Stonyhurst College

Old Lower Hodder Bridge. Also known as Cromwell's Bridge

My Garmin GPS recorded the temperature (deg C) during the ride.

The corresponding altitude profile

Old photos always generate lots of interest

Eric and Pat courting in 1953

Cllr John Walker, Chorley's current Mayor, gets first go at the buffet.

Eric thanks family and friends

Lighting the Birthday Cake

The same spot in 2003

Eric without his entourage and Mayoral Robes.

On this day in 1651 the Battle of Wigan Lane was fought during the English Civil War. It was between Royalists under the command of the Earl of Derby and the New Model Army under the command of Colonel Robert Lilburne. The Royalists were defeated, losing nearly half their officers and men. Sir Thomas Tyldesley fought under the Earl of Derby's Royalist troops and was killed in action during the battle. His memorial is in Wigan so I thought a cycle ride to visit it would be in order.

Sir Thomas Tyldesley

Memorial to Sir Thomas Tyldesley

Today is the 8th Whittle-le-Woods Flower, Craft and Vegetable Show
held in the Village Hall.
The number of entries were up on previous years. A total of 214 entries from 44 entrants.

The Mayor and Mayoress are Councillor John Walker and his wife Mrs Marie Walker. The Mayor presented the prizes

One of the photo section winners. A lovely view of the Top Lock at Wheelton. I think the sky is improved by being in black and white. On the right is the portrait section winner.

There was some interesting evening light for my evening walk along Town Lane.

Along the canal tow path this cyclist was camping for the night. He is cycling from Lands End to John O' Groats. Tomorrow he is off to Kendal, about 60 miles.

Morning drove to Lancaster to visit the Lancaster City Museum.

I had two objectives. One was to photograph the Roman Tombstone that was found in 2006 and the other to photograph the Victoria Cross medal awarded posthumously to Pvt James Miller VC.

James Miller was born on 13th March 1890 at Taylor's Farm, Hoghton near Preston, the son of George and Mary Miller. The family later moved to 1 Ollerton Terrace. Withnell, near Chorley and James worked in the local paper mill at Withnell Fold. Miller enlisted on the outbreak of war. As No. 12639 Private James Miller, he joined one of Lord Kitchener's New Army Units, the 7th Battalion King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, which was raised at Bowerham Barracks in September 1914.

The Victoria Cross on display in Lancaster City Museum

After my meal I cycled around the Assynt coast road with its many delightful bays.

Most of the day was spent cycling to Lochinver to have a meal at the Lochinver (Seaman's) Mission. I was hoping for a meal of local seafood. It was in sight of the harbour. They didn't have any seafood so I had to make do with Chicken and Chips.

Loch Bad a’ Ghaill with Stac Polly in the distant left

Approaching Ullapool

This evening at the Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society meeting to see a presentation by Heather Davis, the Conservation Manager for Lancashire County Council. She spoke about the discovery of the Roman Tombstone in Lancaster in 2007 and its subsequent preservation and treatment before being put on public display. Just when we thought things couldn’t get more interesting we were treated to story of the finding of the Silverdale Hoard of Viking silverware in Sep 2011. The beauty of archaeology is that new stuff is being found all the time.

I don't know who took this wonderful picture so I can't say thanks.

Evening drove to Heysham for Chorley Photographic Society photo outing. We met in the main car park at 7pm and wandered across to the ruin of St Patrick’s Chapel on the headland. Adjacent are the famous stone cut craves. Then I wandered down to St Peter’s church but it was locked so couldn’t get inside. In the graveyard is an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft.

Stone graves c8th century at
St Patrick's Chapel ruin

St Patrick's Chapel, is a ruined building which stands on a headland above St Peter's Church, in Heysham, Lancashire. It dates from the 8th or 9th century, and is built of sandstone rubble.

It is believed that a church was founded on this site in the 7th or 8th century. In 1080 it was recorded that the location was the site of an old Saxon church. Some of the fabric of that church remains in the present church. The chancel was built around 1340–50 and the south aisle was added in the 15th century.
Also in the churchyard is the lower part of the decorated shaft of an Anglo-Saxon cross on a modern sandstone base

Lat/Long co-ordinates: 53.700575, -2.586402

I walked along the Leeds and Liverpool canal to Withnell Fold to join the Sports Club monthly walk. We set off from the club room by the cricket filed shortly after 13:00 with Jayne as our fearless leader. It was slightly overcast but bright with the weather warming up as we walked. The quiet Withnell Fold access road soon took us to the busy A674 main road where we crossed and back to the quiet of Oakmere Avenue. It’s strange that many years ago we always called it Flag Lane but I’ve never seen that name on a map.

