A Winter Ramble From Knott End: Route Included

It's the first of December and what better to mark the occasion than with a ramble. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go. I have been walking Lancaster canal in sections, soon to reach the northern-most point near Kendal, but I thought I'd leave this till the end of the week. I have a few other long distance walks on the go, which I am doing in stages. The one I decided to add to today was the Wyre Way. The river Wyre runs from the grassy slopes of Hawthornthwaite Fell in the Forest of Bowland to its estuary between Knott End and Fleetwood. I walked a couple of sections last year. I found the river's source (or should I say one of its sources) on Hawthornthwaite and followed it to nearby Abbeystead. And around this time last year I walked a section from Scorton Picnic Site to Garstang, which was a very pleasant section. Today I started from the opposite end of the river, at its mouth at Knott End. The walk follows a circular route, taking in a short section of the Wyre Way toward the end. 

I started my walk from Knott End, a small coastal village just south of Pilling. There are a some shops here, including a bakery and an art gallery, as well as a couple of pubs. There is parking all along the sea front, as well as behind Knott End cafe. The route I describe here starts from the parking behind the cafe. 

1. From the cafe, walk to the main road and turn right. Follow the road along the sea front. The road eventually bends right into the main part of the village. As you walk along the sea front, there are views out to the left over to the Lake District Fells. To the North West you will see Heysham Power Station, overlooked on the right by the ominous Clougha Pike situated on the western reaches of the Forest of Bowland. 

2. As you pass through the main part of the village, continue to follow the main road, passing by the large clock. Turn right down Hackensall Road. The road is fairly long and straight. Almost at the bottom of the road there is a lampost on the left indicating a public right of way to the left. Take this right of way, which takes you round the back of the houses to a narrow strip of woodland. 

3. Continue along the strip of woodland, which soon opens out into farmers' fields. You then pass another strip of woodland to your right, at the end of which is a stile leading up a bank toward a farm. Take this stile, passing through the farm-yard and continue straight ahead along a track. Take the next right turn along a track signposted as a public footpath. The track bends to the left past Coat Walls Farm on the right. The owners of this farm seem to have acquired quite a collection of objects. One that caught my eye was an old Thwaites brewery pub sign for "Saracens Head". I'd never heard of it, though I have since found out that there is a pub of this name in the village of Halsall near Omskirk on the Leeds to Liverpool Canal.

4. After bending left at the farm, there is a short walk before the track bends right and joins the Wyre Way. Turn right at the waymarker for the Wyre Way. Unfortunately there is no view of the Wyre at this point. But it is only a short while along the Wyre Way before you come to a building of note in the form of Hackensall Hall, a grade II listed property built in 1656 by Richard Fleetwood. The Wyre Way then veers through a golf-course emerging at the estuary, offering views over to Fleetwood. In normal times you can get a boat over the estuary from Knott End to Fleetwood, but I am not sure whether this service has been affected by the Covid 19 pandemic. Continue along the path to the seafront. Look out for the L.S. Lowry monument. Lowry was a famous painter, known primarily for his depictions of the industrial landscapes of Lancashire. His primary association being with Salford. But he also used to visit Knott End and made sketches of the Yachts as they navigated the Estuary. 

5. Turn right at the head of the estuary, which shortly leads you back to Knott End cafe on the right.