Easter Staycation.

It’s not often that Wil and I have a week off work together and don’t book at least a few days away. . So recently it’s actually been quite nice for us to spend some time at home pottering, doing a few jobs and erm ….eating cheese!

We started our week with a ginormous order of cheese from Tipsy Cows in Great Harwood. Their amazing cheese bags are £35 and include a pie, pate, smoked sausage,  crackers, bread, a bottle of wine, chutney, grapes and of course a shed load of cheese. Still getting through it now..

From Monday we were allowed to meet up with friends & family for outdoor walks again. We met up with my sister and the kids and walked further into the Dunsop Valley. A truelly beautiful place.

On Wednesday we decided to go up to our caravan in Cumbria, mostly to check that it was still in one piece. Luckily it was! And everywhere we went there were daffodillions of daffodils. On the way we stopped in Kirkby Lonsdale for a walk.

Daffs at St Mary’s in Kirkby Lonsdale.

The caravan ~ still standing.

Daffodillions of daffodils on Melmerby village green.

Gallivanting Geese.

Hugo amongst the daffs.

Easter display.

A pew with a view.

We turned the water back on at the caravan and gave it a quick spring clean. The weather was really warm.


Back in Clitheroe, the new Nature Reserve has opened at last. As we live nearby it has definitely become our go to place for a stroll with Hugo. One morning we bought breakfast from Marks Artisan Bakery on Whalley road after our walk. Sooo good! I am making a note of the wildlife I have spotted at the reserve, which includes Little Egret, Mallards, Teal, Grey Heron and Canada Geese. I will get working on a post soon.

Worsaw Hill.

Looking towards Pendle.

Hugo and Jo having a moment. Or maybe Hugo is watching a ham sandwich, out of shot. 

On Good Friday we met some friends for a walk from Worston to Downham and back. We are so lucky to live in the lovely Ribble Valley and have definitely discovered lots of new local walks and rediscovered old favourites during the numerous lock downs.

There have also been less energetic pursuits. On Saturday I met some friends for a Hip flask walk. We didn’t get very far. From one bench to another in the local park..😀

Park Bench Crawl.

We had planned to stay home on Easter Sunday and enjoy our new fire pit. 🔥

Wil bought a fire pit. 🔥

But after checking the weather forecast we realised we would have to head back up to the caravan again and drain it down. Forcasted minus 7 temperatures meant we had obviously been too previous in opening the van up for Spring. So here are some more lovely Easter views from Melmerby where the van is based.





We also called in at my Mum’s in Askham and had a brew in the garden. Got introduced to these cuties. ❤️

Cute calves.

Farm kitty’s.

Today ( Easter Monday) the sky outside is deceptively blue. It is freezing out there! There was even a smattering of snow this morning.

Happy Easter. 🐇🐣❤️

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Worsaw Hill Walk.

Before the sun broke through the clouds yesterday and all the social distancing sunbathing and street parties commenced, we headed out for a walk up Worsaw Hill. The grassy limestone knoll is walkable from my hometown of Clitheroe, we managed an eight mile circular route before lunch time. 🙂 Here are a few images from our morning.

Lambs and Pendle Hill.

Blossoming Horse Chestnut Tree.

Hello Nanny 🐐.

Sheep sculptures ~ Worston Village.

Bunting ~ Worston Village.

Footpath sign after the Calf’s Head pub in Worston.

Footpath with Worsaw Hill ( I only took one actual picture of the hill itself, doh! ) In the distance.

Curious cows.

Water Avens.

View to Pendle Hill from ( almost the top of ) the much smaller Worsaw Hill.

View of Pendle. We rested and ate an Aldi version of a Tunnocks Tea Cake. Hugo had half an apple. 🙂

Downham Hall and Church from the other side of Worsaw Hill.

And views toward Kemple End and Clitheroe.

Violets.

Pretty path towards Chatburn village.

Tortoishell butterfly.

From Chatburn we headed for the river. Hugo had again rolled in something dead! Time for a dip.

The Ribble between Chatburn and West Bradford Bridge.

