Walk Leader: Ann Holden

Number on Walk: 18, with 2 dogs

Weather: Blustery and warm with sunny spells

Distance: 8.5 miles

We started out along the tidal road from The Globe, Overton, with muddy estuary channels to left and right; quite an eerie feeling to think that the road is covered twice daily by the incoming tide! Plenty of roadside samphire was collected for evening meals!

Plenty of time at Sunderland Point to use the facilities, read the information board and take the group photo with the background of the mudflats and moody Bowland skies. From here we kept the sea on our left and walked the rocky shoreline round to Sambo’s Grave, bird hide and a stone beehive containing a camera obscura. Quite a desolate spot and interesting history https://www.lancastervision.com/a-black-life-remembered/.

The route continued along the shoreline, past Shorelands caravan site where we lingered to admire the view while some visited the facilities and purchased takeaway hot drinks from the café, and then on to our beach lunch stop, perched on the bottom ledge of a wire enclosed sea defence! Surprisingly comfortable and a close-up view of Heysham Power Station.

Shortly after we left the shoreline, ascending to pass another caravan site or two on our walk into Middleton, where the road sign warned us not to consume alcohol in the village! A few fields later and we were back in Overton, narrowly avoiding passing our cars by taking the embankment path to the start of the tidal causeway. We walked along the muddy estuary path around to Bazil Point, swelling our numbers with a herd of inquisitive cows who followed on for some distance before returning to their grass-munching.

After admiring the view across to Glasson Dock and the backdrop of Clougha and Bowland Fells we headed away from the shore and up to Overton trig point (SD 43575 57693) with wonderful 360 o views; an ideal spot for the ‘end of walk’ group photo. All downhill from here back to the cars.

Not a long walk, but full of interest. While the weather forecast was for showers and there were plenty of threatening clouds, the strong wind held them off and we remained warm and dry all day. Amazingly, Steve’s bright orange trainers survived untainted by the mud.