Let’s get the joke out of the way. My grandfather walked 10 miles every day. By the end of the week he was in Leeds (Boom, Boom).
But nothing as prosaic as a desire to see the fair city of Leeds
And right now I have a fever for walking, as for the first time in a long while, I have found something I really enjoy doing; something which is good for me at the same time!
It started with a letter from my doctor where I was registered at my previous address, six, maybe seven, years after I moved to my present address. The letter asked if I was still at my previous address and whether I still wanted to be a patient at the practise. This was 2008, and their records indicated that I hadn’t visited them since 1997. I disputed this; I thought it was 1996, but it is a moot point.
I replied to explain that I had moved but wished to remain on their books. They refused this – rules of the PCT apparently – and recommended I joined a practice nearer to where I live now. So, being a good citizen, one Wednesday morning I took a slow walk to my local Medical Practice to register.
Nothing’s simple these days and where I thought I would answer a few general questions and be out within 10 minutes, I was required to give blood and urine samples, and take a blood pressure test. It was this latter procedure which caused a call back from the Doctor two weeks later and further tests on height and weight as there was concern with my blood pressure results.
Now according to the sliding chart, with my weight, I should be 7ft 3 inches or I needed to lose a little weight, and take some exercise. As the old song says, “I’m never going to be Robert Redford cos I like beer too much…” well Guinness in my case, and I have spent too many afternoons in pubs, drinking, playing crib and attempting the crossword.
So on reflection, and to avoid being put on medication, exercise seemed a good idea. And so I considered my options.
Gym? Not really for me. Too many gym memberships burn wasted in wallets and are never used after about 3 weeks. And anyway, it can cost a bit just to join.
Jogging? Is there anything worse that an overweight middle aged man jogging? I see them all the time by me. i-pod on, puffing and blowing for all their worth seemingly get little to no benefit. Again, not for me.
Organised sports? I was a keen cricketer years ago, but would struggle to get to the crease to bowl my demon in swinger these days, let alone take a quick single to win the match. Golf? Still interests me, but I realised I was never going to be Nick Faldo fairly early on, and frustration for the game grew. Football? I was the midfield dynamo when I was younger (at least in mind) but being in your early 40s and football runs inherent risks of injury and long term issues. I’ve seen it happen to others.
So what did that leave? Well how about something I do every do, but don’t think about it. No, not sex (I don’t get it every day!) but walking. And so in the late summer and early Autumn I took three turns in a circuit around my flat, across three evenings, each about 3 miles in length, and each just urban walks.
However, after each of these three walks a glow came over me, literally, and a little spark started to burn in me and I started investigating the pastime of walking. And what a story it tells.
Fantastic routes are there for all to explore. It’s all graded to suit your age and condition. For the most part it’s free. It out in the open and ultimately if you keep it up, it gets you fit. Boxes were being ticked all over.
So across the second hard winter in a row, the flame flickered within and desire built to see the spring. I took the time of snow, ice and cold to get some basic provisions – walking boots, clothes, and rucksack – and investigated some of the local walks available.
And as March marched in and spring like weather descended, I took my first tentative steps, which I record below, as I will with each walk I undertake.
In the following you will find observations, general comments, a word on how I feel physically, and my enjoyment of the walks. You may find some of it interesting, and maybe you want to join me in future. Please let me know.
But a word of warning - Wainwright I’m not (not yet that intrepid), but I hope you enjoy the ramblings (literally and metaphorically) of the Tepid Adventurer….
Walk 1 – Friday 18th March 2011
From Liverpool Pier Head to Riversdale Road , Grassendale
Distance: @ 5miles (8kms)
Time: 2 Hours 15 minutes
Weather: Sunny and warm
I’d heard from a friend that it was possible to walk from Pier Head to Liverpool Cricket Club, not far from my home, along the riverside. When I heard this I couldn’t quiet believe it as I know a little bit about the river front but couldn’t understand how it was possible to walk that far uninterrupted. Surely the old Garden Festival site would prevent this? What about the housing development down by the Victoria Pub? What about the Convention Centre? I just couldn’t get my head around the fact you can walk right along the front.
So with a little scepticism and my new shoes rubbing my ankles, I took an early train into Liverpool City Centre. The original idea was to leave the train at Moorfields, walk to India Buildings Post Office where I had some personal business, and cross the road from there between the Port of Liverpool Cunard Buildings Bootle on the train line prevented this, and I left the train at Central station instead, undertook my business at India Building Post Office and started from there.
Upon arrival at the Pier Head, I noticed that the new futuristic apartment development was near completion, as was the new (and exciting looking) Museum of Liverpool Life Strand a little and ducked into the Albert Dock at the entrance by the Pump House Pub.
My route took me over the bridge which splits the dock and a short walk past the Tate Gallery, it café and various tourist shops selling what looked like idealised views of Liverpool, I accessed the other side of the dock by the BT Convention Centre and Liverpool Echo Arena.
