Rivington Hall Barn

We dug out our passports this morning in order to cross the border in to Lancashire to orienteer in Lever Park, a new location for us.

The area was a country park and I can imagine it will be very busy in good weather.  We agreed that our courses resembled long middle events with short legs and control picking, very enjoyable. After the rain of the last couple of days it was soggy underfoot and the stream crossing towards the end compounded the wet feet.

We were parked close to this very splendid barn, Rivington Hall Barn, which was doing a roaring trade in sunday lunches when we went to get a cuppa and cake after our runs.  It's a grade II listed building, a cruck barn, dating back to the 12th century and retains many of its original features including immense Saxon beams.  It looks a great venue for weddings!

Originally used for agricultural purposes,  the barn was used as army storage during the Second World War and then fell in to disuse.  Its present owners, the Salmon Family, restored it to use as a tearoom in 1953.