Spectator as we walked through Brinscall

Passing the reservoirs on our left we reached Snape’s Heights buildings. With two paths to choose from we waited for Jayne who took us to the right and the west side of Pike Lowe. It’s a farm track for the first part then became a road at the top of Sandy Lane. Down Withnell Fold Old Road we reached School Lane and Brinscall. Passing through the play area and zip wire we joined the path that follows the line of the Goit watercourse. The first part is under a brick culvert but eventually emerges into the open. The goit is a man-made water course constructed in the 1850s to carry water from Roddlesworth Reservoirs to Anglezarke Reservoirs then through a pipeline to Liverpool. The path has been much improved in recent years and it was an easy and picturesque walk all the way to White Coppice. There was no cricket today but the pavilion was open for refreshments as many walker congregate here. It is the ideal starting point for gentle walks along the valley or more demanding walks up onto the moors. We stopped at the pavilion by the cricket field and most members enjoyed an ice cream. Through White Coppice we left the road just before Warth Bridge, crossing the ford by the adjacent wooden footbridge and heading up the track towards Tootals Farm. We didn’t go as far as the farm but turned off through fields to follow the path to the bridge over the line of the old railway.

Ice Cream break at White Coppice

The map showed a path at Lower House Fold so we headed that way. We couldn’t find the path and when one of the residents showed us where it was it turned out to be across someone’s nicely mown lawn. It then descended in to impenetrable scrub so we decided to retrace our steps to take a better know route. Before leaving we inspected the ruinous farm building of Lower House Fold. The date stone had long since been weathered away but the local resident said it used to say 1563.

Lower House Fold, 1692

When I got home I did an internet search and found it was a grade 2 listed building and when the survey was done in 1984 the date was still visible and read 1692. It was listed on 30 January 1987 and has an English Heritage Building ID of 184362.
After re-tracing our steps we took the track by Logwood Mill then the path up towards Briers Brow and Windy Harbour.

Path across the lawn

 The weather had improved and we had wonderful views along the valley with magnificent cloudscapes. A new house at Monk’s Hill was interesting as it was clad in very nice looking stone. Part way down Briers Brow we turned right at Compass Cottage to follow the path across fields to Higher Wheelton then rejoin the A674. We followed the roads footpath to Brandwood Fold were we crossed the fields back to Withnell Fold Cricket Clubhouse after a walk of 12.2km (7.5 miles). We then enjoyed tea and cakes.

Plan of the walk

Altitude profile of the walk

At the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh there is an exhibition on from 28 June to 17 Nov 2013. I wanted to see it so decided to make the journey today. Usually I get the train but it would have cost the same as a tank of fuel for my car and also using the bus from home then the train would take longer than driving. It was easy drive along the M6, M74 & M8 to the Park and Ride at Hermiston. There I caught the 25 bus into the centre of Edinburgh. I walked in warm sunny weather across the city to Chambers Street where the museum is. Being the Edinburgh Fringe season there were was lots going on with street acts and performances of all kinds. Entry to the museum is free but the Mary exhibition has a £7.50 entry charge.

More Mary info via
this link and
this link

Mary  c1559

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

The exhibition

The obligatory shop

National Museum of Scotland Victorian interior

Golden Girl

Went for a cycle ride via Wigan, Golborne, Leigh, Westhoughton and Horwich. It’s an interesting area with few hills but lots of signs of long lost industries. Passing though Wigan I stopped briefly at the memorial monument to Sir Thomas Tyldesley who was killed at the Battle of Wigan Lane which took place on 25th of August 1651. It was one of the last decisive battles of the Civil War.
I’m glan I cycled across the lift bridge over the Leeds and Liverpool canal at Plank Lane. I’ve not been over it before nor cycled along the wonderfully named Plank Lane.

Sir Thomas Tyldesley memorial.

Plank Lane over the Leeds and Liverpool canal.

Loch Lurgainn from Stac Polly

Between Inverness and Nairn is the 1746 battlefield of Culloden. It was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising when on 16 April 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart fought loyalist troops commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. The Hanoverian victory over the Jacobites decisively halted Charles Stuart's intent to overthrow the House of Hanover and restore the House of Stuart to the British throne.

This memorial cairn was erected in 1881
by Duncan Forbes of Culloden.

The evening sun above the battlefield of Culloden

Loch Maree from the south side of Slioch

Conservation Cairn