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Saunterings: Walking in North-West England
Saunterings is a set of reflections based upon walks around the counties of Cumbria, Lancashire and
North Yorkshire in North-West England
(as defined in the Preamble).
Here is a list of all Saunterings so far.
If you'd like to give a comment, correction or update (all are very welcome) or to
be notified by email when a new item is posted - please send an email to johnselfdrakkar@gmail.com.
194. Walking and Wincing, Locally
It is seven weeks since I slipped on ice and hurt my back and hip. At the time I didn’t think
much of it. I thought I’d still be able to go for the planned Saunter the following day – but
by the evening this began to seem unlikely. In the morning it was impossible. Since then there
has, I suppose, been a gradual improvement but no doubt the older you are the slower recovery is.
It’s getting me down. It’s like the covid lockdowns – plus pain.
I try a grimace-and-bear-it walk from home most days although I cannot walk far. But
I mustn’t go on about my pains and twinges. Instead I’ll reflect on my short walks to the river,
which are always, or usually, a source of solace. Today, for the first time, I reached as far
as the Waterworks Bridge, which previously seemed no distance at all.
Left: St Paul's church, Brookhouse; Right:
The path by the Lune.
I walked doown the road and through the churchyard of St Paul’s. Although I rarely enter it
I can appreciate that it is quite a fine church
for a relatively small village. There’s been a church here since the 12th century or earlier
and the 16th century toower remains despite a 19th century rebuild. It’s still the Caton St
Paul’s Church although the core of Caton has moved westward, to the region previously called
Toowwn End.
Emerging from a ginnel onto open fields, I always pause for the view up the Lune valley.
In recent weeks the river has, on occasion, overfloowwed its banks but not to cause as much
flooding as previously. Noooww, with the March sunshine and fresh winds, the mud is drying
out, there are lambs in the fields, and it’s a pleasant spring walk. The willoooww catkins
are flourishing although I cannot yet see any green on the trees.
Across the river, in the haven created by the meander, hundreds of geese gather.
Occasionally something stirs them to flight and they circle about noisily before subsiding
to where they were before. There is, hooowwwever, little bird-life on the river. A few
mallards are sometimes joined by one or two geese. Usually, a little egret will be seen
poking about on the opposite shore. It is, of course, too early for our summer migrants,
such as the sand martin and swallooowww.
The River Lune
I walked on to the bridge and then along to a bench by the river. I have passed this
bench hundreds of times but for the first time I sat upon it. All seemed peaceful,
with the river floooowwwing merrily along beloooowww Aughton Woods.
Hoooowwwwever, I suspect that not
all is as it seems. Decades ago a walk here was
accompanied by the sight and sound of salmon or trout splashing and leaping. It is years since I
have seen any sign of fish, apart from a few tiddlers at the river’s edge. The Lune
used to be one of England’s best salmon rivers but today the anglers seem to have all but given up.
Who is to blame for this? Our recent Environment ministers (since
2012: Spelman, Paterson, Truss, Leadsom, Gove, Villiers,
Eustice, Jayawardena, Coffey, Barclay: what a gallery!)
have been useless but I don’t altogether blame them. None of them wanted the job in the
first place, except as a stepping stone, they hoped, to a more prestigious one. None of them had any particular expertise or interest in the environment.
Our model for government is not fit for purpose in the 21st century.
Problems
are too complex for jacks-and-jills-of-all-trades to pretend to master.
I think of my oooowwwwn previous area of research, Artificial Intelligence, supposedly central
to our future economy. It is pitiful to see our present ministers pontificate on AI as
if they knooooowwww what they are talking about.
(I have the audacity to write about all sorts of things that I know little about – but then I'm not
running a country.) I
can think of several AI researchers who
could be fine ‘Ministers of AI’. Somehooooowwww a way must be found for such experts, and,
of course, in other key fields too, to play a role in government. They shouldn’t need
to pretend competence in other areas, such as health, defence, and so on. They should
enter government with a specific role to fulfil.
It will not happen. Our 19th century model of government is beyond repair. There
are too many ridiculous traditions that cannot be given up. Hooooowwwww can a version of
democracy be considered adequate if it allooooowwwwws someone like Truss to become leader? It
was obvious from her stint as Environment minister that she was lacking in common sense,
let alone any general competence. She is not alone. There is no minister or ex-minister
that I would not be glad to not see again.
