Be Gentle with Yourself
Above Long Preston - any easy walk for when you need to be a little gentle on yourself.
About 8 miles, allow 3.5 hours. Park in Long Preston near the green.
Nice pub - the Maypole - for tea at the end of your walk,
Much as I love to get up into the hills, sometimes I just have to admit that I don’t feel 100% and I need to go easy on myself. This doesn’t mean that I retreat under the covers, but it does mean that I listen to my body.
Friday was a glorious day but I knew I had a cold coming on. I hadn’t slept well and had a scratchy throat and the sniffles so I knew I would be foolish to plan a challenging walk.
Sitting with a hot drink and swallowing 2 Ibuprofen, I poured over my Ordinance survey map looking for a circular walk on lanes and bridleways.
I get ridiculously excited doing this – after so many years of working 50+ hours a week and devoting weekends to a poorly Mum, I cannot quite believe I have at least two days of freedom each week. Of course, I could let work spill over into 6 days a week - I am self employed after all, but I will not allow this, I have learned first hand what happens when work takes over.
I soon found a route above Long Preston that ticked all the boxes; not too far to drive, not too much climbing and mostly on good tracks. Leaving a copy of my route for hubby, I set off.
Last Sunday I’d bought a new bright blue day-sack (never thought a trip to Winfields could be so thrilling, oh dear I really am sad!) and parking the car near the village green in Long Preston, I booted up and hoisted the sack on my back.
Past the Maypole pub and up School lane turning left into Green Gate Lane. As the views opened up and I felt the stretch in my legs, I soon forgot about my woolly head. Blackberries lined the lane and I soon had stained fingers, rosehips were bright in the messy hedgerows and elderberries were turning blue-black, just waiting to be picked and made into jelly or wine! During my village childhood, Rosehip and Elderflower wine were regularly on sale at the Autumn fair.
There’s a handy bench where New Pasture Lane joins Green Gate Lane, about half way up the hill, with far reaching views across to Pendle Hill, but it was too soon to stop yet so I pushed on. The tarmacked road ends after about one and a half miles and leads straight onto the Pennine Bridleway, the old road to Settle, which gradually rises to the trig of Hunters Bark 1000’ above sea level. Looking left along the way the river Ribble snakes its way along the valley bottom whilst straight ahead, Ingleborough’s flat top dominates the skyline. One or two walkers with happy dogs bounding, stopped for those lovely chats you have with people you’ve never met before and probably will never meet again, one guy used to live about 300 yards from where I now live, one lady was having to cut her walk short because her ankle was taking ages to heal after a skiing accident 5 months ago. Some people just say “Nice day”, others tell you their life story! If you’re a walker, you’ll understand this completely.
From the trig point, it’s a gentle stroll past woods down towards Settle and if I’d been 100% I probably would have walked the mile or so into Settle and picked up the Dales Highway adding 3 miles to my walk, but I turned right onto Lambert Lane, my eyes scanning the rocky escarpments on High Hill which would have to wait for another day.
The sun was warm and only disappeared occasionally behind fluffy clouds, it truly was a perfect walking day. Turning right onto High Hill Lane, passing Stockdale Lane, I recalled a day last summer when I dropped down from the hills on this very lane, having walked from Gargrave to Malham on the Pennine Way and then over to Settle. I met hubby in a pub for tea and can remember being ravenous!
It was time for lunch – in fact it was way past time and so I nipped over an old stone stile and sat overlooking Scaliber Foss on a well placed bench. The water crashed down and bounced on mossy covered boulders as the sun filtered through the branches. Just 2 minutes walk from the road. How many cars drive past without knowing that this magical place is just over the wall?
It was chilly in the shade of the woods so it was a quick lunch and back to the road for a few hundred yards. Turning right onto Langber Lane, I met a guy who looked well into his 80’s, he was striding smartly along in his checked shirt and jeans and I thought “please let me still be walking like that at his age”. My eyes filled as I compared him to Mum, a similar age, but now slumped in a chair, unable to walk or remember most of her life; but quick, look at the hills, look at the stream, take a deep breath, let those thoughts go……
Langber Lane meanders between limestone walls with Brook Gill beck gurgling away on your right and butterflies flitting amongst the tangled sorrel and willow-herb on the lane-side. There are woods to peer into where hidden birds sing and fields where creamy sheep nibble and stare. There’s not a sound from our human world and though you are in reality only a couple of miles from Settle and Long Preston, the stillness is sublime. I stopped several times and just stood, breathing in nature.
After a mile or so, I spotted the path I needed (ignore the first stile and after it, about 1/3 mile on, look for a gate near some sheep pens right by the side of the beck.) A little path leads to stepping-stones and I couldn’t resist, the boots had to come off and I had to sit on one of the stones with my feet in the icy water, it felt so good. The sheep chewed on, ignoring the mad middle-aged woman with her feet in the little waterfalls! Drying my feet on the grass was like heaven and pulling my socks and boots back on felt cozy and warm. Up and across several fields now, all the time keeping a little wood straight ahead of me and once again looking across the Ribble Valley towards Pendle hill. All thoughts of my cold now banished and feeling rejuvenated, I picked up New Pasture Lane track and was soon back at that handy bench where this time I stopped and drank the last of my flask coffee looking down over Long Preston. It had been an easy walk; even though I’d not climbed up into the hills, I’d enjoyed breath-taking views and felt like I was miles from anywhere. Five minutes walk down the lane into Long Preston and back at the car I chose a sing-a-long CD for my journey home, because, after an 8 mile walk and even with a cold, I can of course sing just as well as Barbra!