This route takes you past the Beatles Story, and the morning I passed the usual gaggle of tourists, many with what sounded like Spanish accents, were taking photographs of each other and looking excited awaiting entrance to the exhibit. The last time I went on the tour a few years ago now, I was impressed with the different memorabilia for the exhibit, including an opportunity of having your photograph taken as a face within the Sgt Pepper crowd. I must dig out my copy of that. If I recall I am between Dr Livingstone and Issy Bonn.
From the Beatles Story, a short walk took me to Kings Parade adjacent to the BT Convention Centre and the start of the walk proper.
A very early observation is that urban walks are generally flat walks. You don’t have to do big hills, or gentle slopes. And when I mentioned that I undertook this walk to someone in work and how flat it was, they suggested that its flatness was due to the fact that the path took you across the river wall, and therefore this needed to be flat. (Not sure what they meant by needed to be flat, but it is an interesting observation nonetheless). And its flatness attracted joggers, cyclists and dog walkers in equal numbers.
From the Convention Centre, at a steady speed, I walked south and passed on my left the HMRC building, before coming across my first housing development. Flats built close to Liverpool Marina affording good views across the River Mersey, which due to the heat haze seemed to shimmer a little on the day of my walk. But I would have thought the best view would be from the Wirral aspect across the River towards Liverpool , rather than the other way. I hope to find out in a later walk what the view from the Wirral across to the City looks like.
I passed Liverpool Marina, which I had had previous connections with both as a venue for when I played chess for Liverpool and for a wedding reception I went to with Sandra. The yachts looked like they were lying low in the dock that morning, with the usual chatter and ring of small bells from the yacht masts caused by the wind, evident.
Almost immediately after that you come to a part of the walk on land owned by United Utilities and a sign that suggests they’re land is about one and half kilometres in length and the gates at either end shut and are locked at 7.30pm promptly. And God help you if you’re stuck halfway along at the time….gulp!
This stretch also offers a chance for you to sit on street benches, which I assume are also used by workers from the small micro businesses which border most of the land to your left.
Directly after this you encounter the Cha Wing restaurant (closed upon passing) and you skirt around some further small businesses on the left. For the whole of the walk you are bounded on the right by the River.
The next major landmark is the Victoria Pub, and as you come upon it, the walkway starts being signed by armed signs which indicate the coming attractions, the distances to the attractions and the path widens and is generally well kept. For a lot of the walk from here to its completion, the left of the walk is the old Garden Festival Site, which at the time of writing is under development, providing I understand a relief road and new housing.
I readily admit that I have never been a fan of the Garden Festival, nor what it stood for. From memory its existence was born in strife; mass unemployment (some of which ironically came from dock workers which spawned the Albert Dock and the Festival site itself) and riots in Toxteth. A Government Minister was dispatched to this fair city, special measures were enacted, one of which was to provide a short lived Garden Festival. The legacy of which appeared to be a bill for a Local Authority to maintain the site beyond its means, abandonment of the site, leading inevitably to a large swathe of derelict and overgrown land, left that way for 20+ years. Now it seems it has been bought by developers – at I am sure a pittance of its real worth – for the opportunity of building new houses and roads, at a time of economic crisis. Perhaps my cynicism is justifiable – perhaps not. But while walking I could hear occasionally the movement of large machinery and shouts of workers as the development – sheltered from my eyes by overgrown weeds and a newly erected fencing – took shape.
The next main site you come across is Otterspool, which these days provides (apparently) a children’s play area and a car park so refreshments can be taken. My mother tells me of the time when a day out for her as a young girl was a day in Otterspool from her home in Islington, followed by a short trip to Sefton Park and its glasshouse.
I continued passed Otterspool, where for the first time I noticed that one of the coming attractions appeared to be “Sitting Bull”, a further 2km up the pathway I was walking. I was intrigued.
As the path continued south towards the ‘burbs - Aigburth, Grassendale, Garston and Speke - the nature of the other users on the path changed. Joggers and cyclists were less in demand, and their place taken by dog owners (the majority of the animals not on a lead) young mothers or nannies with babies in prams (I passed four by recollection) and older people, enjoying the walk and each others company no doubt.
As I drew closer to my destination, incredibly “Sitting Bull” comes into view. And guess what? It’s a statue of a bull sitting, some 10/15ft high. It adjoins a rugby pitch, obviously for the 3rd or 4th fifteen who play at Merseyside Police grounds located on Riverside Drive , which began a short walk away. What it signifies or its relevance, remains a mystery.
I walked past the statue and up Riverside
The bug had bitten, and I was hooked.
I got home (about ¾ of a mile from the Club) tired – realising that this was probably the longest I had ever walked with a purpose, and feeling tired. Feet sore, but leg muscles feeling great.
