Day 70 - Cockerham (Cocker Bridge) to Overton

Comfortable rooms and a good breakfast. The Stork will find its way onto the short list of best places to stay when we eventually get round to compiling it. Our bus journey this morning is on the 89H (in case you're wondering, because its route has taken it past Lancaster Hospital) which arrives a few minutes late, but helpfully drops us at Cocker Bridge itself. A windy day which would make it difficult for a crow to fly the two miles which John informs is the direct distance to Overton - and we have 16 or 17 miles to walk around the coast and the River Lune. The first stretch along an embankment above the River Cocker isn't too bad, but we're given an idea of what's to come when we turn into the wind  towards Bank End Farm. At least when we've rounded the farm and passed a couple of caravan sites to arrive by the coast, the wind is coming from over the shoulder, but...well..."buffeting" is the word which springs to mind. After skirting around the Chapter House of Cockersand Abbey overlooking the sea (and built in about 1230 apparently) we go through a farm and some fields where the second bovine encounter of this trip occurs. In one of the fields, the farmer appears on a quadbike "herding" (if that's a word that can be applied to a single animal) a cow beside a hedge towards us. He informs us that the cow is ill and suggests that we take care in case it falls over when passing us! Exactly what evasive action we could take is unclear. However, we manage to get by without being crushed and soon arrive at Glasson Dock which, until the late 19th century, was Lancaster's main port, and from where our route continues along the trackbed of the former railway from Lancaster to the port. After a mile or so, we cross an old railway bridge over the River Conder from where we can see, about 400 yards away and after over two hours of walking, the Stork Inn! The crow should be well ensconced in Overton by now. The old railway track goes through a picnic site, getting increasingly close to the Lune, but for the most part it is lined with trees so the wind is hardly noticeable - for now at least. When we leave the track close to a place called Aldcliffe, we're back on an exposed and narrow embankment along the edge of a saltmarsh between us and the river. The wind is blowing from the west (our left) and, at times, is so strong that it's necessary to concentrate on walking in a reasonably straight line. However, when the embankment turns right as the river narrows, we're walking downwind towards Lancaster, and Snatchem's Inn (reputedly something to do with pressgangs) on the opposite bank causes thoughts to turn to refreshment later in the day. A thought of more immediate relevance is where we'll be able to cross the Lune. We're hopeful that there will be a walkway alongside the railway bridge and, whilst our hopes are realised, it is undergoing repairs so we can't use it. Instead, we have to use the Millennium  pedestrian bridge just over a quarter of a mile further on. The walk along the north bank of the Lune is back into the wind, but it's not as bad as the earlier crosswind. The first couple of miles are pretty close to the river but, shortly after passing Snatchem's, we have to go inland and follow the roads into Overton. We've decided not to call in at Snatchem's because, according to the internet, there are two hostelries in Overton itself. However, the first one we pass (The Ship) is boarded up, and the second (The Globe), whilst ostensibly operational - i.e. some tables have cloths on them - is shut and completely deserted. A cab is accordingly summoned, and thankfully (it is now distinctly chilly) arrives reasonably quickly. The driver is a bit puzzled about the Marie Celestian nature of the Globe, having been there himself a few weeks ago. In any event, he gets us to Lancaster station - via what feels like a lengthy series of decreasing circles in the town - in sufficiently good time that we're able to wander to the nearby Merchants Bar (via the local Information Centre for postcards) and have a relaxed beer before catching our train.

Footnote/Legal Update:  John provides the information during the course of the two days that the case of Harkness Junior v Worcester College (see day 67) has not been pursued following a fulsome apology from a university accommodation officer. The latest dispute is the potential case of R v Person or Persons Unknown in re Winchcombe Wheelers Road Traffic Incident. 

Day 69 - Blackpool to Cockerham (Cocker Bridge)

Beardie's early morning train from Euston arrives on time at Birmingham, where John's attempts to buy breakfast have again been thwarted - on this occasion by the labyrinthine nature of New Street's exit and platform connecting passageways. However, he does manage to join the train from Euston, and a 15 minute delay to our arrival time in Preston is of no concern because it simply reduces the wait for our connecting train whilst leaving sufficient time for the purchase of bacon sandwiches and coffees. So shortly after 11 o'clock, we're back on Blackpool's sea front where a distinctly "fresh" breeze is, helpfully, blowing from behind us. The route out of Blackpool is ordinary at best, not helped by a series of coastal protection works which keeps us away from (and out of sight of) the sea. However, the scenery improves as we approach Fleetwood and are able to use the path between the coast and the golf course, where very little of the play which we witness is taking advantage of the following wind - only one shot seems to rise much above head height. After low tide, the Fleetwood to Knott End ferry is due to be resuming its half hourly trip across the River Wyre at 1:00 pm and, as we get to the centre of the town at 1:45, we're well on schedule to catch the 2 o'clock. However, a notice on the slipway gate informs us that the ferry isn't running. Apparently, it was "beached" at low tide and there's a suggestion that there's a technical problem as well. Unfortunately, the one person we see on the other side of the gate hasn't been on a customer care course and only has the time to inform us that he has no idea when the service will resume before going back into the ferry office. It doesn't take much discussion for us to decide to throw some money at a local cab to drive us the twelve miles around the estuary rather than wait to see when we might be permitted to navigate the 400 yards across the Wyre although, when we reach Knott End at about 2:20, we are all keen to get away from the river as quickly as we can - just in case the ferry service resumes and we see the 2:30 pulling away from Fleetwood. We now walk on an embankment alongside a saltmarsh and then, shortly before Fluke Hall, a beach. At this point, we come across some Environment Agency works and "path closed" signs on the embankment, but the Agency people we encounter volunteer the helpful opinion that, if we'd walked past them along the beach and had then climbed up onto the path, they wouldn't have been able to stop us, so.....why not wander through anyway? However, once we've passed Pilling and arrived at Lane Ends, it's clear (and Gary's increasingly helpful guide to the Coastal Way confirms) that the continuation of the embankment is not open to public access and we have to divert inland. This takes us through a farmyard where we're supposed to go down a concrete track by some barns, but this is rendered somewhat impractical by the track being full of cattle waiting to be milked! We think it wise not to disturb them and, fortunately, come across a farm worker who takes us through the barns and into the fields beyond. After that, a series of tracks and roads bring us to the A588 at Cocker Bridge which marks the finish of today's instalment. We stroll along the road towards Cockerham, and arrive at a bus stop a mere 10 minutes before the scheduled (and actual) arrival time of the 89 bus from Knott End to Lancaster which drops us outside our overnight resting place, the Stork Inn at Conder Green, shortly after 6 o'clock. Beers on arrival, showers (more than acceptable), a bottle of white at the bar whilst ordering and waiting for supper, and a bottle of red with the supper itself which is excellent - fish and chips/double burger/meat loaf. Very restrained although, having re-established the tradition on our last trip, we conclude the evening with a couple of large stickies each.