Sixteen walkers met at Lydiate Parish Hall for a walk to Clieves Hill. It was warm but cloudy as Anne took the roll call, but before we set off, the cloud cleared and we had glorious weather for the rest of the trip. We walked south on Southport Road and turned off into Sandhurst Way. A kissing gate in Sandy Lane took us on to a footpath through a couple of fields to Pygons Hill Lane. After a few hundred yards we came to Sudell Lane. We followed this lane, crossing a brook, for about half a mile before turning into Back Lane where what looked like an effigy of Boris Johnson had been put in the stocks. (No comment) Free courgettes were on offer by a “teapot tree” near Hollin House Farm. At the end of Back Lane we passed through Green Farm on to a private road with a sign “advising” motorists to turn back as that their SatNavs were wrong! We followed this road for about half a mile pausing only to take avoiding action as a very fast tractor hurtled past. We left the road and walked through several fields, crossing a footbridge and a stile to reach a farm where the farmer was mending his fence. Once through the farm we were on Birches Brow through more fields until we reached Formby Lane and Clieves Hill Lane. This lane took us up to the top of Clieves Hill where magnificent 360 degree views made the climb well worth it. We stopped here for a rest and a snack and took in some of the sights. We could see St Michael’s Church in Aughton, Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, St John’s Beacon, the Liverpool Waterfront apartment blocks, the Seaforth cranes, the Welsh hills, a windfarm and a gas rig in Liverpool Bay, and Southport Marine Way Bridge. We had a group photo (and one of a colour chart of tanned legs) and set off back down the hill. When we reached Formby Lane at the bottom, we turned right and then left into Greens Lane passing some livery stables with flower pot girls at the entrance, before crossing Rimmers Bridge where we joined the canal towpath. We chatted to the helmsman of canal boat “Sha-N-Gra-La” as it passed towards Haskayne. Soon, as we passed a canal maintenance barge (with the crew asleep inside), we reached the path through to the Scout field and our start point at the Parish Hall. A six mile walk in beautiful weather.
Thanks to Anne and Ken for organising.