I settled down on to my computer, and planned the next trip.
Walk 2 – Friday 25th March 2011
From Ainsdale Train Station to Southport Town
Distance: @ 5.5miles (9kms)
Time: 2 Hours 30 minutes
Weather: Sunny and warm
Outside of Ainsdale Train station, at which I arrived at 8.45am, I took a left and walked down Shore Road , very suburban with fine appointed and well established houses.
Ignoring the signs which provided opportunities for the walker to access Ainsdale Country Park – “grade 1” in various websites and therefore more acceptable to advanced walkers – I accessed the Coastal Road, which is mainly used by cyclists, two or three who I had to “give way to” during my journey and made steady progress towards Crossens.
My intention was to undertake the Ainsdale to Crossens walk as advertised on Sefton MBC’s website and subsequent publications, and with nice warm sunny weather, I set out on my goal.
The coastal road itself is a busy a road of a morning – indeed it is busy at the various times I have driven down it (at its length it connects Formby By-Pass with Southport ’s south attractions). So in walking, as well as giving way to cyclists, the noise from the constant traffic does not provide you with much time for quiet reflection. Nor is the view much to inspire you. The length of the Coastal Road on the left as you make your way towards Southport consists alone of sand dunes, of various sizes none less than about 15 feet high, and some scrubby trees and bushes.
As you near the next roundabout – and in reality the first real noteworthy site on the Coastal Road – the Ainsdale Country Park which has been guarding your right side across the length of the road, gives way to some more well appointed and large houses, which perhaps is reflected in the sign on the junction of the roundabout which offers a direction and short distance value to Birkdale Train Station.
I crossed from the right side of the Coastal Road , which gave way to Marine Drive , to the left at the roundabout. The dunes which had shielded the view all along the left hand side of the road, gives way at this point and you are greeted by the seemingly endless sands of the beach, which one can only presume, leads you to the sea. However, strong binoculars aside it would be impossible to see the sea as it is a long way out.
Similar to the River Mersey observation from the week before, the heat gave a shimmering effect to some stagnant pools of water on the sands, which birds had gathered around, as well as a shimmering heat haze far off into the distance at the horizon line.
The sands of Southport beach are protected by large rocks from the path on the Marine Way and as I made my way along, I noticed a Ranger out on the sands removing the flotsam and jetsam left by humans – cans, crisp packets and plastic in all shapes and sizes. The wide expanse of sand was his alone.
A further two miles up the road you come to a second, small roundabout, and a large empty ground, which used to house a large roller coaster, just passed the Park and Ride Facility. Beyond that lay a fun fair, both appeared long forgotten and abandoned.
Continuing along further, I came across Southport ’s pier, which led across the Marine Way and down into a shopping complex of major stores – fashion and food mostly.
Dog walkers gamely allowed dogs to roam the sands, and chase balls and sticks, and this part of the coast also seemed to attract a number of joggers, at least five passing me on the sands or on the coastal path to which I stayed.
The idea was to access as far up Marine Way as possible, stopping perhaps at the RSPB site at Crossens, but the lure of hot tea and a read of my paper distracted me this time, and as I skirted around the Marina Lake (on the right of the road) I walked onto Fairway and stopped off at a small café in the LA Fitness centre at the bottom of the road.
Following this short stop, I walked around on to the Promenade and started making my way back in to Southport Town Centre and the railway station – which I accessed after lunch – in the early afternoon.
As the summer goes on, I will try this walk again, perhaps going through Ainsdale Country Park Southport .
My second walk, longer than the first, but one that kind of lost focus near the end.
Walk 3 – Friday 1st April 2011
Distance: @ 9 miles (14.5kms)
Time: 4 Hours 30 minutes (excluding travel)
Weather: Overcast, warm, occasional rain
The well written instructions provided by Wirral MBC’s Website show this as a just over 4 miles as a walk, however a slight wrong direction, saw me walk a little further.
I started mid-morning at West Kirby train station, and proceeded down Grange Road to the entrance of Wirral Way , a long straight old railway line (shut in mid 1960s) which connects the north end of Wirral with Hooton in the south.
The instructions suggest walking a short while on Wirral Way until you get to Ashton Park Ashton Park Rectory Road in front of St Bridget’s Church.
From there I followed a tight winding road until I came to a public footpath on the left, which I entered going over a stone stile. To one side of the footpath horses rambled in a field and further up the path backs of houses were accessed. From the style and apparent newness of graffiti on back gates and the walls, this appeared to be a gathering point for local youths. At night I would assume that the overhanging trees from both the back gardens and the scrubland, which bounds the path on the right, would give a completely different aspect to the path, shielding people from view so, graffiti and other activities can take place.
