June 12th - Rushton to the Bull Pen

 

Thursday 12th June

A warm morning with some sun. I walked with Marta from Rushton to Bull Pen cafe. No diversion into Barford Meadows Reserve this time. We passed a field with a large bull, cows and calves. (All behind fences).  Another field contained shorn alpacas from Homefield Spa.

We had coffee and teacake at the Bull Pen cafe, then walked back a slightly more direct route.Just over 4 miles of pretty flat terrain. 

Local strolls to West Hill x 2 and Kirby Hall

June 10th 2025 Sunset over West Hill.

June 11th 2025 

We walked to Kirby Hall, starting about 5.45, and returning just before 8pm. Quick dinner and a walk round the village and to top of West Hill again.

June 9th 2025 - Seaton to Gretton linear.

Monday 09 June

Harry collected Maureen and drove us to Seaton. She presented us with scones and a ginger cake. He dropped us off near the pub. We walked through the village past a display of perennial sweet peas which outshone even ours at home.

At the end of the village we took Grange Road downhill and along the public footpath, through fields and past Prestley hill - one of the twins peaks, or paps of Lyddington.

Our route goes past the site of the ancient fish ponds behind the church and Bede House into Lyddington.

We refreshed ourselves with a leisurely (45 minute) coffee stop at the White Hart, before taking the quiet Thorpe Road, and the footpath on the other side of the slightly busier road at the end. 

We followed this across the fields, under the disused railway bridge to the footbridge over the Welland.

A few more fields, then it’s back uphill to Gretton, crossing the railway line, and along the short stretch of tree-covered path. 

A final uphill pull through the ridged and furrowed field to Church Gap brings us into Gretton. About 5.5 miles. 

June 5th 2025 - East Carlton to Wilbarston

 Tuesday 5th June

Met Marta at East Carlton Country Park at 9.45. We followed the Jurassic Way path to the Milking Parlour cafe in Wilbarston for coffee.

Damp and even wet on the way back.

About 3.5 miles in all today. Flowers lovely.Misty moisty views. Soggy boots. Shoulda worn wellies…

May 26th 2025 - Wakerley Woods to Fineshade

 Monday 26th May 

With Harry, Maureen and Kate. We parked at Wakerley Woods, pausing to admire a VW van’s set up for cooking breakfast.

We followed the familiar Jurassic Way route through the woods, past Laxton Hall and over the A43.  On the other side of the busy road we crossed a field of sheep, and over the bridge to the short steep climb past Fineshade Abbey.

Over a stile and into another field, where the Highland Cattle were all lying down, some hidden in the patch of trees - we didn’t even see them at first.

The path through the woods was lovely in the dappled sunlight.

One more field to go and we reached the road to Fineshade Top Lodge.  

We did a fairly leisurely 3 mile circuit of Fineshade Woods, using the gravel tracks.

A pause for  coffee and teacakes at the cafe set us up for the final mile and a half back to Wakerley Woods car park.

Just over 6 and a 1/2 miles in all, and about 350 feet of up and down.

Thanks to Kate for the lift, and Maureen for the scones

May 20th - Geddington to Bull Pen

Tuesday 20th May

Drove to Marta’s to do walk over to the Bull Pen cafe, through Weekley Hall Wood.

A lovely sunny morning, which warmed up nicely.  Quite a few butterflies in the woods - brimstone, a couple of blues and possibly a speckled wood, though it looked slightly more orange.

An over-exuberant Alsatian type of dog jumped up and scraped my arm with its claws - just being over friendly…

Used first aid kit at the Bull Pen, and ended up with a bright blue plaster.  In the cafe there was also a woman with a tiny ‘lap dog’, sitting on her knee the whole time. Some places are a little too ‘dog friendly’.

Back to Marta’s for a cold drink before returning home. 

May 19th - Gretton - Thorpe by Water, Lyddington

 Monday 19th May 2025, with Norma and Harry.

Contacted Norma and arranged to meet at her house. With Harry, we walked over to Thorpe by Water where we saw a few swifts.

Our next stretch was along the small road as far as the bench near Lyddington, where we had a longish break (and coffee) before returning along the same route, apart from the Thorpe by Water village section. No cuckoos. A few swifts on Gretton High Street. 5 and a half miles.

May 2025 - Short local strolls, Northamptonshire

 

Friday 16th May

In the afternoon we  walked down West Hill and along the track

to the Community Orchard with its new table.

an interesting beastie

A walk round the village after dinner  - we saw a few swifts today, and Harry heard a distant cuckoo.

Saturday 17th May

After lunch we decided to walk down behind Church Gap, in search of the cuckoo that Harry heard last night.

The sun came out and the temperature rose. We met our neighbour and her daughter returning from a walk with their two dogs, Henry and Hugo.   

No joy on the cuckoo front, but a lovely walk of around 3 miles as far as the bridge over the Welland just before Thorpe by Water. We returned to have tea in the garden.

Later walk to see swifts - no cuckoo heard.

May 13th 2025 - East Carlton to Wilbarston and back

 Tuesday 13th May, with Marta, around 3.6 miles.

We met at East Carlton Park at about 10. 

We walked the usual Jurassic Way route to Wilbarston.

Protection from flies..

In the field just before the wood we saw a hare on the path coming towards us.  No time to take a photo before it ran off.

As the cafe isn’t open on Tuesdays, we chanced our luck and were able to get aa coffee at the pub before it opened.

We retraced our steps to East Carlton and indulged in another coffee.