11 members of the rambling group plus one guest undertook a very hot 8 mile walk today from the pretty village of Fence within the Forest of Bowland area of outstanding natural beauty.. The initial part of the route was clear and easy to navigate. Whilst we were walking through the first field we spotted a roe deer in the distance, but it was too quick to photograph.
From here the route took a bit of a downturn with overgrown grass although it was still relatively easy to walk through. Following the Old Laund Circular route we passed through a wooded clough and having used the footway to cross over the M65 motorway we started to climb up onto open moorland. The route started to deteriorate as we walked higher as the footways were extremely overgrown making the going a lot slower and giving most of the group nettle stings and scratches! However we were undeterred and continued on the route as the sun climbed higher and the heat more intense. Thankfully everyone was armed with copious amounts of water, sensible clothing and sunscreen. Passing though some very pretty hamlets with dry stone walls and lovely houses we stopped in a lovely shady area for a picnic lunch. Suitably refreshed we continued to climb across open moorland with clear views of Pendle Hill across the valley. We encountered even more poorly maintained footpaths and some very dodgy stiles which numbered 15 in total, before the end of the walk, and were mostly relieved when we came back to tarmac paths by a horse rehabilitation centre and descended back into the village of Fence and to the shady veranda of the Fence Gate Inn for some well deserved cold refreshments! Thanks to Peter for undertaking the recce with family members and leading the walk today.