would lead to. The second river was joined, the River Calder and then the River Hodder. We passed Winckley Hall and walked through some beautiful woodland before Rodney was able to point out a luxurious pig sty

Another woodland walk through Hacking wood was negotiated before Stoneyhurst College came into view for the first time where we stopped for lunch at the side of a very busy road. Lunch finished and feet rested, we continued down the main road until we spotted Cromwell’s Bridge. After looking at this for a while we turned away from it and followed the River Hodder and into the grounds of Stoneyhurst College, before returning to Hurst Green after a nice 7 mile walk. Rodney again filled us with information throughout the walk to make it a very entertaining day.

Well done Rodney, despite not being able to count the stiles.

J.W.