10 members of the rambling group today had a very unexpected lovely day for our 8.5 mile circular ramble starting at Glasson Dock near Lancaster. The forecast had been for intermittent showers, but in spite of the very heavy rain on the M6 on our outward journey we found ourselves in a microclimate of warm sunshine and clear blue skies!
Glasson Dock, once the largest port in the northwest, is now a quite village and marina, although it still handles a substantial amount of cargo annually. Originally constructed in 1787, the dock is believed to be the oldest existing tidal dock in England. It has a checked history with strong past links to the slave trade. Tall ships would set sail from Glasson Dock bound for the West Indies where trade was plentiful and prosperous. The views across the bay were spectacular today with Sunderland Point very visible. Sunderland Point is a unique location. It is a village of 30 or so houses and a farm at the end of a tidal causeway. Its landscape intermingles the sea and river, salt marsh, shingle, mud flats and farmland. Located at the tip of the Lune Estuary and although close to both Lancaster and Morecambe, it feels remote with hauntingly beautiful views over the shore and river to the moors of the Forest of Bowland in the East and the South Lakeland hills to the North. Both the Causeway and the shingle at the end of the road can be under several feet of water, sometimes for more than four hours.
Even had we wished to detour, we would have been unable to visit today, as the village had been taken over by a film crew for the ITV series “The Bay” who were recording there. The same crew had been at Glasson on Monday and Tuesday and we were reliably informed by the owner of the Quayside cafe, that at least 2 ” bodies” had been filmed being pulled out of the dock! In addition the fire brigade had been in evidence this morning to rescue 2 kittens that had also fallen into the dock! Thankfully both were rescued. So much for a sleepy backwater!
Striding out from the village we took to open fields where ingenuity was called for. When completing the recce some five weeks ago there was a tiny stream which we jumped across to open the gate to the next meadow. Today that tiny stream was almost knee deep, about 8 feet wide and meandering into the far distance on both sides. As this was the only route through to the meadow it could have stopped our ramble before it had hardly started. However Hilary, our newest member who only joined us today for the first time, had decided to walk in wellingtons as the forecast was poor. This proved to be a godsend, as she daringly walked into the water, opened the gate and then held it whilst the rest of us used the bottom rung as a walkway! She certainly has had a baptism, maybe not of fire, but definitely water!
Leaving the flood behind we continued unhindered to reach the coastal path. We had clear views across the River Lune estuary and could see the hills of the Lake District ahead of us and the Howgills behind us. Blackpool tower was visible across the bay, With Heysham Power station and the ferry also on the horizon. Following the meandering coastal path we came upon the ruins of Cockersand Abbey.
A plaque on the door provides some interesting information stating it was founded sometime before 1184 as the Hospital of St Mary on the Marsh before later becoming a priory and functioned as such until its Dissolution in 1539. The reason the chapter house has survived is that it was converted into a burial chamber for the Dalton family of Thurnham Hall. Leaving the ruins behind we passed the brick remains of a WWII observation tower and then dropped down onto a tarmac path which hugged the coast as far as the aptly named Bank End.
We stopped here for lunch and enjoyed views across the very flooded fields which were difficult to discern from the estuary itself. Curlew could be heard calling in the distance and flights of Martins and Swifts performed a good display catching their lunch on the wing. Lunch finished we then found that the road of the end of the estuary was also several feet underwater so took to the high bank to reach the road. From here we had a good view of several parachutists leaping out of a plane over the estuary! Hopefully they landed on dry land.
The rest of the walk was relatively uneventful, apart from the very overgrown paths and bridleways. Crossing our final meadow and a Bailey Bridge we reached the towpath of the Glasson branch of the Lancaster Canal, once Nigel had shooed away a cow which was intent on blocking our route. Sadly this branch is very neglected, with areas chocked with weeds and disintegrating lock gates, but the cows and a family of 7 grown signets and their proud parents seemed content without the interruption of any passing barges.
From here we walked the final couple of miles back to Glasson Basin, where, having swapped boots for lighter footwear, we enjoyed drinks and snacks, some more substantial than others, at the very welcoming Quayside Cafe. If ever you find yourself in this area we can heartily recommend the cakes!
So…an interesting, but very pleasant outing for the ramblers, with special thanks to Hilary for her wading skills….hopefully she’ll come out with us again,,,,providing she brings her wellies! Thanks to Gill for doing the recce with me several weeks ago on a very wet day which wasn’t half as much fun!