The Bowland Cuckoo is an old event of 18 or 25 miles over some pretty rough, boggy stuff over the fells in the Forest of Bowland. As the weather had been dry for quite a spell it was thought to be a good idea to put the shorter route on as an extra Thursday walk. However, driving down the M61 in the pouring rain and not being able to see Rivi Pike even, I began to have a few doubts but hey ho! six people arrived at Chipping, donned cags and off we set.

We hadn’t been walking 10minutes when the rain stopped and off came the cags and they stayed off for the whole of the walk after that. Passing through Saddle End farm we started the climb up Saddle Fell but this time going to the right at all the junctions following narrow sheep trods through heather to emerge on the peaty, boggy ridge of Totridge Fell. Keeping the fence on our right we made our way, on what is becoming a reasonable path (at least in fairly dry conditions), to the trig point which now has a memorial plaque to Bill Smith, a fell runner who got trapped in a bog about 2 years ago and unfortunately died there. After our coffee stop we descended the zig-zag path to Hareden Farm and made our way alongside Langden Brook continuing on the good track to Langden Castle for our lunch stop.

There were no real difficulties crossing the beck which we all got across with more or less dry feet before commencing the long haul up to Fiendsdale Head. The heather is just starting to colour up and, in a couple of weeks, the views will be quite stunning. Glenn had managed to somehow get a cut on his leg and after he patched himself up (no mountain rescue needed)  we headed down to Holme House farm and the familiar route through Higher Fairsnape and Blindhurst to arrive back at our cars about 4.20pm. Going across a field near Fell Foot I almost walked over a young hedgehog which curled itself up into a tight ball and at Chipping car park two young lads pointed out another young hedgehog, walking this time, on the path and I was able to take a photo of it.

Doreen