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Wednesday,April23,2014 ~ -r-,


> -- !.-* * »r JKj-V': f t r : - ’ ,b»CP I W ednesday, Apnl 23,2014


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i • • There is still a chance o f / I | j


^iRaowirBefore they establish^^5: '?*• latefrost/so keep some‘sav‘^§;


j i *_ f horticultural fleece readyto/r^- •!-_ t-~- ^cover any tender plants .


’’ ■■ • Earth-upnewshoots”ori''7 ^


* • - • ' •> potatoes and plant u p -a ry ^ i^ ^remaining as soon as pqsT.^JJ .able. ''


~ 'A • Remember to check fo r fe 1 ■'


nesting birds before dippingisg hpdaps „v


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■ on the summittDf“ , Clougha Pike, in the --Forest of Bowland


VIEW FROM THE TOP: The tr ig point


going out to get an embrace of mother earth and renew one's - . acquaintance with solitude, is a -


I seasons


S I dnve and walk around; I can't help but... smileat the freshvcbloufs;?i amerging every day as •;*!:£


the weather begins to warmV'j j5|j This is. a great time of year with " - so much to look forward to,


- u ; perfection.' , : i 1


\ especially in our gardens and j; , ■ : the countryside in general. A ; ;«#walk in.the Woods at this t im ^ ->; r V , of year,1 with’ the fresh' green ’ ^..leaves and scented'carpets of. i . /; bluebells/ sums up the season to$ J, - '


y ^ jr ith e garden; herbaceous plantsare.rapidly coming back/A?


• 'la n d butterflies. T . ... Sr s* to life,ahmbsa‘n^d treesare'fullpf/';f?


:.;,-^j:Jea'vas and many'are.afready'heavy^ w-with btassomtemptjngbirds'; bees K 1 -


. . . . ........................ .


Crab apple can reward for much o f the year • ~


- moment. However/if you are consid-f ering buying new plants'for.your gar­ den, consider the whole year, so you •


? ^ ’^ s o tem p t in g tom s h outa n ^b u yl; o ^ ^ T c S b S i K S ; ^ ' allthe.P^tsthatareamaz,ngatthe _ r t e d f ^ r e s f c r t h J S S h L ^ , -


Your monthly garden advice ; .


<


■ column with . Michelle^ Unswofth,


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-from So Plants • . Boutique Garden


- Centre, Preston .Road, Longridge -


In contrast, crab apple has bloi-::;U . som followed by autumn fruit, arid4 f ;|n s°me cases may have coloured" j . foliage.such as purple leaves, or an


.............. ‘ ‘ v ’ ' . . attractive form such as a weeping fcjv Ha pit/£ iSi/'


I always like to consider the bigger-?


picture i ri the garden to a Ilowthe^-fe;'!' - plants to ebb and flow, so as once.onb


’ffnish.es its display' another begins?!^®/ ;.3n.b.so..on,.thrpugh6ut.theyear..With^ ^ ^ l ^ ’^ I^ ^ .R l^n ih g '. tf iis fra ^ '& ^ ^ f.v $,!!> ,®ven^ithe'smalle^>


orbackyard.,;


gafden^/ *'»-*»■«>


.deprivation, almost a creeping disease."


When we checked out this walk


over Clougha Pike, in the Forest of Bowland, we left Preston at - about-9am on a Thursday/when - the A6. was choked with traffic. 40,minutes later we set but into - . thewild, seemingly on another


bustljngqivilisation as the Scottish '• Highlands’.


planet, as remote from our ' -


The remedy fo r the creeping ’ - disease is as close as that; ; - -


Directions: From the car park go


through,the,wooden gate leading ont.P.the fellsidel On a broad grassy ; .track, keep ahead and when it Y . forks in 200yds bear right and then


.follqw.it as it curves to the right.- At a metal gate, turn left dropping


down on to duckboards which • cross a section of marshy ground.- . After.these,.follow the obvious sr trackthrough scatteredtrees'gently upwardsto a wall. Two ladder -,- stiles confront you.'The one on the - right offers a direct route to the summit. The one on the left enters a valley below Windy Clough. Our recommended route crosses : neither, but turns left; climbing up to the rocky nab that is the end of : Windy.Clough. When you reach this little summit, . -


A6 and then first left onto Hampson Lane At the T junction turn right and then at the next junction turn left onto Distance: 6.4km (4 miles)


AAart/??liSh: f + B|a1k C! r P3^ '^ '99 !-ane near,Quemmore SD526603 From junction 33 M6 turn left onto the " Time: 2-3 hours


Summary: Strenuous Maps: OS OL 41 The Forest of Bowland


, _ 1 , ~ ■ ■


N 1923/the editorial of the Manchester Guardian observed:-.";To live submissively in great towns, without ever


.round toa gate in the wall and then crosses open moorland cutting a ’ comer to another wooden gate. (At the time of writing and for the


foreseeable future there is a large gap in the wall to the nghtofthe - gate). Beyond this, turn nghtto .


. complete the final ascent, passing a prominent cairn before finally ' arriving at the trig point. ’* - : • - Compared to the climb,


'


everything else about the walk ' becomes easy. Leading briefly- , -


.


. south from the summit a peaty ■ path begins to drop and swing .-r. - westwards swapping heather for sedge as it makes its descent- . Although notwaymarked; it is


broad and clear, taking you across - Rowton Brook and then bringing ■


to the fields above RootenTBrook * Farm. 20-30 minutes of descent will


■: bring you to the track leading back1 overthe brook and into the farm 1 - Keep ahead through the farm 1


, and continue along its drive. After ;; the lane swings left bear right onto' ■ a footpath leading past a large


: property, The track leads down to . open fields. •


■ - - . _ J<eep ahead to follow a wall to* . the yard of Old Mill House. Turn „ ~ continue north eastwards along -


. the edge of the ridge to the right of a wall. This gritstone edge a":


■ miniature version of many to be found in the Peak District.There :


■ is not much of a path here, but as you near the far end, drop down - through a thicket to reach a gate in a wall in the valley. .


; ' - - -The next part of the walk is the ‘ - v


section that earns the description of "strenuous" in the summary above. After passing through the gate, -follow a narrow path besides the


wall -n o t always easy to pick out as you negotiate the shattered rock. The way is steep and rocky, ' climbing almost 500ft to reach the


summit plateau. After an initial - ;.*. L stretch taking you overthe lip of Little Windy Clough, the path ' - continues close to the wall and


finally levels out amidst peat and heather. .


. ■ - - Further along the ridge to the v


right, the summit will come into - - view. Bearing right, the path leads


“ . .left,onto its drive: .When you reach-* the road turn right. In 200yds;. »


" turn right onto Rigg Lane. The car ­ park is 800yds along this road. If


this seems too long you can divert yourself with fine views to the right / °fthe,rocky profile of Clougha-Pike.


’ • Route described by Malcolm McCulloch. For an illustrated version o f this walk go to www. - Iancashirewalks.com


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