It took me a while to find how to get beyond the field boundaries, but the plotted route to Wyre Hall should now work. Also, approaching Wyre Hall, there is a set of stables not marked on the OS Map and the enclosed overgrown path alongside this, was accessed by a “gate” of two ropes and a hi-vis jacket! I emerged, via overgrown stiles, into St Michael’s in Wyre, hoping for the rest of the route to be well maintained as it was part of the Wyre Way long distance route. I had chats with two separate locals who confirmed that it was necessary to walk the main road (mostly with a pavement) for about half a mile, because the original route, as shown on the OS Map, has been purloined by local house owners and in particular by some campsite owners. When I was eventually able to access the path, which goes along the top of the flood defence embankment, the grass, flowers and nettles had reached waist height, so I cheated slightly and walked alongside it in the field, until the point where it is necessary to come back to the road to cross a channel flowing into the River Wyre....

Mary Oz

(I’ve encountered this one before and the farm staff are aware of it.) A lovely lane led to a bridge over the canal, and on to unsurfaced farm tracks and eventually a field and some more quiet roads. However, a completely inaccessible stile at OS Grid Ref: SD 48488 37741 led to a change of plan, and I headed directly to the road along a slightly rerouted track through new gates and a bridge to reach the road at a slightly overgrown stile. This brought me to a field of very inquisitive young cows/bullocks who started following me. The following field crossings had no livestock, but were tilled to the very edge, and had poorly maintained stiles between them. However, after Watery Gate Lane there was a stile and bridge crossing into another field between two little ponds....

Mary Oz

The route started from Elswick along a reasonably quiet road as far as Roseacre, where it turned off into a muddy farm track past cows (in a barn) and goats (in plastic houses). After passing a slurry pit (!) I went through a gate onto another farm track which came out at the village of Wharles, which had a couple of benches. A longish, but quiet road section then led to the canal. The gate and stile between Whinnyfield Bridge and Whinnyfield Farm were in poor condition, and I found climbing over the gate to be the easiest option. I was quite pleased with this route, with a balance of quiet roads, muddy fields, canals and farm tracks....

Mary Oz

There are major roadworks going on in the are crossed by this route, between the A583 and the M55, to the west of Cottam and Lea. This is blocking or diverting some roads and footpaths, so this route cannot be walked at the moment. When the works have finished, “early in 2023” but not by mid-February, it is possible that there will be permanent changes....

Mary Oz

A lot of it goes across fields full of crops planted over the footpaths, and you are drawn to walk along tractor wheel tracks which take you the wrong way. It didn’t feel right to walk along the correct field inside the electric fence, but it WAS the correct route, and led to a footbridge into a sheep-grazed field with mercifully short grass! After another field I was once again misled by tractor wheel tracks....

Mary Oz

This route cannot be walked at the moment, because the level crossing, on leaving Poulton-le-Fylde, is currently closed. The notice shows that it may be reopened in July 2023, but it looked like a long term closure. Also, the route is rather lazily plotted so I have tidied this up in PouEls Two....

Mary Oz

The road from Singleton to Thistleton is long and tedious, with fast cars and a very narrow pavement. Some footpaths lead to the Elswick meeting point, but there is a nice food pub on the main road before that....

Mary Oz