Bad dog! 🙄

Mute Swan.

Any ideas botanist bloggers? On the Riverside.

Canada Geese.

Dandelion clocks.

Hanson Cement works on the outskirts of Clitheroe.

Heron doing a Greta Garbo. 😅

Dusky Cranesbill.

This was a quiet walk with great views, wildlife and if done in the future, places to find refreshment. Also for film buffs, Worsaw Hill appears in Whistle Down The Wind , which was made locally.

Thanks for joining us. Hugo is clean again. 😘

A countryside walk with some old haunts.

On saturday we decided to leave the car at home and set off on a walk around the places where I grew up. Before I moved to the great Metropolis that is Clitheroe, I lived in the shadow of Pendle Hill on a hill farm called Little Mearley. Nope I never did move to far away…or make my fortune! Not to worry. 😉

Our walk took in a few country lanes, a bridle path/farm track and some farm land. I think we walked about 8 miles or so, so not too shabby. I imagine Hugo our labrador covered even more milage, as he definitely runs circles around me….

We started off by walking through the fields toward Standen Hall and then crossed the busy A59 and headed for the pretty village of Pendleton.

The Swan with Two Necks in Pendleton is a popular Real Ale pub.

Flowerpot Bees.

An Egg Wreath.

The folks of Pendleton have decorative Imaginations! I’m not sure about the Egg Wreath ,but I do like the Flower Pot Bees. 🙂

Mearley.

We walked through Pendleton and crossed the Sabden Road , then ambled along a bridle path through the tiny hamlet of Mearley. This eventually turns into a farm track and passes the farm where I grew up.

Little Mearley Hall.

It felt strange walking past the old place. Little Mearley dates back to 1590. My bedroom growing up, was the mullioned bay window room. The glass has names of past residents etched into it. I might have shared my ivory tower with their ghosts , but I was happily oblivious! Pendle Hill with it’s legendary associations with witchcraft fades into the mist behind.

Wil ended up detangling this Tup. He had got his impressive horns stuck in the barbed wire.

We then cut through some fields and passed Angram Green Farm & Campsite and walked into the beautiful village of Downham, where my sister and I went to primary school. I didn’t take many photos here, but If you would like to see more, here is a post I did a while back called Downham delights. 🙂

Quiet country lane to Downham.

We had lunch in Downham , sat outside a former collegues cute little ice cream shop, that also sells brews, sandwiches, baked goodies and other bits and pieces.

Inside Michelle’s shop on Hare Green.

Hugo eyes up lunch.

We decided to look for an alternative route back , which would take us through fields ,so Hugo could have a lot more off lead time. There is a footpath just over the road from the Ice cream shop that took us through some meadows and past the bottom of Worsaw Hill.

Worsaw Hill.

Even for a non- hill climber like me, Worsaw Hill, which reminds me of a mini volcano, looked far too tempting not to climb. At 725ft it’s tiny compared to Pendle, but offers gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside.

Kind of breezy up here!

Green pastures and Pendle Hill.

Surveying my kingdom. 🙂

After scrambling down the hill ,we continue through fields toward the village of Worston. As a teenager I was a saturday girl at the local pub ,The Calf’s Head. On the way we pass a farm with a movie connection!

Worsaw End Farm.

Have you ever watched the 1961 film Whistle Down The Wind ? It tells the tale of three farm children who discover a fugitive hiding in their barn, and mistake him for , well, Jesus! Worsaw End Farm is the farm. Local children from Downham and nearby Chatburn starred alongside such acting luminaries as Hayley Mills and Alan Bates.

A pint of Worston Witch for Wil at The Calf’s Head.

Once in Worston we take refreshment in the Calf’s Head Beer garden before crossing back over the A59 and heading home.

Heading home , with Pendle Hill in the background.

Thanks for accompanying me on a bit of a journey through my past….

ps It’s Hugo’s 3rd Birthday today. Time is certainly flying by. He will be celebrating later with a bottle of doggy beer from Millie & Ruby’s Dog Bakery. 🙂