On these slightly remoter parts of the walk the scenery was at times quite breathtaking. There is a real rural feel to the walk. The sense of space gazing over Cockerham Marsh, the delight in passing fields of sunflowers, albeit slightly fading now, the view over Morecambe Bay to the distant hills over Ulverston, all lend themselves to the idea that civilisation was a long way away. At the top end of this country section we passed through the area where Patty's Barn is located. Offering a selection of self-catering cottages it is well located for a wider and more leisurely investigation of this part of Lancashire.
There is not much left of the 12C abbey to see, the only substantial remains are those of the chapter house. There are some remains of the walls but most of them are buried beneath the soil. Established in 1180-90, the abbey was occupied until 1539 when it was passed to the King's Commissioners as part of the dissolution of the monasteries under the directions of Henry VIII. Situated on a raised hillock, in its heyday, the abbey would have been fairly isolated and surrounded by marshland. Originally founded by Hugh the Hermit who established a monastic cell, which grew to become a Premontratensian abbey called St Mary's of the Marsh.
Walking along this early section we could see over to Sunderland Point, where the approach road is a tidal road and which was on our mind as we will walk there tomorrow. The walk on the river was ever so tranquil. What could be better than a quiet river walk, beautiful scenery and warm, late summer sunshine? Sadly, we were only on the river for a short time as the path turns inland to go round Glasson Marsh. Crossing the water at Janson Pool we had another encounter with cattle, but this time a herd of quiet and docile dairy cows who were fairly content to chew the cud and watch the world and the walkers go by.
The area around the Glasson marina is lovely, with plenty of places to stop and take the weight off your feet. We chose to stop for lunch just after the swing bridge where there is a very good food van with a seating area. We arrived just before the van was swamped by motor cyclists who were obviouly enjoying a day out in the country.
From Glasson we had a walk of about thirty minutes to our hotel, The Mill at Condor Green. We had chosen to locate ourselves here for the week as I could use it as a base for the walks from Lytham as far as Silverdale, different family members dropping me off at the day's dawn and picking me up after the day's labour. Meanwhile, they enjoyed days out in various parts of Lancashire, or individuals joined me for a walk as and when. The walk on the canal from Glasson to Condor on the Green is a very nice, quiet walk in delightful rural surroundings. There is plenty of wildlife on the canal to keep you busy, as well as lots of people to talk to.
To have a fine luxury hotel to look forward to at the end of the day made a change from the usual wet and muddy campsites we are used to. All in all, despite the road sections, a walk I would recommend if you find yourself in the area.