Sunday, June 17 – Hurst Green

Arriving at the Three Pigeons Inn at 9am this morning, I found four others there.  At 9.20 the five of us started back together towards Belmont, Withnell and Feniscowles to the Preston-Whalley road.  Two miles from Preston we turned, via Ribbleton and Grimsargh to Longridge for lunch.  At 2.30 we started downhill to Ribchester.  Here we passed the Wooden Calf, an Inn with a sign that is truly wooden, and reaching the old church we inspected the remains of the Roman Fort.  The church itself was locked up, so after a walk round the churchyard we passed through the ancient village, and taking a bylane we came to the old almshouses at Stydd.

Across a field lay the church, one of the oldest in the land – 1000 AD.  It is just a plain rectangular stone building of great antiquity.  We could not get inside.  Climbing past Dutton Hall, we came across a quaint old fashioned Catholic sermons which we watched, then, by various bylanes we came to Hurst Green.  Just beyond here I had my usual puncture.  A pleasant road through the grounds of Stonyhurst brought us to that famous College.  A close view could only be had of the famous old pile, and then we were soon at the Hodder bridges.  There are two but one is closed to the public as dangerous.

Mitton Church was also closed, but during a walk round the churchyard we saw an effigy and stone coffin.  Skirting Whalley with its ancient Abbey we reached Copster Green for tea.  Twentyfour of us returned home via Tockholes, arriving home at 8.15pm.  This has been a glorious and instructive run.

Time 11.5 hours,   Distance 82 miles.

1 thought on “Sunday, June 17 – Hurst Green

  1. Pingback: The Environs of Ribchester | Charlie Chadwick

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