15 ramblers set off on a bright sunny day to walk the hills and fields above Salesbury, a village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley, located centrally in the county of Lancashire. Although only a 50 minute drive from Maghull, the area could not be more different, with rolling hills, lush green pastures and far reaching views to Pendle Hill in the distance.
The ramble today was in 2 parts taking in a figure of 8. Leaving the village, and having climbed up a hill with a serious incline, we were soon knee deep in lush grass in the pastures which did make walking quite tricky as the paths were virtually indiscernible. The leaders told us that when they did the recce a few weeks previously, the paths were clear and the grass had grown considerably since that time. Certainly the many plentiful sheep we saw seemed to enjoy the grass judging by the size of their very enlarged tummies. One feature of the walk was the number and type of stiles we encountered. Although no one actually counted how many we climbed, using a variety of techniques, the consensus of opinion was that there were definitely more than twenty. One in particular caused great hilarity as it was surmountable only by the members of the group who had the longest legs! Thankfully the leaders had the foresight to bring along a little set of steps which when placed on a nearby stone, enabled those of shorter stature to get over it! Having tackled this we then walked through an area of grass which was literally shoulder high and it was at this point we encountered the scourge of summer walkers everywhere….biting flies! Several of the group ended the walk with a variety of itchy swollen bites courtesy of horse flies. From here we tracked down off the hills and came into the area of Copster Green completing the first part of the figure of eight. Picnic lunch was taken on the village green where the area of grass was newly mown and very comfortable. Suitably refreshed we started out down the A59 until we crossed the bridge and back onto the meadows. Thankfully this shorter loop did not have the same amount of lush grass but we did encounter a group of cows who had no intention of leaving the path we wished to walk on! They doggedly walked along the path forcing us to swerve around them but they seemed a friendly herd and we passed through the field unhindered. With the spire of the church in the distance we climbed upwards through a shady tree lined area which was very welcome, as by mid afternoon the sun had climbed higher and the temperature had ramped up several degrees. From here it was a short walk back to the village completing a scenic 8 mile ramble, and into the lovely beer garden of the Bonny Inn, where everyone enjoyed some very well deserved refreshing beverages! Thanks to Ann and Peter for the recce and leading the walk.
Sounds like a beer was well deserved