Nassington, Glenn Miller monument and Sulehay

Monday 24 September. With Maureen, Norma and Eddie. Just over 7 miles.

Covering much of the same ground as last Thursday. 

From Nassington church we walked north along Church Street. At the junction with Apethorpe Road we continued straight ahead along Northfield Lane.

Soon after passing Eastfields Crescent, and a house called Frog Hall, we turned left into what looks like an area of private housing. There is a footpath waymarker just after the turn, and another one on a fence inside. 

We followed the left hand side of this yard, past some stables and through a gate into a path between hedge and fence - quite a narrow one.

At the end of the fenced section the  path heads across a small field and through another gate. Then we turned slightly right to follow the obviously worn path to a gap between trees. As we walked on we saw another way marker and followed the route as far as a stile, then a gate onto a bridge over the dismantled railway. The path continued to the Wildlife Trust Field Centre. We went through the gate and across the track. 

The path is marked through the gate. At present it is waterlogged for a short distance, but it is possible to avoid most of it, and unless your boots leak there shouldn't be a problem. Another  blue butterfly glimpsed today.  After a short distance we reached a gate with a warning about shooting, and not straying from the path! The path is just about obvious, though a couple more marker posts would help.  Across a wide field, then through a couple of gates brought us to a wider track through the woods, where a right turn led to another bridge over the dismantled railway. This track heads north, and soon after reaching the wide green space of Jack's Green we turned left along a permissive path to the Glenn Miller memorial. 

We briefly paid homage to the man, then took the path across the grass to join the main track north and past the old clay pits. We saw a couple of (fallow) deer running across the fields here.  Before long we arrived at Kings Cliffe industrial estate. Ha? Deb's Café is advertised!  Weekdays until 2pm!  But we had to ask before we found it tucked away. Although it was a bit hidden there were at least a dozen other walkers there, as well as a few workers from the industrial estate. 

Like giants refreshed, we crossed the Roman Road between Wansford and Kings Cliffe, and followed the track through more small industrial buildings. Just after a gate we took a footpath to the right, and followed it through Cocker Wood, parallel to the road. More deer crossed the path ahead of us.  When we reached the track at the end we turned right and back to the Roman Road.

Not at all sure how a vehicle would get through!!

We crossed the road and walked south down Sulehay Road. Just after Old Sulehay Lodge gates we turned right into the old quarry, now a nature reserve.  We saw a green woodpecker here. And some fine fungi.

Our path runs diagonally through the reserve heading southeast. A minor hiccup when our path met the perimeter track - the path we wanted was a very short distance away on our right. It soon led us out and we picked the path up again across the minor road.

For some distance the path is enclosed between two fences, then heads south east over fields. It's worth checking the route against field boundaries here, or you could end up in Yarwell.

Once we could see the spire of  Nassington church orientation was easier. We joined the byway and caught sight of a red admiral fluttering about. A right turn took us under a railway bridge and into Nassington again.

Nassington, Sulehay and the Glenn Miller monument

Wednesday 19 September 2018. With Marta. 7.75 miles. windy but warm.
We started near the shop in Nassington, and made our way via the Jitty and a footpath to Church Street. We turned away from the church, and took the Apethorpe road as far as a left-hand bend, where we carried straight on, along Northfield Lane. The footpath turns off to the left, just after a house called Frog Hall, but the signage is not obvious. it goes through a complex of cottages, then a gate.  Soon after this the path follows a narrow space between hedges before coming out into fields.  We saw a few swallows flying over the fields.

The path here is clearly marked and easy to follow,  crossing a bridge over the dismantled railway and passing an info board about Old Sulehay Nature Reserve.  Part of the forest area is an SSSI.  We heard what was probably a yaffle/ green woodpecker.

The bridge over . . .

...the dismantled railway

 We followed the path as far as the Wildlife Trust Field Station. The path opposite this, on the other side of the byway looked like a stream today, so we turned right along the byway to look for another path a little further on. We missed it, and so continued past Ring Haw woodland, and decided it was time for a break. After this we followed the small road ahead past Old Sulehay Lodge, as far as the junction with the Roman Road between Wansford and Kings Cliffe. Across the road, at the junction is a path/track forbidden to cars, though they'd have to be rather small to get on it. We took the first track left which led through Cocker Wood parallel to the road. Another left turn, marked with a footpath waymarker took us through some farm buildings and back to the road.  

