The Harvester - our 33rd Walk and Pub Lunch

Today's 4.8232 miles (7.7622 km) route to the Harvester at Aintree, has been saved and can be seen at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6730587
After a poor start to the day, weather-wise, the clouds broke up and the sun appeared every now and then.

With some variations to routes well walked in the past, we were lucky enough to see...

• Moorhens.
• Coots,
• Ducks,
• Herons (x2),

...along with the usual rooks, crows, sparrows, gulls etc.
As you can see from the photos, Autumn is rapidly changing the environment.

Green Lane Swing Bridge

Shop Lane Swing Bridge

A59 Bridge over Leeds Liverpool Canal

Info overload on a pole...

As it says on the sign

Path beside Melling Brook

Nice new picnic bench - shame about the cans...

River Alt towards Sefton Village

Switch Island and new Southport road.

River Alt towards the A59

Autumnal

Aldrins Lane Swing Bridge

 Lots of Autumnal signs berries...

 ...of many colours...

 ...and varying amounts...

 and leaves changing colour...

 ...at different rates.
Eventually we reached our target destination, The Harvester at Aintree.

You can find out what we thought at our Maghull Foodie Blog.

After lunch we headed back onto the main road and caught the bus back to Maghull.
You can visit https://sharalike.com/s/hNYc to view a video clip of the photographs that I took or watch this clip...

W&WPL #12 - The Royal Hotel, Waterloo

Our 12th W&WPL (Walk 5.6525 miles (9.0969 km) & Wednesday Pub Lunch) route to the Royal Hotel, Waterloo, has been saved and is available at... 

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6563195

Route

The Wednesday Pub Lunch element can be viewed at...

http://maghullfoodie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-royal-hotel-waterloo-12.html

Our starting point today was Maghull Merseyrail Station.
Turning right, as we exited from the car park we continued along Station Road, turning left down Rutherford Road. 
We crossed the canal bridge, and continued along the tow-path towards Maghull Town Centre.
Before the swing bridge we entered the small park and headed for the right hand corner of the park.
Emerging on Hall Lane, we crossed the A59 (Northway) to continue along Hall Lane, then turning left along Liverpool Road South.
We took the first right along Ormonde Drive and, after a very short distance turned left down a signposted path along side Whinny Brook.

Crossing a bridge, over Melling Brook, we headed up a bank, turned left and, almost immediately right.

We were now on the Mersey Path and in Jubilee Woods.

Jubilee Woods

 Sadly there had been a fire but not too much damage had been done...

On the other side of the wood we crossed the River Alt...

...and Moor Hey Brook (you may not notice that one)
We continued along the road to the Northern Perimeter Road (A5207), which we crossed and continued straight ahead along Mersey Path to the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
Here we turned right along the tow-path...

Looking back at the swing-bridge

Along the tow-path we saw Flowering Current bushes... 

 ...and some nice murals...

Need to look back to see this one

pity about the graffiti

As we passed the sign for Rimrose Valley, we saw our first Butterfly of 2015...

... and Pussy Willows...

The map shows where we left the tow-path and how we headed across Rimrose Valley Country Park...

 ...with Dandilions in flower and seeding already...

...to emerge on St Mary's Road.

Taking the second left, along Bramhall Road, we emerged on Crosby Road North; 

...we crossed and headed down Great Georges Road. 
The Royal Hotel is at the end of this road.

Like us you could pop into The Royal Hotel or walk along Marine Terrace, or walk through the small park running parallel, to South road, where you turn right and continue to Waterloo Station.

Catch the train towards Liverpool changing at Sandhills Station, 

to catch the Ormskirk train back to Maghull.
A very enjoyable Walk & Wednesday Pub Lunch #12 in the sunshine.

W&WPL - The Punchbowl Loop #3/52

The 5.6077 mile (9.0248 km) Meander that we did on our third "Walk and Wednesday Pub-Lunch" (W&WPL), is available at... 

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6519264 

As with our last W&WPL, it starts and ends in the car park behind Costa in Maghull.

The loop walk included a target pub, the Punchbowl in Sefton Village. 

You can see how it rated in my Maghull Foodie Blog at...

http://maghullfoodie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/the-punchbowl-sefton-village-352.html 

Setting off from the car park we headed along Westway towards the A5147 (Liverpool Road North). Crossing Westway we cut through the small coppice and down to the Zebra crossing.

Turning right, once we'd crossed, we then turned left across the Leeds, Liverpool Canal and then right along the tow-path. 

At Green Lane Swing Bridge, we turned left along Green Lane, until we got to a sharp left hand bend. Here we turn right along a signposted track (just before a farm)

This brings you to the Cheshire Lines where it crosses Maghull Brook.

Turning right, onto the Cheshire lines, we continued along until we reached another path off to the left.

Signs of spring were evident in the form of catkins (Lambs tails)

This path took us past a pylon and a pond on our right and across fields with views to Sefton Village Church on the horizon.

Climbing steps, we crossed the River Alt and continued straight ahead.

First left took us to the perimeter path around the woodland where we turned right and continued around to the main entrance.

Here we turned right and walked parallel to St Helen's Gutter and out onto Lunt Road.

On the opposite side of the road was St Helen's Well...

Turning left we headed for our Wednesday Pub lunch at the Punchbowl.

See the link near the top of this post for a review of what we experienced.

After lunch, we continued past St Helen's Church and then left onto the B5422 (Bridges Lane).

Just after re-crossing the River Alt, we crossed Bridges Lane and entered part of the Mersey Forest, 

Taking the first parth on the left we skirted the woodland, bearing right to walk parallel to Dover's Brook and then second left, over Melling Brook.

This took us along a path between Maghull High School's playing fields and Whinney Brook.

More signs of spring with Pussy willow...

Emerging onto Ormonde Drive, we turned right then left onto Liverpool Road South, crossing the Zebra crossing and into King George V Playing Fields.

Here we saw the very first daffodils of 2015!

Heading past Maghull Town Hall / Library / Meadows Sports Centre we went up steps and left along the A59 (Northway). Just before the A59 crosses the canal we decended steps down onto the canal tow-path, turning left and back to Shop Lane Swing Bridge. 

We then retraced our steps back to the carpark.

One highlight, of this Meander, apart from lunch at the Punchbowl, was seeing 5 herons...