Lanchig two

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I walked this over two days in midwinter by getting the train to Bentham, walking to Hornby, and getting the bus home; then the next day getting the bus to Hornby and walking home. It promised to be a lovely route, but unfortunately the Lune Valley Ramble along the north bank of the River Lune is not in very good condition. It is at the base of a steep wooded slope which can get eroded when the Lune floods after heavy rain. It has had some maintenance work but, in places, I did feel I had to be extremely careful not to fall into the river. I had previously walked this in midsummer, when parts of it were overgrown with brambles. It was a real shame, because it was very beautiful.
From Bentham the route crossed a caravan site before going through fields next to the River Wenning. The path into the woods from Eskew Lane was unsigned, as were some of the field crossings. There were some great views from this mainly sheep-grazing farmland. A section of quiet country road led into the lovely village of Wray. I took a short detour here, down Main Street to the very good Bridge House Farm Tea Rooms.
The route along lanes and fields to Hornby is very well used and was easy to follow, with views of Hornby Castle, and an obvious section of the former Wennington to Lancaster railway. It came out next to Hornby Institute. From Hornby there was a short but slightly busy road walk with no pavement to reach and then cross the Loyn Bridge, before accessing the fields. This section through fields alongside the Lune was very easy. After passing where the River Wenning flows into the Lune I spotted a lonely stoop where the path turns a right angle towards a stile and gate. Some of the stiles along here had cute pictures made of staples! I had to concentrate through the woodland here where it was close to the river. There was one point where the footpath shown on the map was slightly higher up than the riverside route, but I failed to spot it, and walked the gpx route I’ve plotted.
From Aughton, the route was easier, although boggy at times, following fields and farm tracks. The Public Right of Way goes the long way around a big loop in the river, but it was very easy to cut across towards Lawson’s Wood. This area of woodland has bluebells in the spring. And also had more hairy sections close to the river. There were some more fields and an ornate waterworks pipe bridge, which also had a footpath over it, then more woods.
Emerging into the fields near a big weir, I felt I was on the home run; just a couple more easy pleasant riverside fields, and I could see the bridges at Crook o’ Lune. I stopped here for my packed lunch. There are picnic tables, a small car park, toilets, and a small burger and tea café open at weekends (Woodie’s). This is a lovely spot with the viewpoint used by JMW Turner for his painting. It also has an interesting layout of land, river, and bridges.
From here, the remainder of the route followed the previously mentioned former railway line, now a well maintained, tarmacked cycle track. This went past the Halton eco-village (which uses hydro-electric power from the river), Halton Station (now used by rowing clubs), under the M6, under the Lune Aqueduct, and right into Lancaster, all following the River Lune. A steep sloping footpath led up past the Priory and the Castle (with views over to the Lake District) to the station.

This walk involved stiles, gates, steps, short steep sections, muddy fields, careful navigation with lack of signs in places, sure-footedness, possibly cows and horses and overgrowth, and also the potential for flooding after very heavy rain. It also involved gorgeous scenery almost the whole way, loads of wildlife, especially birds, and was mostly traffic-free, with several villages along the route with reasonable facilities. It could have been 5* except for the Lune Valley Scramble/Bramble problems.

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