Lovely industrial estate

 Across the road, and we followed the bridleway alongside Kings Cliffe Industrial Estate.  The path heads south.

The clay pits, marked on the map.

Accidental photograph - consulting the map I guess.

 Not much further and we passed Jack's Green and turned to the right to the small pillar

 which has the inscription:

Here

Major Glenn Miller

conducted his Orchestra

for its last airfield hangar concert

Kings Cliffe USAF Station 367

3rd October 1944

DONATED BY K.S.R. INTERNATIONAL LTD

According to Wikipedia, while Miller was traveling to entertain U.S. troops in France in December 1944, his aircraft disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel.

Unfortunately we were not in a position to play Chattanooga Choo Choo as a tribute, but we think we did a passable mime of conducting.

 in spite of the wind . . .

 We continued south along the track, and found the footpath on our left just after crossing a bridge over the dismantled railway. We saw some deer running across a field in the distance.

 The path rejoined our route - at the flooded section - not very deep, but not avoidable, and I was walking in trainers. Soggy, but i did spot a couple of blue butterflies. We followed the byway as far as the road at New Sulehay, then turned left along the road and walked back into Nassington.

Nassington circular via Old Sulehay

With Jill, Barry O, Barrie E, and Gordon.  Led by me.  Sunny, very warm.  Some muddy sections.  6.8 miles - should be around 6.5.  The same walk as yesterday, with very slight variations - one intentional, one unintentional!

We walked through Nassington, on the Apethorpe road as far as a left-hand bend, where we carried straight on. The footpath turns off to the left, just after a house called Frog Hall, and goes through a complex of holiday cottages, then a gate near a chicken pen.  Soon after this the path follows a narrow space between hedges before coming out into fields.

The path here is clearly marked and easy to follow,  crossing a bridge over the dismantled railway and passing an info board about Old Sulehay Nature Reserve.   

The path leads past a Wildlife Trust Field Station, where we crossed the muddy byway and went through the gate to take the footpath opposite.

All went well as we turned into a field and headed north-east, then curved round east then southeast – the path hugs the edge of a small wood, and leaves another on a little way to our left.

Then, if you check my garmin traces, you’ll see that we went too far south, to the edge of a water filled ex-quarry/clay-pit.  My mistake – I knew I was heading for the woods, but I chose the wrong ones. When we sorted ourselves out, thanks to a grid ref from Barry, and even compass work, the path looked very clear. I hadn’t missed it yesterday . . .

So, there we were on the track through Great Morton Sale, heading north, as we should be!  Next stop the memorial marking the spot where Glenn Miller played his last hangar concert in October 1944, before he disappeared over the English Channel in December of that year.

Glenn Miller memorial - unfortunately Barrie didn't bring the trombone.

We followed the track, and stopped for a break at the end of the wood, grabbing the last bit of shade for a few hundred yards. On the other side of this track are the remains of sand pits.  The sand used to be used for casting metal.  

The path passed by Kings Cliffe Industrial Estate, which has a café, open in the morning (not on Sunday, I think).  We crossed the Roman Road between Kings Cliffe and Wansford and walked past a woodyard and farm before turning right into the woods of Bedford Purlieus, which contain Roman remains and have been investigated by Time Team. 
  
We followed the path,  ignoring a right turn. After another rather muddy trudge, we came out more or less opposite Sulehay Road. There’s a rather surprising sign forbidding motor vehicles on the path, which is about two feet wide.

A little bit of road walking took us past Sulehay Cottages, and then opposite Old Sulehay Lodge we turned left into the nature reserve’s disused quarry. There are masses of wild flowers - some very striking deep blue ones among them.  We followed the paths and came out at the diagonally opposite corner and crossed the Sulehay Road again to the footpath over the road.

For a couple of fields we walked between fences, then across a field, through a mini-jungle of a hedge . . . 

emerging through the hedge

through a couple of oilseed rape fields, with good wide, though muddy paths . . .

golden barley

across meadow-style grass, past barley fields, and after following the path with no difficulty, we arrived at a muddy byway.  The path formed a bridge over the ford, and we came back into Nassington just below the footpath where we began the walk.
Map and details

Nassington circular via Glenn Miller monument

A recce for the same walk tomorrow. Details then. 

Surprising patches of mud on some paths.  Warm, sunny - and back home to catch the Cavendish-Wiggins finale to the Tour de France!

We heard and saw a couple of green woodpeckers on our way.  The route is the same as the walk for 23 July 2012.