Saturday 2 February 2013

Two villages, one town, and one hamlet.

At last, I've been out for a walk today, it was a suny morning so I got my skates on, packed a sandwich, filled a bottle with a fruit drink, and off I went. I started off from Scawby, a village between Scunthorpe and Brigg. There's a nice big layby there near the church. First job was to pop in the shop for a bag of choc eclairs, I like to suck a sweet as I walk.
There isn't a big choice of footpaths around here, so I took a quiet road, crossing the A15 trunk road, towards some woods. This seemed a popular place for dog walkers, and I soon got chatting to a woman who was going in the same direction as me. She told me she was off to Spain next month for some long distance walking. We parted company when we reached the B1398 road, I went south and she went north.
A short distance down that road and I turned off to the right down a narrow road to Manton. This is a small hamlet, with less than a dozen houses and a couple of farms. I remember coming to look at the church here about ten years ago, it was advertised for sale. Not that I could afford to buy it, but I was curious. It hadn't been used for a long time and was sadly neglected, but what a fantastic location. I would love to live in a church. Look at it now. Looks like it was bought and done up by someone with lots of money. They have had to make a completely new vehicle access road as there wasn't one before. Doesn't it look stunning, the brickwork has been cleaned up and it has a new roof. I would love to look inside. It's like one of those renovation projects that you see on the tele.  
It was a lovely sunny day, but quite cold, best to keep moving. This is Cleatham Hall.
From Cleatham I took a footpath which went past some ponds. It was very pretty.


Once past the ponds, the path went straight on over a ploughed field. I decided not to go that way, and turned right down a farm track which came out on the B1400 towards Kirton in Lindsey. Just before getting into Kirton I passed the railway station. There are still a few trains that pass through, but not many. This is the platform at the back.
And this is the front of the station. It has been turned into a house, so someone lives here.
When I got to Kirton I called in at a shop to say hello to an old friend. I haven't seen him for about a year, so it was nice to have a chat. He tells me he will be 50 this year, I said, don't worry, it's not that bad, ha ha. This is Kirton Town Hall. It looks nice and tidy.
The rest of the town looks a bit shabby though. The pub could do with a lick of paint.
This funny little barber shop always makes me smile. It is a small three story building stuck in the middle of the square, surrounded by roads and parked cars. It's got a side door which presumably is the entrance to the flat upstairs. A strange place to live, with hardly any privacy.
I left Kirton on the B1398 heading north. Not far along there is the Windmill. It's a working windmill, they make their own flour and bake their own bread. There is a tea room and a shop. I have no time to stop, as I'm a bit behind time because I stopped far too long to talk to my friend. Must press on.
The next half an hour was spent staggering and stumbling over ploughed fields. I thought this was safer than taking my chances walking down a busy road with no footpath. At one point I wondered if I was going in the right direction as I seemed to have lost the sign posts. Luckily I came across a farmer in his tractor ploughing a field. He pointed me in the right direction, I wasn't far out. Eventually I came down a minor road into Hibaldstow. These guys were in a field at the junction where the two roads met. Aren't they lovely. As soon as they saw me they came running across the field towards me. The big black one was bellowing, he looked quite fierce, but when they came close to the fence, they were real softies.
Someone must have been to feed them as they had dropped some hay on my side of the fence. I threw it over and a third one came running across to get some.
Edit to add this link
It was a case of following the road back to Scawby then. I could see this beautiful sunset over to my left but I couldn't get a good photo of it as the houses were hiding it. Then I reached a road junction which gave me a better view.
What better way to finish a walk than to have some fish and chips. I was surprised at the price of them,  I am sure I only paid about £4 when I last had some. Mind you it was a long time ago, These were £5. Bit of a rip off really, but they were nice.I brought them home and zapped them in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
It was good to get out again and blow the cobwebs off me. Got to keep the old legs moving, don't want to sieze up, ha ha.Total 13.20 miles, I'm chuffed with that.
Toodle pip.

22 comments:

  1. What a beautiful day! And such lovely scenery. So very different from your photos of the snow. You are lucky to live in a country that has so many walking paths through past so many little villages. I love living this through you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. £6.50 for fish and chips down here Ilona. It's more of a rare treat these days than the regular Friday dinner it used to be.
    Lovely to share the walk through your pics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's a treat for me. I don't make a habit of eating fried food, but fish and chips three times a year is ok.

      Delete
  3. What a lovely day! That sunset was fab.

