Lancashire Art walks . A painters sketch book . Dick Lane and Withnell Moor . 2

The walk began from Pikes Lowe across the high fields with great views of the sea to the West, North Wales ahead and Blackburn and the Trough of Bowland behind me. I meandered along the farm track at Pikes Lowe farm and then struck onwards across to School Lane. Guilty  across the football pitch to the corner over a couple of stiles and then sharply downhill from the fields of Harbour Farm to the Victorian Brinscall Hall which a very paintable place. The hall is now a Centre for Philosophy, Tai Chi and Yoga. From here walk through a confusion of lanes and tracks then down to the bottom and across a tight valley, then go steeply up towards the top of Wheelton Plantation. All very good plein air material.

The wet showers and cold blustery yet bright wind kept my sketchbook alongside my hands deep in my pockets. For me, my sketch walks are more than just stressing about stopping to draw, they are more than that. They are about feeling. feeling the wet and the wind or the sun on my face and consciously making that moment a remembered feeling which alongside the clouds above can be brought out of the corner of my  mind and represented on my painting as a moment lived.

Woodland Clearing Heaton House Farm  Wheelton Plantation
watercolour and pen

The woodland of Wheelton Plantation rises sharply from the vale floor using old farm tracks and muddy paths that wind through the trees. Some of the paths here are damaged by mountain bikers  but these muddy bits can be avoided. Eventually the slope relents before the open moorland to form a shelf which hosts Heaton House farm and Hatherlea. In between the farms there is a nice  spot. Some old ruins possible a mine denotes the fact that at some time past this place held importance to people. The old dominant tree in its clearing is in a quiet and shaded position high above the vale. It's a favourite corner of mine a place to sit and ponder try out a remembered step of tai chi, its a beautiful place in spring and oddly sad in winter.

Ratten Clough Farm Edge Gate Lane Brinscall
changing light Sketchbook watercolour pen

Carry onto the edge of the moor and cross Edge gate Lane to get to Ratten Clough Farm. This farm is well described in the book "Farms of Brinscall moor"..its a location that is of atmosphere made so by the old tree.  The tree leans towards what was the Long House  home of 3 or 4 families and spreads its branches over their shared wc,  a windy spot if there was one. The book on Brinscall Farms has a great photo of farm workers resting during harvest maybe 1870. It was deserted not to long ago.. Today the moorland light is behind the farm and tree making for drama. It's a fine place in summer to sit and draw with sheep grazing in munchly quietude and the babble of the distant brook competing with the sighs of the wind and the scratch of pen on paper

Ratten Clough from the track Brinscall

Third drawing Rattens Clough Farm looking back from the well constructed farm lane whose walls provided some shelter from the wind.  I was drawn to make this sketch due to the amazing show of moorland light. The light strengthens at this point on a regular basis because of by the atlantic frontal systems that curves along the edge or parapet caused by a fault line that runs  along the moors edge. This is a lovey stormy place,  the curving moorland sweeping from a parallel line to the sea  bends away inland beyond White Coppice and on towards Horwich. You can feel the clouds forming and such is its position that the sun in the afternoon casts great refractions in the moisture that loads  itself pile on pile.

Winters light Withnell Moor heading over to Twist Moor
watercolour and pen

The path now works its way across open moorland keeping close to a tumbled wall on the right there are great views across the open moor to the Lake District and North Wales. The sound of occasional thunder is actually explosions from the stone quarry which sadly is eating away at the  ancient farming land on the lower slopes. Thankfully trees now mask much of its presence.

The lonely tree at Botany Bay Farm Twist Moor and on to Dawen Tower
watercolour and pen

Eventually the track splits off onto an older farm track  turn right towards the lightening damaged lonely tree standing above the ruins of Botony Bay Farm