12 Feb 2024 Geddington to Fox and Peony via Weekley hall Wood

 Weather very cold but bright and sunny. 

Norma picked me up at 915 and we met Kate and Maureen at Geddington.  We walked through Weekley Hall Wood to the Fox and Peony.

 Sunshine, shadows and snowdrops. Lots of people walking with and without dogs. Coffee and teacakes outside with our own cups again.  6.5 miles, more than I’ve walked for almost a month. 

Garrya elliptica - the silk tassel bush.

Short wanders in early Feb

East Carlton is always a good bet 

5th Feb - Norma drove me and Maureen to East Carlton, where the wind was less noticeable than it had been at home.  

We walked for about 1.5 miles, and then had a hot drink sitting outside the cafe. 

Lots of snowdrops and aconites.

Tuesday 6th - a wander round Uppingham

Tuesday 20th Feb - a short but brisk walk round Fineshade with Marta.

3 miles.

15th Jan 2024 - Wakerley and Fineshade

Met Maureen and Kate in Wakerley woods, with Harry and Norma.

We walked up to Fineshade Top Lodge, hoping for a coffee, but alas the machine was out of commission for a service, so we had tea and tea cake instead.

Weather - brilliantly sunny, but with a ferocious north east wind.

Conditions underfoot generally ok, though there were a couple of soggy boggy bits.

Just under 4 miles in all .

The woodland paths are crisp

sharp shadows stark 

bright winter sun paints 

tree trunks on the ground

our long shadows march ahead

under January’s low midday sun.

9th Jan - Oakley Vale Lakes, Corby

Very cold morning, with an icy win, but bright sunshine.

Met Marta at Morrisons at 10 am , had coffee then a wander up to Oakley Vale lakes, resplendent with red berries,

and the water with 4 swans and a battalion of gulls, seated in formation facing the wind.

Hairston Road, Lyveden Way,Boughton Road, and then a meander round the two lakes and nearby parkland.

Some short wanders during January 2024

 Some of my walks during last winter were rather short and often soggy. We tended to stick to routes with decent surfaces, and preferably with a convenient cafe.

Places we visited include 

Priors Hall where we saw waxwings and a field fare in the Gulley;

East Carlton Country Park;

Weekley Hall Woods to the Fox and Peony from Geddington;

Climber Park, Nottinghamshire where we met Dan, Isaac and Rose for post Christmas catch up;

A wander round Uppingham, including a visit to the Refill Shop.

Dec 26th, 2023 Whitsbury, Breamore, Woodgreen, Fordingbridge

 This walk contains part of last year’s walk in reverse.

 From Whitsbury House Coach House at 10.40. Down the road opposite the gateway,  towards Lower Farm,  taking the footpath to the right leading slightly uphill through the soggy woods - plenty of mud and squelchiness.

We climbed up, then followed the bridleway along the edge of the woods, past a track leading to a church, which we didn’t visit. Fields of horses   one labelled “Good morning, Olive”. This is part of the large stud farm.  

At a junction just before the Manor House (according to the OS map) we turned right and went downhill as far as Lower Farm, where we turned left following bridleway signs. After a gate we turned right to another bridleway leading  south eastish, marked as Long Steeple Lane on the map. When we reached a minor road (Roundhill Cross) we took a footpath to our left, diagonally and uphill over a field, emerging at Rookery Lane (Upper Street). 

At the next road junction we turned left towards Breamore House, then following signs to the museum and farm shop (closed of course), then turning right and finding the track to Breamore church.

We visited this building last year - today we made use of the seats in the porch for a coffee and Guinness cake break at our 3.5 mile point.

It’s a lovely building, and the graveyard is huge.

We returned to the road, and headed towards the main A338 road - we decided to give the footpaths a miss - the are looked pretty soggy.

At the A338 we turned right and had a short walk alongside this busy road, past the Bat and Ball pub to the left turn to Woodgreen. There’s bridge over the dismantled railway line, then another over the mill stream, and one more over the main course of the Avon - looking very full this year.

As we come into Woodgreen, at the junction near the pub, we turn right and climb up to the right turn to Castle Hill. This road has parking spots and a great view over the river as it snakes its way along the valley.

We walk down through the woods and through Folds Farm, following the Avon Way, with several small bridges over small branches of the river - small, but once again, full.  There’s plenty of mud and the puddles make me pleased I chose to wear wellies today.   The last and widest bridge over the main river is a suspension footbridge, and you can feel its movement as you walk over it to reach Burgate Manor Farm.

At the main road (A338 again) we turn right for a short distance, then left to join a footpath through Lower Burgate, past some playing fields on the right, ignoring the right turn and on until we reach the minor road junction at Tinkers Cross.

There are new houses being built - by this time we needed more fuel, so found a couple of breeze blocks to use as seats, and had more coffee and the remains of the large chunk of cake. ( 8miles done by now).

We finished the walk with a gentle but consistent climb up the road to Whitsbury. The roadside offers mosses, fungi, and tongue and other ferns.

Back at base at 3 20 - we’ve done a good ten miles today, and there were 418 feet of ups and downs.

Dec 18th 2023 - Spanhoe Lodge

 From Gretton - around 7 miles.

Met Norma at the Village Hall, and we walked along farm tracks, which were quite muddy, as far as Deene Road, turned left and joined the road to Spanhoe Lodge - the place was closed, though all decorated for Christmas.  We used their seats and table for a break.

Grey, not cold or too windy, a bit of drizzle, then brightness.