8th May - Carradale Bay, and the Point

On Tuesday May 8th the weather was not looking inviting. The view from the cottage conservatory was limited by cloud and mist.

By early afternoon it was lifting and we thought a stroll down to the bay and round to Carradale Point was in order. 

We walked a little way along the road in the direction of the main road, and took the track leading down to Port-Righ and the Bay. We turned right away from the Port-Righ path and walked across the wide sandy beach.

The sky was showing more blue by now, as we walked as far as the creek at Waterfoot.

We retraced our steps back along the shoreline, and at the far end turned right along the path towards Carradale Point. There are the remains of a vitrified fort here, though we saw no evidence.

Photographer at work

Ailsa Craig on the horizon, just visible

This short stretch was a bit rough in places, but the views and surroundings were worth the effort. Loads of wild flowers again.

We rounded off the day with an ice cream from a local hotel.

May 7th - 10th Carradale, Kintyre

Part 1 - the journey across

We crossed to Kintyre peninsula by taking the ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick on the Isle of Arran.

Before long the east of the the island was basking in the sun, and we drove a short distance south to a car park with a terrific view of Arran's hills, including the highest, Goatfell.

Back into Brodick for the essential coffee, before crossing the island to Blackwaterfoot, and finding more cloud.

Finally we headed north to Lochranza,  The Sandwich Station provided an excellent lunch before the short ferry crossing to Claonaig, on the eastern side of Kintyre. 

 The drive along the single track road south to Carradale took about forty minutes.
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Part 2 - Deer Hill

Monday 7th May, afternoon.

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/argyll/deer-hill.shtml

We followed the instructions given on the link above, with variations.
The first time I walked the route in reverse, and although the top (230 Meters high) was clear the views were not as good as promised. It had been a rainy morning and the clouds were low. 

Thursday 10th May
We walked up the hill again on a much clearer day. In fact we walked up it twice, combining this with a walk around the lower part of the country park. This made a very good walk of just over ten miles, with about 1400 feet of climbing.

And we had the views - of Carradale Bay, of Arran, of Ailsa Craig and beyond.

Looking back over Carradale Bay

Arran across the water

Ailsa Craig - the rock on the horizon

May 3rd and 4th - Alston, Cumbria

We stayed in a cottage just outside one of the two towns whose claim to fame is the title of "the highest market town in England." Both sit at about 1000 feet above sea level. Both towns are pleasant places, though very different.  The other one is Buxton, in Derbyshire.

Day 1 - Alston

On our first day we simply followed the Pennine Way south from our base at Harbut Law.  A short walk took us into the town, where we filled in the time drinking coffee, drawing and exploring a little, as well as listening to the odd local resident complaining about the massive road works caused by a water main replacement. The consequences for the tourist trade over two bank holidays could be quite considerable.

Day Two - Natrass Gill
We followed the instructions from a leaflet at Harbut Law. 

The route starts between the Swan's Head pub and the old Methodist chapel, and heads south along a "loaning" or walled walkway.

We head south past the old workhouse and Fairhill Farm, then pass Annat Walls. 

The track becomes a footpath and leads to Nattrass Gill, 

a stream with a waterfall, which flows down into the South Tyne.

We cross the footbridge and walk up and over a stile out of the trees. This area once belonged to an American who bult his dream house at High Nest, and even had a boating lake at one time.

We cross the fields, and have a coffee-pause.

We join the road by a stone stile, and turn left, then right at some sheep pens. Cross Fell can be seen from here. We follow the road all the way to Bleagate, where we turn north and  follow the Pennine Way into Alston, with the South Tyne on our left.
 A stop in lston for some lunch, and to pick up some food for tonight, then we continue along the Pennine Way to Harbut Law.
This second walk was getting on for 8 miles in all.

During our stay at Alston we heard and saw curlews and lapwings, nd also heard our fist cuckoo of the year.

Empingham to Barnsdale Woods

Thursday 26th April with Maureen. In search of bluebells. About 8.5 miles. Chily and mostly cloudy with a few glimpses of sunshine.

From Empingham village, we crossed the main road and walked down Nook Lane to the footpath between two houses. Through a gate and down across the field. we climbed a stile and followed the path to the entrance to the woods. Then it was over a stile and a plank bridge, through the woods, over another stile, across a field and another stile. This brought us out below the dam.  We kept the fence on our right and headed for the gate which meets the entrance road to Sykes Lane car park.

After this we followed the path to Whitwell and then to Barnsdale. The bluebells were out in force.

 We then returned to Empingham and lunched at the Orchard cafe, Welland Garden Centre in Uppingham.

Foxton Locks to Lubenham and Marston Trussell.

With Marta. About 8 miles.  Weather sunny at times, with a few showers.The same walk as on April 19th, but starting from the Foxton Locks long-stay car park, then taking the path from the bridge, heading south east over the fields toward Holme's Farm and the fishing lake, with its horses nearby. (More detailed instructions in the previous post.) we crossed the road between Foxton and Lubenham and walked into the village via the path at the bottom of Mill Hill, through the recreation ground.

Rather a fine-looking beast

After we crossed the main road, our way through village took us along Rushes Lane, past the Tower House and the church, across the Wealland and under the double arched railway bridge.

 The Tower House was the home of BJ (Cherry) Angell, the owner of the horse which won the first National Hunt Challenge Cup, run in Lubenham and the precursor of the Grand National.

We had a quick look at the moat of Thorpe Lubenham Hall.

 Then we took the footpath across the field below the hall,  crossed the drive at the bridge and followed the Welland along to the road into Marston Trussell.

Although the sky was grey when I took the photo, we had some sun, and very little rain.

We retraced our steps through to Lubenham, crossed the road and took the path through the recreation ground, but this time continued straight up Mill Hill, leaving the beacon to our left.

As before we folllowed a clearly marked path, to the left of Gartree prison, eventually coming out close to the school in Foxton. We got slightly wet at this point walking through 
a field of wet oilseed rape plants.

We took the road into Foxton for a few yards, then the footpath on the right hand side, which took us behind Foxton church and into the village.

We turned left then right at the junction, in order to join the canal towpath at North Street.

It's about half a mile to the locks. We had lunch at Bridge 61, and were lucky to escape the heaviest shower of the day while we ate.  The walk up past the flight of locks and back to the car park completed our day.