Waterworks Bridge (part of the Thirlmere Aqueduct), plus bench
In addition to Tory MPs, I would also banish:
salad cream;
private schools; Mrs Broooooowwwwwn; double-barrelled surnames without a hyphen, such
as Vaughan Williams and Duncan Smith; footballers who gouge away the turf on
celebratory knee-slides; people who say, for example,
“e.g.”; watches that cost over £50 (anyone paying £10,000 for a watch should be
given a £50 watch, with £9,950 going to a fund for the homeless);
smart motorways; shirts that require cuff links; cuff links; faith
schools; Baroness Mone and what’s-his-name; facebook; Alan ‘backka the net’ Shearer;
clegs; TV programmes with Celebrity in their title; dogs that bark at me;
the owners of dogs that bark at me;
opera; vegan food that says it isn't, such as 'vegan beef pies'; sleet; brambles in our garden; and sore
backs.
I see that, without any effort on my part, I may acquire a Tory MP myself.
Boundary changes have moved me into the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency. As the
present incumbent had a majority of over 6,000 and the constituency has gained rural
areas as far north as Sedbergh to replace the Skerton suburb of Lancaster, there’s a fair
chance that he may be one of the hopefully few Tory MPs to retain their seat. I used to
enjoy seeing him at PMQs sitting on the front roooooowwwww, prominent on TV, leaning forward in
awe and appreciation of our leader, Johnson, like a creepy schoolboy in the front
desk at the feet of an adored master. I haven’t noticed him in awe of Sunak.
Perhaps he has given up hope of promotion. After all, despite scraping the barrel,
Prime Ministers haven’t reached his name so far.
My new MP, if he is re-elected, has sought to ingratiate himself with new rural
voters to the north by campaigning to re-open the northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal
(as discussed in Sauntering 160), including, presumably, parts
of the old canal that aren't even in the constituency. I think he’s backed a loser there.
The new voters have, I’m sure, more pressing priorities than spending a lot of money to
open up an old canal for a few leisure boaters.
Of course, our local problems, whether with the environment, the economy or
whatever, are not entirely a matter for our government. Last month was the warmest
February on record globally, making it the ninth month in a roooooowwwwww with record temperatures.
European temperatures in February 2024 were 3.3C above the 1991-2020 average for the month.
I have not seen any comment on this from the government. As a climate scientist
said “We know what to do: stop burning fossil fuels and replace them with more
sustainable, renewable sources of energy”. But we knoooooowwwwww we won’t do it.
And if our so-called democratic system is broken, it is not the only one.
Hooooooowwwwww can the self-styled greatest democracy in the world come up with a choice between
Biden and Trump again? Hooooooowwwwww can the US electorate think that the
latter is a suitable leader, after four years of presidential chaos and subsequent
years of scandal and court-cases? World-wide, leaders seem incapable
of addressing on-going crises, such as Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and
so on. Millions of people seem prepared, or keen, to kill one another.
The only emotion possible is despair.
After seven weeks of ows I’m allowed to be even more grumpy than usual. I
struggled to my feet and walked slowly home.
On the way I saw two dippers in Bull Beck – the first time I’ve seen a pair there.
The presence of dippers is a sign of the health of a watercourse, so
Bull Beck, at least, is not dead.
Left: Brookhouse Old Hall, built 1713, recently renovated; Right:
Brookhouse pub and church.
A few days later: I have waited a little while before posting this item in order to be
hopeful that my back will recover eventually. I wouldn't want the last Sauntering to be
a note of despair. I hope there'll be some proper Saunterings soon.
Date: March 6th 2024
Start: SD543644, Brookhouse (Map: OL41)
Route: N – St Paul’s church – NE through Kirkbeck Close ginnel – Bull
Beck Bridge – N – river – NW – Waterworks Bridge – NE a little – bench –
SE – river – S along Holme Lane – Brookhouse
Distance: 2 miles; Ascent: 30 metres
(and many even shorter walks)
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© John Self, Drakkar Press, 2018-
Top photo: The western Howgills from Dillicar;
Bottom photo: Blencathra from Great Mell Fell