The weather in the last few days has been cloudy, overcast and very warm, with close, tight air conditions. We expected to have rain at some point today but it held off until we were back at base. Nonetheless, it was a 'dark' day with poor light conditions most of the time.
Before we could start walking, we had to change base again and drove from Southport to Preston, left our car at the hotel and then caught a bus back to Hesketh Bank to start walking. Of course we caught the wrong bus, which dropped us on the main road above Hesketh, rather than in the village itself. It seemed mad to walk down a mile and then walk back the same mile, so we gave it a miss. Okay! Okay! Burn me at the stake!
On either side of the path there were swathes of wild flowers, painting the countryside with extravagance, a glorious kaleidoscope of colour. Just below the village of Freckleton on the opposite bank there is a view in to the mouth of the Dow Brook as it runs in to the Ribble. Towards the end of the path it deteriorated in places, overgrown with weeds and nettles but full with warm, sweet brambles that we enjoyed by the handful. We made sure, of course, to follow the countryside code on the eating of such fruits and only took from above knee height to avoid the urine residue of various two and four-legged craturs.
The path cuts round to go underneath the road and pedestrian bridge that goes over the River Ribble. Cutting off from the park up a narrow path we took a shortcut up the steep earth banking, climbing over a crash barrier to emerge directly on to the bridge and from there walked almost in a straight line to our accommodation at the top of the hill.