Midge Walkers

Walk  No. 68

Mawdesley Walk 6/7/14

The more of these walks I do, the more I realise how many secrets are inherent in the organisation. Nobody is keen to predict an accurate distance to be walked and nobody seems keen to identify any likely obstacles to be encountered. So, into this uncertain future 15 of us gathered at the recently refurbished Robin Hood at Mawdesley, on what promised to be a warm sunny afternoon. Notwithstanding the promising weather conditions those with a little less faith were noted to have secreted rainwear about their person, just in case.

Following an initial group photograph we left the car park and travelled for a short distance along the roadside until reaching a single lane footpath skirting around a very swish looking property and emerged over the first of what was to a series of stiles into open fields.

A view of a wind farm could be seen in the distance with the blades swirling gently in the sunlight and soon we engaged with a second stile followed closely by a footbridge over a gully.

Traversing another couple of fields brought us to a farm track which emerged onto a road adjacent to the Black Bull pub which was clearly undergoing major refurbishment.

Once again we travelled along the road for a distance and subsequently crossed a field to emerge into what appeared to be a quiet cul-de-sac of houses and then again took a footpath and more fields to view the site of alpacas grazing. Not particularly the sort of thing you expect to see in the Lancashire countryside.

Having negotiated a further field and footbridge our next challenge was to be an electric fence and third stile which could only be crossed by negotiating a mud and nettle obstacle course, onwards into a lane where we were to sit and take a well-earned coffee break.

Resuming our journey brought us alongside another magnificent property with a large garden around which the tracks of a model railway could be clearly seen. Doubtless Jack Cuerden would have been in his element. This brought us to the banks of a large pond around which, at strategic points, fishermen were sitting with their boxes of squirming red maggots and suitably bated rods.

Once again from here we were faced with a stile suitably protected with nettles, thistles and barbed wire, which we all fortunately negotiated safely only to be faced, a little further on, with yet another stile, onwards through a farmyard to emerge onto a road where we took a slight detour to view Eccleston Delph Water Entertainment Centre.

Having benefitted from another short break, we returned to the Robin Hood by road.

Once again this had been a well organised afternoon’s entertainment which after our muscles have recovered, we will all feel the better for.

P.R.L.