At the exit of the footpath, locally called Echo Lane , you cross the road and access a steep climb to Caldy Hill and Mariners Point. For a beginner walker this is a tiring climb, graded in the 1/2 category at a push, and left me out of breath. However, the view from below Mariners Point, across River Dee to Wales
I rested for a moment or two after the climb, and looked for the “public footpath” on what was now Caldy Hill. The word footpath actually doesn’t adequately describe the path you take for the rest of the journey. They are almost desire lines between overgrown shrub and plants on all sides, and as Wirral MBC’s description so rightly describes it, there are “numerous small paths leading off…” the main pathway, but I took what I believed to be the path and followed it.
I was, this time, right, (signage is non existent) and I encountered something that I had not before on my previous two major walks. The ground undulated and in parts was flooded and sandstone rocks made the ground uneven. For the first time, I felt some real effort would be needed to traverse the Hill and it could only do me good.
As mentioned, there are no signs along the way, and so I continued on a straight path as I thought, trying to follow Wirral MBC’s instructions. However, either my sense of length of distance or their instructions don’t do the length of track justice. Such instructions as “at the Firebeaters sign” which is just over the brow of the hill and just beyond “fire hydrant 4” actually is a long way past and old sandstone walls are actually just that, but rather than simply being closer together as read in the instructions, they are a fair distant apart. But I stress again, more experienced walkers may find this usual.
The fauna and flora of Caldy Hill is rather nice, and there are some stagnant pools, which seemed to host their own small eco-systems. Certainly a walk for those who find beauty in such things.
After forty minutes of steady paced walking, including a small break to water the plants, I passed out of a gate from Caldy Hill and onto Kings Avenue . There are no pavements here and I walked against the traffic (one car passed in about 20 minutes) as I admired the views of the more mammon aspect of the area.
The houses in Kings Avenue , in the main, are frankly spectacular. All either built in the their own grounds, with two in construction, and none below 8/10 bedrooms at a guess. Due to the nature of the area, you could, if you wished, stand at the gates of these magnificent buildings, looking down the drive and down onto the house, as they are built on the sides of the hill. Seeking my next turning, a public bridleway locally know as Fleck Lane , I did not take this pleasure.
By turning on to Fleck Lane , 150-200 yards along Kings Avenue, you again access Caldy Hill (managed by National Trust) but this time only to descend a very steep hill, undulating and full of sandstone rocks, which takes you down to Caldy Road . Again for a novice this was a difficult part of the walk.
It was at this point that I made a mistake and missed my turning. I was supposed to find a church opposite Croft Drive which I should have turned at and which leads me to Cubbins Green, however I missed the turning and continued along Caldy Road and into the village.
Suburban, one car dealership, two pubs private preparatory school, and an old people’s home. Still looking for the Church which I had long since passed, I saw a sign which pointed towards another church, and on to Rectory Road . I had completed a circular route and ended back at the place I started at.
Still wishing to take in the final part of the walk – around the Marine Lake Marine Lake
There are only two things I remember about the television series “The Comic Strip Presents…” which bolstered the early careers of, among others Ad Edmondson, Rick Mayall, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French. Firstly, well it wasn’t very funny, and the second is a famous sequence in which Robbie Coltrane walks along a stone jetty, with waves crashing over him, and “Two Tribes” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood playing in the background. The walk along Marine Lake
After a little light lunch in West Kirby , I headed back home and decided to get off the train in Liverpool City Centre and visit one of my favourite buildings, the Central Library. However I was unaware that it was closed for refurbishment and a small section had been transferred to the new and impressive looking Liverpool Museum
With still some energy left, I took the train from Central Station and got off earlier than my stop (at St Michaels), crossed Aigburth Road and walked along Lark Lane .
I first went to Lark Lane about 10 years ago and discovered a bohemian type vibe. However following a trip there in January 2010, and reaffirmed by my walk along on this day, it was obvious that things are changing around there, and not really for the better.
For example, I have mentioned to a few people that The Albert Pub was a nice solid, dependable pub when I first visited. Upon my return in January 2010, its character had changed (different management perhaps) and my view of its decline was sealed as in passing on Friday, three men (late 30s/early 40s) were standing in the doorway, smoking and shouting across the street at two young women who were walking in the opposite direction. I’m all for fun and frolics, but there was an undercurrent in the air by the language of their shouts and general idiocy.
At the top end of Lark Lane I walked into Sefton Park
It always seems that when I pass the Buddhism and Meditation Centre in Sefton Park
At this point I started to feel my legs a little, and decided that I would go home. From there to my flat is 3 miles, this I know as it was one of my urban walks, as mentioned earlier. And dare I say, maybe a little of the benefit is already being felt.
From my recollection, I struggled the first time I walked it, and while I was starting to feel my legs a little during this part, I am glad to note that this 3 mile walk was achieved following some six miles in different forms earlier in the day.
The fever of walking was notched up a touch and investigations have begun for my next walk.
