Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 13th May, 2025)

Lovely photo. I remember going to Haigh Hall along Hall Lane many years ago and seeing the lodge. Also, around 1968-1970 I did two 24-mile walks for charity, ending ar the RUFC club mentioned.....it would take me all my time to walk down that lane now!

George Pollitt used to have his vehicle repair shop down there on the right. They moved to Bradley Hall and it is run by his two sons Stephen and David. George died a few years back.
Lovely photo, so green and fresh.

A lovely scene although I’m not familiar with it.

We very often park down Hall Lane near The Lodge and walk to Haigh Hall, which is a lovely walk. We had a nice long chat with the owner of The Lodge a couple of weeks ago. He has lived there for 30 years. Lovely photo.

What a lovely photo to wake up to on this bright and sunny morning.Having said that, I'm always nervous when I'm out on patrol in this area, the reason being that the posh speeding drivers coming out of Wingates Road towards the mini roundabout only have a glance towards Hall Lane and don't see any cyclist approaching the mini roundabout from Leyland Mill Lane. So that one thing to look out for, another is when you're pedalling up the hill, which is also a sharp bend, you get cars coming flying up at the back of you trying to make you go faster.
And some of them will overtake on the blind bend because they need to get to the top of the lane so their dogs can run around the plantations. Most of them who overtake pass too closely and have their dogs hanging out of their back windows, which can scare cyclists and make them go into a wobble and have an accident.

Irene, I did the charity walk several times. Like you say my legs would be aching walking down the hill now!

Haigh Hall and st davids church yard when i take flowers to my relatives graves and that lovely photo is the only place i can get peace were nobody goes and are not in my face the way that this bye bye britain is today!

Mick, I fully agree with everything you say.
Navigating those bends even on foot you have to have your wits about you and it does detract from a peaceful walk in some beautiful countryside.

Dave, it’s not down hill that gets me, it’s uphill. I sometimes have to pause when I get to the top of Standishgate!
Sit on a bench and listen to a busker if they are singing or playing something good, that’s my excuse for age related fatigue anyway.

Another good photo Colin we rode passed the Lodge at the end of Hall Lane on Sunday,also passed the site in Standish where the large Hermitage House once stood,I’ve posted several photos to Brian but none have appeared as yet.

I would also like to add that a few months ago, I sent in a photo and wrote an article of this area featuring a fir tree that originated in the South of France. Ozy brought back some seeds, and he grew 3 trees. He planted 2 in the village of Crooke and 1 on the corner of Hall Lane.
It's a shame the photo never appeared for some reason or other.

John, Paul the Bike was telling me about you finding the Hermitage, he was saying that there are some lovely bits of countryside around Shevington.
But not many know it, but in the early 60s that area down towards the woods from the Hermitage was once a opencast coal mine

Mick, it does seem like Dennis and myself are hogging PAD recently but we have no control on what appears.
I too have sent lovely photos in the past and spent time researching the content, surprised that they didn’t pop up in favour of one to feature which I personally might think of as less interesting,.
I’m a new boy on the block, I think yourself and Dennis have been posting since the year dot.
Anyway, the balance of the Universe has a habit of restoring itself eventually, so keep on snapping and sending as we all do.
Looking forward to your next photo and contribution Mick, Cheers, Colin.

Irene, Veronica further to my comment recently and my email regarding Jack Traynor I was amazed to see a film today about Lourdes, The Miracle Club, Maggie Smith and Cathy Bates, excellent Irish film to watch.
A few tears, secrets from the past, intrigue and laughter.

Colin, I never thought Standishgate was steep when I was a kid, now it feels like Parbold hill?

I remember this lane as a young lad. If memory serves me right i think a Wigan Rugby Player built a house along there. I think his name was Sayer and a hooker. by the way a great pic. Also I went to St Johns school with a boy called Traynor back in the late forties, would he be related.

Derek, that might have been my eldest brother Bryan, he’s 85 now, I’ll ask him tomorrow when I see him and put a comment on tomorrow’s PAD.

John (Howfen), send some in with a long winded copied write up on your photo

Thanks Colin, I do remember now his christian name. Also I am the same age. I did meet him when visiting Wigan, I was with my brother Roy (now deceased) in the town center.

With the greatest respect Derek , and in mitigation , I do realise that you currently reside in one of Great Britain’s former colonies but here in the U.K. we tend to spell the word ‘ center ‘ as centre .
It’s just a part of our old world old fashioned ways I suppose , but given my autistic condition , American spellings do have a tendency to grate on my senses I’m afraid .

Again , no disrespect intended , but you must be aware that the majority of us Brits tend to be way up there on the autistic spectrum these days , and those of us that aren’t tend to suffer with some form of attention deficiency problem or other instead
it would appear .

So, I hope you don’t mind me bringing it to your attention .

Please continue to lead a fulfilling and rewarding life Derek .
And all the very best my friend … regards Swein .