Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Hunter’s Hill ParboldYesterday a large yellow object appeared in the sky, yeah, it was the Sun. What a washout of a Bank Holiday, camping trip cancelled. You always spend a fortune when it’s wet.
With a break in the clouds I ventured out. Sometimes you discover places closer to home. I drove out to Parbold just off the M6. It hovers indeterminably between large village and small town, there are shops, pubs, a village hall and a library to break the rural isolation. You also see plenty of families, it isn’t just a retirement home for the well-to-do.
Parbold’s livelihood was based on mining, milling and quarrying. When the Leeds Liverpool Canal opened at the end of the eighteenth century these industries were given a temporary boost. With the coming of the railways it became a commuter stop for Liverpool and Manchester. The local landowners clung on to the Catholic faith and this has left its mark with the church and school.
I walked down Stony Lane towards Hunter’s Hill Quarry. Looking at a 2D map you don’t really appreciate the topography. From the quarry there’s a panoramic view of the plain and you can see across to the Wirral’s sandstone ridge, on a clear day you can see the Lake District.
I skirted round the quarry and came back down another narrow lane and into Hill Dale, then Parbold, just in time for the rain…
Labels: Walks
