11 members of the Rambling group undertook a very muddy 9 mile circular walk yesterday. Starting at the beautiful village of Abbeystead near Lancaster we tramped on roads, climbed stiles and fences,(some more rickety than others) slipped and slid on some very muddy paths, crossed waterlogged fields and nearly lost one of our group in a stream thanks to a very precarious wooden bridge! Thankfully we all returned safely if a bit dirty and mud encrusted!
Led by Colin we undertook the ramble that had been planned for last October but were foiled by one of the named storms. However with all the recent rains the walk was very hard going. We were cheered though by the sight of many spring lambs gambolling in the fields, We even came across a very wobbly newborn still with the umbilical cord attached which was very interested in us much to the consternation of its mum! Not content with seeing the lambs, several of the group undertook a bit of sheep herding as we came across one of a set on twins which had got separated from its mum and sibling by a wire fence. In spite of their best efforts the lamb was too quick for the humans and efforts to reunite the little family failed. However we met the farmer coming to the fields on a quad bike and pointed him in the direction of the problem. Am sure the sheepdog would have made short work of reuniting the isolated lamb.
From here we came to the Abbeystead valve house. This occurred on the evening of 23 May 1984 when a methane gas explosion destroyed a waterworks’ valve house killing 16 people. A group of 44 visitors were inside the underground building at the time, attending a public presentation by Northwest water authority (NWWA) to demonstrate the operations of the station. Eight were killed instantly by the explosion, and the others were severely injured. The explosion also caused the concrete roof to fall down onto the group, destroying the steel-mesh floor and throwing some of the victims into the water chambers below, which rapidly filled with river water. Another eight people subsequently died of their injuries in hospital; an 11-year-old boy and his mother were among the dead. The official inquiry into the disaster concluded that the methane had seeped from coal deposits 4,000 feet (1,200 m) below ground and had built up in an empty pipeline. The gas was then ejected into the valve house by the sudden pressure of water as the pumps were switched on. The cause of ignition has never been determined. A plaque to commemorate the disaster is at the site which had been unveiled by the previous Duke of Westminster as the whole area we walked was on land owned by the current Duke.
We didn’t linger long here, having heard of the disaster and seeing signs stating danger of explosion, but crossed the fields to see the Abbeystead reservoir. With the recent heavy rains the reservoir was full to the brim and the overflow to the river Wyre below made a very impressive sight. Doubtless though there will probably still be a hosepipe ban in the summer, if it ever comes! From here it was a short walk back to our start point, to divest of filthy boots and start the journey back down the M6. Thanks to Colin for leading the walk ( in the absence of a poorly Phil).
cracking write-up. well done Margaret