About 8 miles, allow 3.5 hours. Park in Long Preston near the green.
Nice pub - the Maypole - for tea at the end of your walk,
Much as I love to get up into the hills, sometimes I just have to admit that I don’t feel 100% and I need to go easy on myself. This doesn’t mean that I retreat under the covers, but it does mean that I listen to my body.
Friday was a glorious day but I knew I had a cold coming on. I hadn’t slept well and had a scratchy throat and the sniffles so I knew I would be foolish to plan a challenging walk.
Sitting with a hot drink and swallowing 2 Ibuprofen, I poured over my Ordinance survey map looking for a circular walk on lanes and bridleways.
I get ridiculously excited doing this – after so many years of working 50+ hours a week and devoting weekends to a poorly Mum, I cannot quite believe I have at least two days of freedom each week. Of course, I could let work spill over into 6 days a week - I am self employed after all, but I will not allow this, I have learned first hand what happens when work takes over.
I soon found a route above Long Preston that ticked all the boxes; not too far to drive, not too much climbing and mostly on good tracks. Leaving a copy of my route for hubby, I set off.
Last Sunday I’d bought a new bright blue day-sack (never thought a trip to Winfields could be so thrilling, oh dear I really am sad!) and parking the car near the village green in Long Preston, I booted up and hoisted the sack on my back.
Past the Maypole pub and up School lane turning left into Green Gate Lane. As the views opened up and I felt the stretch in my legs, I soon forgot about my woolly head. Blackberries lined the lane and I soon had stained fingers, rosehips were bright in the messy hedgerows and elderberries were turning blue-black, just waiting to be picked and made into jelly or wine! During my village childhood, Rosehip and Elderflower wine were regularly on sale at the Autumn fair.
There’s a handy bench where New Pasture Lane joins Green Gate Lane, about half way up the hill, with far reaching views across to Pendle Hill, but it was too soon to stop yet so I pushed on. The tarmacked road ends after about one and a half miles and leads straight onto the Pennine Bridleway, the old road to Settle, which gradually rises to the trig of Hunters Bark 1000’ above sea level. Looking left along the way the river Ribble snakes its way along the valley bottom whilst straight ahead, Ingleborough’s flat top dominates the skyline. One or two walkers with happy dogs bounding, stopped for those lovely chats you have with people you’ve never met before and probably will never meet again, one guy used to live about 300 yards from where I now live, one lady was having to cut her walk short because her ankle was taking ages to heal after a skiing accident 5 months ago. Some people just say “Nice day”, others tell you their life story! If you’re a walker, you’ll understand this completely.
From the trig point, it’s a gentle stroll past woods down towards Settle and if I’d been 100% I probably would have walked the mile or so into Settle and picked up the Dales Highway adding 3 miles to my walk, but I turned right onto Lambert Lane, my eyes scanning the rocky escarpments on High Hill which would have to wait for another day.
The sun was warm and only disappeared occasionally behind fluffy clouds, it truly was a perfect walking day. Turning right onto High Hill Lane, passing Stockdale Lane, I recalled a day last summer when I dropped down from the hills on this very lane, having walked from Gargrave to Malham on the Pennine Way and then over to Settle. I met hubby in a pub for tea and can remember being ravenous!
It was time for lunch – in fact it was way past time and so I nipped over an old stone stile and sat overlooking Scaliber Foss on a well placed bench. The water crashed down and bounced on mossy covered boulders as the sun filtered through the branches. Just 2 minutes walk from the road. How many cars drive past without knowing that this magical place is just over the wall?
It was chilly in the shade of the woods so it was a quick lunch and back to the road for a few hundred yards. Turning right onto Langber Lane, I met a guy who looked well into his 80’s, he was striding smartly along in his checked shirt and jeans and I thought “please let me still be walking like that at his age”. My eyes filled as I compared him to Mum, a similar age, but now slumped in a chair, unable to walk or remember most of her life; but quick, look at the hills, look at the stream, take a deep breath, let those thoughts go……
Langber Lane meanders between limestone walls with Brook Gill beck gurgling away on your right and butterflies flitting amongst the tangled sorrel and willow-herb on the lane-side. There are woods to peer into where hidden birds sing and fields where creamy sheep nibble and stare. There’s not a sound from our human world and though you are in reality only a couple of miles from Settle and Long Preston, the stillness is sublime. I stopped several times and just stood, breathing in nature.
After a mile or so, I spotted the path I needed (ignore the first stile and after it, about 1/3 mile on, look for a gate near some sheep pens right by the side of the beck.) A little path leads to stepping-stones and I couldn’t resist, the boots had to come off and I had to sit on one of the stones with my feet in the icy water, it felt so good. The sheep chewed on, ignoring the mad middle-aged woman with her feet in the little waterfalls! Drying my feet on the grass was like heaven and pulling my socks and boots back on felt cozy and warm. Up and across several fields now, all the time keeping a little wood straight ahead of me and once again looking across the Ribble Valley towards Pendle hill. All thoughts of my cold now banished and feeling rejuvenated, I picked up New Pasture Lane track and was soon back at that handy bench where this time I stopped and drank the last of my flask coffee looking down over Long Preston. It had been an easy walk; even though I’d not climbed up into the hills, I’d enjoyed breath-taking views and felt like I was miles from anywhere. Five minutes walk down the lane into Long Preston and back at the car I chose a sing-a-long CD for my journey home, because, after an 8 mile walk and even with a cold, I can of course sing just as well as Barbra!