Day 51 of the End to End and I pass the 500 miles mark. I’m as amazed as you are! I have walked all the way from Land’s End to Preston.
Now the only Preston I recall was the evil dog in Wallace and Gromit and The Close Shave. That was the one that starred Shaun the Sheep. In a conversation with Bob, he said he wasn’t surprised that the dog was called Preston as it was a Yorkshire film. This factor had not crossed my mind.
Today my friend Peter from the Lay Community of St Benedict was walking with me and it was good to have the company. He is a volunteer supporting a Sustrans route where he lives, so it was good that we were walking on Sustrans route 55. It was another green corridor along a disused railway with wide fringes of ponds and marshy areas. At this time of year the plant life is burgeoning particularly the yellow Iris now hanging out its yellow bunting on the edge of every pond and stream. Foxgloves are also beginning to come out and will soon be a common sight.
The disused railway path ended in Preston city centre which we crossed with the helpful incentive of a donut stop (Bob brought the donuts to us). Leading out of the city we joined the Lancaster Canal. This was mile 503 that had been sponsored by Renee. Plenty of ducklings and cygnets were swimming up and down the canal.
We left the canal at Quaker Bridge in order to take a shortcut, and stopped at the Sitting Goose. This pub did not have many customers for a bank holiday largely due to the road works that were making the car park inaccessible.
Cross Lane Methodist Church was the place were today’s walk ended, just before the Lancaster canal which I will join again tomorrow.
From Psalm 106
Praise God!
Give thanks: God is good and loves forever;
Who can tell all the great things God has done?
Who can praise God enough?
I cannot praise you enough, God:
You have kept me safe and walked with me.
Your love is communicated to me is so many ways:
I cannot give an adequate account of it.
I will continue to praise you.
I intend to walk your Way.
Tonight, God grant a quiet night and a peaceful end.
JAL 27.05.2019
From Bamber Bridge retail park to Cross Lane Methodist Church