Walk leaders:  Ann Holden & Jane Anthony

Number on walk: 11 plus well-behaved Tilly

Distance: 12.8 miles, 1600ft ascent.

Weather: Light cloud cover to start, full sun to finish; cooling breeze in places. Scorchio!

Setting off from the bustling J36 Rural Auction Centre, with some members having already taken advantage of the Café Ambio offerings, we made our way through the dusty agricultural machinery sales yard to join the meandering Lancaster canal to Holme Park Farm. Having safely negotiated the short stretch of very busy road, we made our walk steadily up Farleton Fell to savour the only stile on the route – a lovely stone stile complete with top handrail. And even more welcome breather as we lingered to enjoy the 360 degree hazy panorama from the summit. Morecambe Bay, Lakeland Fells, Howgills, Bowland fells to name but a few.

Then we just as steadily walked down the ‘back’ of the Fell to reach our lunch-stop with shade, stream and a handy fallen tree trunk to seat 5 of us; Tilly preferring to sit in the cooling stream.

Replenished we continued to Lupton and a steady ascent of Crabtree Lane and fringes of Scout Hill on a mixture of lane, track and fields. Great views of distant fells appeared as we walked, with the cloud-base going ever higher with the rising temperature. We lingered to admire the stonework of the 14^th century Preston Patrick Hall before passing by St. Patrick’s Church to rejoin the Lancaster canal and head south to our starting point in time to get to Café Ambio before the 4pm deadline!

A lovely walk with great views, company and conversation; thank you to all who came along.