15 Jan 25 Kelsall and Duddon Leader: Kevin, Length of walk: 10 miles, Driving Distance: 16 miles, Number walking: 9
To see the route click here
What a lovely day for a walk they said as they made their way to Gresty’s Waste. It was warm (for January); the sun was shining, and the ice and snow had gone from the Sandstone Trail. Unfortunately, the sun was low in the sky and shining in the eyes of the walkers as they set off south. Nevertheless, they stuck to the path and made good time.
The OS map covering Utkinton and Duddon shows a viewpoint on a hill overlooking Beeston Castle, the Cheshire Plain and the hills of North Wales. On the leader’s Sandstone Trail adventure in July, the participants were wowed by the view and the leader hoped it would impress the walkers in January as the place for a coffee stop. On a sunny day for the recce, the light just wasn’t right and the view only ordinary. The downside for a coffee stop at that location was the mud that covered the field.
On the actual walk, the leader decided to stop for coffee and lemon drizzle cake before reaching the viewpoint where a layby on the Sandstone Trail provided a suitable space. The wisdom of this move became apparent as the walkers tried to leave the field with the dud view. The exit had turned into a soakaway for the mud higher up and offered a variety of mud to confuse the unwary walker. There was liquid mud which looked firm and cloying mud that held tightly onto feet that wanted to move on and keep the walker upright.
It was horrible – probably the worst mud in the last 12 months – and walkers who felt the need to place a hand in the mud to steady themselves were vocal in their condemnation of the circumstances. A study of the map reveals that the road hosting the coffee stop also goes down to Duddon. If the condition of the mud had been apparent beforehand, the route could have diverted along the road and everyone would have arrived at Duddon without the coating of clay on the inside or outside of their boots. But the walkers would have missed the opportunity to complain loudly, which is so pleasant to look back on.
The group left the Sandstone Trail to follow the road from Utkinton to Duddon and on an unusually straight section, prompting thoughts of Roman engineering, they passed a shunting engine abandoned in a field nowhere a railway line. They wanted to know why, but the internet fails to provide an answer. They will soon forget.
The little village of Duddon has a play area for children and the designers helpfully provided benches and a picnic table for the grown-ups. The recce team thought this a suitable spot for lunch but omitted to study the sign which stated that unaccompanied adults were not allowed to enter. The walkers boldly strode in and settled down for lunch, preparing themselves for the arrival of the local constable, ranger or beadle to eject them. A dog walker came by looking peeved but said nothing. He probably thought better than to tackle this mud-coated crowd.
After lunching in the sunshine, the group made their way back to Kelsall through the fields and orchards. They safely crossed Pryors Hayes golf course, where a bunker filled with water demonstrated that sand does not always allow water to drain away.
On reaching Kelsall, the walkers climbed from the lowest part of the village to the highest and then continued to climb to the Yeld car park. Not surprisingly, some of them complained, but they were walking on tarmac not mud. Some people don’t know how lucky they are!
A short downhill stretch through the trees along the Sandstone Trail brought the walkers back to the car park, where they removed their muddy footwear and wondered how much effort it would take to make them clean again.
