Well it’s not often I’ve done that this year!
Actually I did a linear “walk home from work” on Friday and then a shorter “Moss and Back” walk on Sunday.
As I’ve been generally lazy for the last few months – on all fronts, I thought it best to get out and about and to write about it afterwards.
I think this was my first ‘walk home from work’ of the year, well at least I got one in before year’s end – something to which this year (more than any other) I am really looking forward! The reverse of the root is basically almost what we do each day in the car – minus the part where I turned off Birkdale Cop and onto Blowick Moss Lane, we can’t do that in the car (yet) there are two large planters in the way and our beloved C4 would be all sorts of totalled! I had planned on doing this way back in 2019 but then never got around to it.
I must admit to struggling at first. Most of the route is far and away a lot flatter and gentler that what I have done previously but my fitness has taken a notable downturn since moving back in September 2020 (because where i live is markedly boring to walk around!). So after just twenty-five minutes walking from Edge Hill to the Fire Station at Aughton Street, the notion of frequent sit-downs struck me, and I had one! I knew there was a shortcut of sorts to transport me from the A9, County Road to Asmall Lane but could I find it? Nope, I found a little open passage that must have sawn off around fifty feet and considered myself to just be lucky to be on route. The traffic was good, not much of it but not as quiet as it used to be in this area – must be all those new people living at Kew hey? To the right is a weird field of some kind of crops.
- Location: 53° 34′ 48.65″ N 2° 55′ 27.07″ W
I sat on the wall, anticipating rain which thankfully never materialised, for around three minutes, honestly when next to a road this is about as long as I can tolerate before getting bored, I’ve done bugger all walking this year and it was driving me on to just keep the legs in motion.
There was a certain familiarity in walking this way as normally we drive the opposite direction each and every day – or at least three times per week, thus I should not get lost. I had a very good knowledge of how the road goes (this will get edited later as I am just not feeling very literal today, the flowery adjectives will come bouncing forth some other time). I was forced to cross over the road near the turn-off for Primrose Hill (and yes it does feel like you have just ascended a very minor hill) as some selfish pig in a white van thought he had divine right to park on what little pavement that was present – thankfully traffic was not an issue! I dropped down the straight stretch ahead of me to where the street changes name to North Moor Lane as I rounded the right hand corner for the last mile of this section before hitting the A5147. The major feature / hazard to look out for here would be the insane hump-back bridge which stretches over a segment of the Liverpool & Leeds canal and of course our road changes its name again – this time to Morris Lane (as opposed to the other Morris Lane which is no more that a half a mile away!). I was not squashed by on-coming traffic. Next it was down to the major road – Gorsuch Lane (A5147) and north alongside the road until the turn-off for Renacres Lane.
Renacres Lane is not an easy road to walk along. The pavement is fleeting at best and what is here has a tendency to be covered in slimy, rotting leaves which although not stinking yet, can bring down the inattentive walker in a heartbeat. I watched my feet. There was another drop in altitude and then after less than twenty-minutes I was strolling in to one of the nicest and smallest villages: Shirdley Hill. Shirdley Hill is in no way a sprawling metropolis, it is not possible to buy anything here as there are no shops, not even a pub. It is lovely though and there is a village green / park with benches where to weary of leg is able to spend some quality time – I had around three minutes in a peace which was spirit-lifting! Onwards now to the main drag of Shirdley Hill which spans no more than half a mile and is probably host to thirty houses, possibly fewer! I was roughly halfway along this stretch when I heard voice
“What are you doing here Mister Wild?”
It was a former colleague, I was not aware that he lived in this locale so it was a surprise. We spent some moments chatting and then I was back on route rounding the horizontally oriented switchbacks over some very dodgy tarmac and then ultimately across the junction and onto the part of the walk I had been dreading the most – Birkdale Cop.
- Location: 53° 37′ 4.39″ N 2° 58′ 21.53″ W
This is possibly the world’s straightest road, which makes it somewhat boring but no matter as there is hardly any paving at all which makes it somewhat tiresome. Allied to this the majority of the stretch is designated 50 mph which completes the devilish triad of forming a road which is hard to traverse, boring but lethal! I don’t like walking along this road, no matter which time of day! T
hat being said, many a glorious sunset can (and has) been witnessed from its grassy sides. Ultimately I safely traversed onto the road which is still a path and my estate. I’d hoped to get home for around three o’clock, this is achievable but not for me on this occasion, the legs are sadly out of practice especially for such a long perambulation as this.
I’d hope to be able to have another few walks in these last two weeks of 2022 for it has been a scant year, I blame the Russians (well everyone else does and for every thing). I was glad to have been able to tick this route off my mental list, it has been too long since devising this route until its realisation but as least now I’ve done it I can work on incorporating it into a walk with a nicer section than Birkdale bloody Cop! Oh and in case you wondered how long it did take me … I can’t remember but it may have been three hours and twenty minutes!
Until next time.