Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows

Three walks combined here :

1. With Maureen and Gordon. 

As we drove down it began to drizzle, but we braved the elements. After an hour and a half of drizzle from above, and a considerable amount of long wet grass etc from blelow, we were pretty wet.  There are lots of wilds flowers, we saw a few damselflies, and heard plenty of birds, but some of the time we just plodded on.

Just as we found a convenient bench for a break, the rain stopped and we could feel the sun's warmth. 

When we reached our parking place, I changed soggy boots and socks for dry footwear, and we continued to Stanwick Lakes Visitor Centre for lunch.

We covered six miles, on very flat ground, some of it along the rain-dimpled Nene. A gentle stroll, really.

2. With Marta from Irthlingborough town centre car park near the church.

We followed the Nene Way down to Station Road, then walked south west along the old railway track 

(towards Wellingborough). At the first junction of two hard surfaced tracks we turned left and then turned right along a grassy track just before a bridge crosses the river Nene. We followed this round almost as far as the sewage farm, then turned right , eventually reaching the main surfaced track again.

When we reached the crossing with the other track, we turned left heading back and slightly uphill towards Irthlingborough, and back to the car park. 

A fine warm day, much pleasanter - only just over 4 miles.

3. With Gordon.

We started from Stanwick Lakes car park (2.50 per day if it's not school holidays or a weekend).

This time we followed more or less the route from walk 2, but didn't go up to Irthlingborough. The walk ended up as 5.5 miles, since the distance from the Visitor Centre to Staion Road is approx 1 mile each way.

Lots of damselflies, blue iridescent ones, and the ones with black spots on their wings.

We stopped for a break and saw a kingfisher flying along the river. Magic.