    I spent the day dismantling and rebuilding 6 compost bins and barrowing compost into raised beds...I really enjoyed myself :-)

    XXX

    ReplyDelete
  4. OOoooohhhhhh !!!! Groan groan, I can smell those fish and chips. I really want some. I've not had any for months. I've had a fancy for some for a few days and now I want them even more. I will be treating myself this week.

    I enjoyed seeing your walk today. Your pictures are delightful,. What a beautiful sunset.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Ilona, Call me dumb, but can you tell me what kind of animals they were in the field? They look cow-like but they have fur!??? I guess I'm not up on my farm animals. Sounds like you had a lovely day out walking. It's so cold here! I haven't been able to walk outside for quite some time now. It was 28F here at the highest temp of the day with a little brisk wind blowing. Makes it feel even colder. Loved your photos and you made me hungry for fish and chips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kearnygirl. They are Highland Cattle. There is a web site for them.
      www.highlandcattlesociety.com
      You need to copy and paste this link

      Delete
  6. What a perfect day! Love the working windmill and those shaggy cows!

    We went for a walk in a nearby park today. Wished I was in Cornwall though for some proper countryside!

    ReplyDelete
  7. We almost had dinner together, Ilona - I just treated myself to a fish sandwich for the first time in ages! Amazing how good something simple can taste, and how having "a little something" can set you up to tackle something with a positive outlook.
    Glad to see you are getting out and walking again...is the snow all gone then?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the snow has gone. We had a light dusting the night before last, let's hope it's the last.

      Delete
  8. Looks like you had a lovely walk and I enjoyed walking with you through the photos.
    Carolx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for that info about the cows. I knew they were cows but never saw that kind of cow with fur. Thanks for the link.

      Delete
  9. Beautiful photos, as always, Ilona. I too made the most of the beautiful weather yesterday, with a long walk along the prom. My cheeks got sunburned, but then I am translucently pale! :D. Fish & chips are a rip off here, too. Yummy for a rare treat for us frugal folk though, hey? ;) Bunchy x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lovely photos as usual Ilona.
    Ruth x

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good morning Ilona from House fairy.
    What a beautiful day it was yesterday.I had the washing blowing on the line.
    Glad you got out for a walk. It is just a shame you do not live near me. Our golden retriever is always up for a walk.

    Here, I am trying to declutter. A difficult task. No one wants to throw out their stuff.
    Well, I cleared my desk of paper and sat by the coal fire. Some paper was blessed into the fire and some kept in my tidy box.
    The tidy box is made from an old cereal box with a lovely large birthday card I had stuck on the front.

    I went up Tesco late in the afternoon. We needed some milk. Looked in the reduced, as were other people. I think people are learning how to cut down! We picked up some bread and 4 organic oranges. The oranges were 4 for a £1. Instead of £2. Nothing much else reduced enough. We looked at the chilled but not much reduced in price.
    On the way home I admired the pink in the sky, hiding behind some dark clouds.

    Well, on with the chores. Keep moving and keep warm.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I enjoyed your walk too and I'm very impressed with 13.2 miles. I can't remember when I was last able to walk that far. I think 5 miles is about my limit now, thanks to arthritis and even then I'm stiff as a board and have inflamed knees for a few days afterwards.
    Thankfully, my Border Collie has turned 10 years and also prefers shorter walks!
    Yesterday we were clambering around Kit Hill, Callington (Cornwall) and the wind was so strong it made it difficult to keep upright - but the views were stunning. 360 degrees of far-reaching panoramas under a blue, blue sky; the air was so clear I could see Dartmoor, the Tamar estuary and right out to sea. Finished off with a very welcome cup of coffee at the little, busy cafe on the approach lane (and trying to ignore the wonderful smells of breakfast/dinner cooking)
    Thank you for all the lovely photos.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great walk ! I think those fish and chips look like they are worth every penny ! Do you have a pedometer or do you just estimate the mileage - you seem to be very accurate.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi lizzie, no I don't use a pedometer, they are not very accurate. I use a web site called www.bikehike.co.uk You get the map on the screen and click along the route with the mouse. It adds the miles up as you click. I find this is quite accurate.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Such a nice post. I feel like you've taken me along with you :o)

    ReplyDelete
  16. How cute are those cows! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. A great walk. Glad the weather has fined up so you can get out. The church looks stunning. Not sure why your F&C's are so expensive. They're half that cost here.

    ReplyDelete

Some comments will be accepted. I decide which are published.