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Ten walkers met at Maghull Railway station for a trip to Bank Hall, Bretherton and the first Sunday Stroll of 2023. We took the train to Ormskirk and then caught the 2A (Preston bound) bus to Tarleton. A short walk along the busy A59, crossing the Rufford Branch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal with three canoeists paddling along, and the River Douglas, led us to a stile into a field. We crossed the field to reach the drive to Bank Hall. Bank Hall was completed in 1608 but had become derelict. An action group working with Heritage Trust have begun restoration of the Grade II listed Hall. We were joined by another two walkers who had travelled direct and entered the woods surrounding the Hall. With sunshine filtering through the trees, we followed the meandering paths. The multitudes of drifts of snowdrops heralding the approach of spring were a delight to see. There are some rare varieties among them and through their carpets, daffodil shoots were pushing through to soon add their colour to the scene. There are also many varieties of trees along the walk; cedars, redwoods, hawthorn, yew, silver birch and many more. The oldest tree on the estate is a yew, which is over 550 years old and said to be the oldest in Lancashire. There are numerous coast redwoods including a fallen specimen, with a row of trees rising from its horizontal trunk, believed to be one of only two in the UK. We had great views of the Hall as we walked, but access to the Central Hall and Prospect Tower has to be booked in advance via Heritage North West. At the end of our walk we had tea and cake at the cafe and a good natter as we had a wait for the hourly bus back to Ormskirk.

A most enjoyable day, thanks to Brenda and John for organising, reece-ing and leading.