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BB2624 : BOOTboys
Conquer Piel Island
Saturday
26th July 2026
Well,
what a day for the BOOTboys.
Philip, Stephen, Martin, Robert, Mike, plus
the ever-patient Diane, assembled on Walney
Island under weather best described as “character-building”.
Cold, damp, drizzly – the sort of morning
that makes you question your life choices
and your waterproofing.
Still,
off they went. “It’ll brighten up,” someone
said with the kind of optimism usually reserved
for lottery winners and weather forecasters.
No one believed it, but it sounded reassuring.
The
crossing to Piel Island was a touch lively.
A few wobbles, a few sideways looks, and
at least one firm grip on the walking poles
– though we’ll spare their blushes and not
name names. Let’s just say it wasn’t Diane.
Once
ashore, priorities were admirably clear:
The Ship Inn.
No
heroic exploration before refreshments,
thank you very much. A pint appeared almost
instantly, and so did a noticeable improvement
in morale. Amazing what barley-based motivation
can do.
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Refreshed
and mildly smug, the group headed
to Piel Castle for a guided
tour.
Their
guide, a thoroughly entertaining
chap, admitted he was probably
in his final season.
“On
my last legs,” he said.
Given
the number of steep steps involved,
his legs were doing better than
most of the BOOTboys’
pride by that point.
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His
stories of kings, sieges, smugglers and
general medieval mischief went down a treat.
Martin, in particular, showed an unusual
interest whenever secret passages were mentioned.
Make of that what you will.
Then,
almost on cue, the weather did a complete
U-turn. The clouds cleared, and suddenly
everyone was pretending they’d never been
cold in the first place. Jackets were shed,
spirits lifted, and Morecambe Bay put on
a rather impressive show.
The
return walk was all easy laughter and gentle
teasing, with the usual debate over who
walked fastest, who stopped most often,
and who mysteriously “led from the back”
all day. No verdict reached, of course…
but Philip is still under review.
All
in all, another fine BOOTBoys outing: good
company, proper scenery, a historic island,
and just enough mischief to keep things
interesting.
Same
time next week… weather permitting.
Mike,
Saturday 26th July 2026
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