After a fairly hot day at around 28decC I went for a short evening walk along Kem Mill.  It was very pleasant as he temperature dropped and the sun’s rays shone through the hazy clouds.

It was such a nice day that I decided to go for a longish cycle ride. Set off at 6:45 and cycled via Blackburn and Whalley to Slaidburn where I stopped for a while in the warm sunshine. Then it was the long climb up to Lyth Fell and the stone base of the Cross of Greet. At the summit there were nice views of Whernside and Ingleborough. To the left the profile of the Cumbrian fells were just visible.

Slaidburn

base of the Cross of Greet with
Whernside and Ingleborough
in the distance.

After the descent I followed the narrow lanes to Wray then Caton and Galgate. The cycle south along the A6 was a bit boring due to lots of traffic. A longer that usual ride, 84 miles in total, but very enjoyable.

plan of route.

profile.

While heading home through the Langdales, Cumbria I stopped briefly to look at the rock art at the Langdale Boulders. They were re-discovered in 1999 and date from the Neolithic or Bronze Age (c5000 to 3000 years ago). Fortunately there is a National Trust display board to illustrate the faint markings. It was overcast when I was there and the flat lighting didn’t help to see the designs. I’ve included a night shot by H Fenton which shows the designs better under low angle lighting.

In the Langdales.

The designs are not obvious under today's flat lighting conditions.

Drawing on the National Trust display board.

I was out for a short bike ride round Clitheroe, Chatburn and Grindleton. There was a very fierce east wind, which is unusual as it is mostly from the west. I was passing the ruins of Sawley Abbey and decided to pop in for a look. The Cistercian monastery was founded in 1147 and survived for almost 400 years until suppressed in 1536.

Sawley Abbey

Went for cycle ride via Blackburn and Dinckley footbridge over the River Ribble (rt & below), then to Hurst Green and back via Hoghton.

Dinckley footbridge

Three sides of the war memorial at Hurst Green.

The old paper mill at Withnell Fold.

Moorings at Wheelton top lock.

Its nice to wander along the Leeds and Liverpool canal on a nice evening. The lock gates at Town Lane are always a picturesque  place to visit.

A scene from the film

The same view today.

The weather was fine but windy. I decided to go for a bike ride via Dent and Ingleton to see if I could identify any more filming locations for the film B. Monkey (see Apr 09). The country school scene was filmed in Dent and the scene where the Volvo estate drives to their new country home was filmed between Kingsdale, Ingleton and Dent.

On the pass above Kingsdale.

A still from the film (c1998)

The same view today.