Goosnargh & Chingle Hall

The name of the village tells us something of its origins, for it is a mix of an Old Scandanavian word 'erg' (a summer pasture) and an Old Irish personal name (Gussan). It is possible that Norse settlers in Ireland later moved here, a theory that has some tentative backing as it is said that the original structure of Chingle Hall included beams from Viking longships.
The hall, built in 1620, is also reputed to be the oldest brick house in Britain. If you look it up on the internet you will discover that with its 16 spirits it is also the most haunted house in Britain.
The village has a speciality dish, Goosnargh cakes, a shortbread with caraway seeds. The walk started at the mediaeval church, St Mary's. The walk also goes along the drive of what was a huge mental institution, Whittingham Hospital, now closed.
The guide, from Walking World, tells us that "The village name is used by Douglas Adams twice in his books: once as a Betelgeusian word used by Ford Prefect 'when he knew that he should say something but he didn't know what it should be' and again in his dictionary 'The meaning of Liff' where a Goosnargh is defined as 'something left over from preparing or eating a meal, which you store in the fridge despite the fact that you know full well that you will never use it'.
The walk, although very enjoyable, was very boggy in places and there were some electric fences to negotiate. Chris wasn't impressed by the number of fields with cows and 'Bulls'. One of the highlights of the walk was the herd of deer, shown in the picture below...

You can view our 5.8206 mile walk at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2335362.

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