Walk Description

Today I visited Downham and the Bolton Abbey Estate with Jeanette and Julie.  Its been a while since I have been able to get out and about and this gentle stroll was just what I needed to give me some of my confidence back.  My last 'proper' walk was way back on 15th May when I visited the northern edge of Kinder.  Since then I have been unable to get out and walk.  What should have been a simple keyhole procedure to remove the cartilage from my left knee turned out to be major open knee surgery which demanded a far longer recovery time.  I am still supposed to be limited to 'level' walks.
 
We were going to try to walk up Pendle Hill, but when we arrived at Barley, Pendle Hill was swathed with thick menacing cloud and we opted for a low level walk instead.  This was probably a very good decision as with hind sight I think Pendle Hill would have been too much for me.  We left Barley and drove along the side of Pendle Hill down to Downham.  Downham nestles under the bulk of Pendle Hill and is one of the loveliest villages in Lancashire.  It is quiet and unspoiled with a gurgling brook running past the village green and stone-built cottages.  The church tower is a splendid example of 15th century architecture. Successive generations of the Assheton family have lived at Downham Hall since 1558; the present squire is Lord Clitheroe of Downham.  A large stone by the entrance to Downham Hall is said to mark the final resting place of two legionnaires who died on the Roman road during trouble with the Brigantes. The village is part of the Assheton Estate owned by the Lord and Lady Clitheroe, and the owners do not allow overhead electricity lines, aerials or satellite dishes, making the village a popular location for filming period dramas. Downham was one of the locations used in the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind, and the series Born and Bred, set in the fictional village of Ormston, was also filmed in the village.  We stopped for lunch here and sat next to the gurgling Downham Beck.  As per usual as soon as we sat down and got our sandwiches out, the ducks appeared and kept pestering us for food until some other people arrived with their food.

We left Downham and made our way to the A59 and Bolton Abbey.  Although the Sandholme car park near the Cavendish Pavillion was busy we managed to find a space and after changing our footwear we were ready to set out on our walk.  This was Jeantte and Julie's first visit to this area and as it was now about 2pm, I decided that we would walk northwards along the west bank of the river to The Strid. Although the path is very easy to follow I still had to watch where I was putting my feet and I felt very awkward at times.  We took the small diversion down to the Sulphur Well near the edge of the River Wharfe. We continued along the riverside path and eventually reached The Strid.  I had been a little apprehensive about visiting The Strid as I am still not very sure footed.  Thankfully despite the recent rains, the stoney bank was very dry, in fact it was the driest that I had seen them and the water seemed low in The Strid as well.  We spent a little while here taking photos and just looking at the rushing water.

We then continued along the main path towards Barden Bridge,  when we got to aqueduct we crossed onto the eastern bank of the river.  This aqeduct carried water from the distant reservoirs in Nidderdale to Bradford.  The large seat on the river bank gave us an excuse for a rest and whilst Jeanette and Julie soaked up the sun, I took some photographs of a delightful Small Copper butterfly that had settled on some nearby flowers.   After the brief rest we continued southwards along the path through Park Plantation.  Although this is a well maintained path, I found some of the gradients a little awkward and although I know it wasn't really steep my legs and knee were telling me otherwise.  I was pleased when the path eventually dropped back down to the river.

It was about 4:30 when we got back to Sandholmes car park and we were all glad to get out of our boots and sit at one of the picnic tables whilst we finished off sandwiches and had a welcome drink.  Although this hadn't been the walk that I had planned to do, we had enjoyed the gentle walk along the River Wharfe.  It had proved to be a good test for my knee and had shown me that I need to do more of these 'level' walks before I can really think about getting back out onto the fells again.  I'd like to say thank you to Jeanette and Julie for their company and acting as my chauffeur today.