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 2nd 2025 - Warkton to Wicksteed

 Monday 2nd June

Walk with Harry and Maureen. From Warkton to Wicksteed Park, along the Ise.

 A wander round the park before coffee and  teacakes at the Carousel cafe.

There’s a distant view of Barton Seagrave church from park and plenty of goslings and cygnets on the pools.

Almost 6 miles in all.

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 18th Uppingham, Stoke Dry, Lyddington

 Sunday 18th May 2025m

Slightly grey morning. Brightened later.

Coffee and lunch, then out - we went to Uppingham

and did the walk above Eyebrook Reservoir

, and back via Lyddington,

a break for coffee at the White Hart,

and we followed the pavement next to the road from there.- around 7 miles in all.

Some of the cows were lying down, but so far no rain.

Arainn Mhor - again

 Thursday 8th May 2025

 A second visit to Arainn Mhor island. We enjoyed it a lot last time, and wanted to complete the ‘round-the-island’ walk.  About  7 miles, and still hot.

A special treat was seeing dolphins as we approached Leabgarrow harbour. 

We had a brief chat to a woman on boat. She’s from Dumfries but lives in the ‘last house on the island’, as it happened, on the road we walked on today. 

We started the day out with coffee in a lovely sheltered cafe (The Dock) near the harbour. Delicious scones, made by the owner’s sister.  She also told us about steps down to the sea at the lighthouse - we didn’t visit them today. https://thedockarranmore.com/arranmore-steps (Always save something for the next time!)

A lifeboat training exercise was in progress on the shore.

We did the rest of the round island walk, in a clockwise direction this time.

All great apart from the unfortunate incident of the little white dog on a lead…

Lovely walk though, great views, mediterranean colours. 

Back to Leabgarrow harbour in very good time for our 6pm boat -

we were the only passengers, though there were a few waiting in Burtonport for their return trip!

Back at the house there were very striking, beautiful sunset colours again.  

May 2025 - Further local exploration, railway walk plus.

 May 1st 2025

And the weather looks greyer and cooler. 

The cuckoo continues to call.

A two-cups-of-tea-and-delay-getting-up day.

Then out for a walk, which turned into about 6 miles. Much pleasanter walking weather today, cooler, some cloud, and a breeze.

We follow the same route as I took yesterday as far as Loch Altencar

and Meenbanad.

We chatted briefly to a man with a fishing rod, near Lough Altencar. “are you lost?”

“Not yet.” Then I ask him, “Do you catch much in here?”

“We took a house up here years ago - my mother came from a few miles down the road - and I tried fishing and caught nothing. I thought I’d try to get my revenge. That was in, the sixties or seventies. Things have changed a lot since then.”

I told him I’d visited Ireland in the sixties. “County Kerry”

“Ah you mean the Kingdom of..”

“Ha? Well I think things are very different here now “

“Ireland has grown up.”

 

We leave him and walk a little way down the road opposite, but can’t find the railway track path, so we change plans and decide to follow the busier road towards the shore, passing a memorial to two men who died in the Irish war of Independence against the British in 1918.

For a mile or so we dodge the traffic - busy enough, but nothing like on some English minor roads.

As we reach a junction, a youngish woman slows her car to ask if we’re lost. This time, I smile and say,”no, just mad”.

We miss the turning on to a smaller road, and walk beside the R259, partly along a low sea wall structure to the next turning. This is a small road with grass growing in the middle, a few houses, a couple of ruins, some conifers, some flowering horse chestnuts. It goes down steeply, then climbs up again. 

We see one car on this stretch.

When we reach a junction we turn right, and perch on some boulders in a dried up (ish)bog, for a drink of water, our mini-packs of biscuits - and we share an apple.

A woman is walking her dog along the road below.

Houses become more frequent and eventually we meet the railway track again, and walk the last mile to the cottage.

Total of about 6 miles today.

Another dramatic sunset, unexpected as it was cloudy just before. Plus the newish moon.