We start on the south bank of another river today – the river Lune, which has its source in Cumbria and then flows west and south to enter the Irish Sea south of Lancaster. It will be on our right hand side from where we start to where we finish. It is a lovely day.

We begin on a cycle path which sticks close to the riverbank but soon we are directed off through some urban scrubland and then out into the marshes.

A little later we walk past an overflow from a waste water treatment plant which reminds me of the horrendous stories of swimming in sewage on UK beaches that have been in the papers recently – I eye the water with suspicion.

For those interested, here is a an article about the unbelievable situation we find ourselves in ….

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/18/no-swimming-no-surfing-how-a-summer-of-sewage-is-ruining-the-british-seaside-day-out

Our path continues now through a patch of woodland and then out into the open as we get closer to the village of Glasson Dock.

The harbour at Glasson originally opened in 1787, following the demise of Lancaster as a port, and was at its height the largest port in the north west, importing cotton, sugar, spices and slaves from Africa and the Indies. Glasson is still a thriving port handling over 150,000 tonnes of cargo annually. The last sentence is from a Wiki – I find it hard to believe…………..

The dock is connected by a lock to a large lake – the Glasson Basin Marina. Familes with children are sitting on benches overlooking the water and eating ice-cream. It’s a pretty little place.

Along with a group of mid-life crisis motorcyclists we stand in line at the food wagon for bacon sarnies and cups of tea.

Moving on we stop to stare at the lock – I’m not sure it should be leaking so much water but then I know nothing about locks. I probably will get to be more familiar with them next month when we go on our boating holiday with friends in Ireland – down the River Shannon.

From here there is a short road walk which then mutates into a path through fields. At one point we come up against a closed gate submerged in almost knee deep water. The fence is barbed wire and unclimbable so we both wander off to see if we can find a piece of wood that can act as a bridge over the puddle. I know the photo does neither convey the depth of the water nor the thickness of the branch but believe me it was a problem – there is nothing worse than wet feet when you’re walking.

Anyway, at a place called Crooks Farm we turn left to follow the edge of the Lune estuary.

Pretty information boards talk of various wading birds including the American Golden Plover which is apparently a rare sight.

A while later we deviate to investigate what remains of Cockersand Abbey. What remains is the Chapter House, built in 1230 and now a listed building. It is open to the public but only on specific days.

There are now wonderful views over the estuary to Cockerham Sands but we are a little too tired to appreciate them.

The path narrows as we pass a caravan site and then at a place called Bank End Farm we turn off left through a small airfield, otherwise known as Patty’s Farm – Editorial Note: Never, ever call ME Patty.

The only piece of information I have about Cockerham Airport is that it is home to the Black Knights Parachute Club – great name – wonder if they look like this?

Or this…………………

So now the fun starts. I have pinpointed a path from the airfield across fields to join up with the A588 which runs into Cockerham. This is a path that hasn’t been used for a very long time – this little wooden bridge is a challenge…….

Having negotiated two of these we are finally able to make for the exit over a metal gate and onto the road up to Cockerham.

The bus for Lancaster is not due for another 45 minutes and there’s no cafe or pub nearby. In the end we sit on a bench at a cross junction of three roads but we are so tired it doesn’t seem to matter.

Distance: 12 miles