Where does the time go? It barely seems like yesterday I was telling you about my long-awaited break at Thurnham Hall, between Lancaster and Glasson Dock, yet it’s already almost a month ago. The weather wasn’t the best, wasn’t the worst, but the tranquility and feeling of freedom was wonderful.
https://www.diamondresortsandhotels.com/Resorts/Thurnham-Hall
I tried to go with no real plans and no actual aims or ambitions other than to relax and, hopefully, catch up on some reading and watch a few dvds . Well, dear reader, I pretty much did all of that! I also visited a priest-hole, had a couple of lovely walks and bus rides, lazed, swam and even….brace yourself……went to the gym a couple of times!
The Hall is absolutely steeped in history; there is mention of a manor house there in the Domesday Book and it has played its part in many of England’s wars, rivalries and tempestuous chapters. I won’t attempt to list the events it has seen here, but the link below will give you a pretty good picture:
https://thurnhamhall.com/history/
One of the night porters is also a local historian, and he gives fascinating talks on Wednesday evenings – he is truly the fount of all Thurnham-related knowledge. I was also blessed by a chance chat with one of the staff which led to me being lent a key to the Priest-Hole suite – the pictures don’t really do it justice, but I hope they give you an idea. [Yes, it was vacant – I didn’t break-in while they were having dinner downstairs!]
The stained glass windows in the main reception hall looked, to my untrained eye, to be antiques but they were actually created by one of the last family members – she must have been very skilled indeed.
As for the surrounding area – Glasson Dock is a lovely little place which I haven’t visited for ages, so to discover it was only just over 2 miles away was the incentive for a walk! It’s famous for its SmokeHouse,
http://www.lancastersmokehouse.co.uk/about_us
but is also a haven on the coast where the Lancaster Canal runs into a large basin and is, therefore, a popular place for leisure boats as well as having rather more workman-like ships, too. [And the eagle-eyed among you may even spot that one was not very seaworthy at all!]
Another day, the weather wasn’t as kind, so I decided to do a round trip on the bus which passes the hall gates – it heads to Knott End, takes a 30 minute break there, then returns to Lancaster. I love trundling along through little country lanes, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before. What did surprise me, at Knott End, was bumping into L S Lowry! I knew he used to paint along the coast where I grew up by Lytham and St Annes, but I didn’t know he also liked painting at Knott End. This rather lovely sculpture-tribute to him is by the slipway and seemed very aptly placed.
https://abritandasoutherner.com/knott-end/
So, a few days where I didn’t think I’d even leave the grounds turned into a most delightful tour of the area known to those of us who hail from the Fylde Coast as ‘Over-Wyre’. We regard it a little suspiciously, and it is, indeed, a very different, slower-paced area yet full of wild beauty.
Oh, and for the afternoon when my grandsons came up with the family for a visit – I found the perfect spots :-
Thurnham Hall – I will definitely, I pray, be returning for yet more ‘ME’ time in the near future. After all, with a bath like this at the end of a lovely day, 
I’d be daft not to.
The Travelling Hamster 