Holbeck Church. Welbeck Estate

I left Creswell Crags at the opposite end of the pond that I arrived at. The path goes over a stile and climbs uphill along the edge of a field. A group of slumbering brown cows  ignored me. This is part of the Robin Hood Way. Nice views over Creswell. 

The path over several fields took me into Holbeck. I entered the village opposite the phone box. A break on a bench was very welcome. The day was hot, and several drinks were needed to stay hydrated. Carrying on, taking the path next to the phone box, put me on an amazing avenue of pollarded trees. There must have possibly been a hundred. All perfectly lined up, the grass mowed to perfection, and the lower branches removed so that each one was identical to all the rest. I believe this procedure is done every three years. We have some trees like this in our churchyard. 

Halfway along the Avenue is a church, St Wilfreds. It stands back off the track. The grounds around it are immaculate. All the bushes have been trimmed to perfection. 

The sun was in the wrong place and was bouncing off the lens. This pic looks a bit hazy. 

Sadly the church was locked so I couldn't go inside. This is part of the Welbeck Estate. 

The church of St Winifred is Grade II listed and was built between 1913 and 1916. It was originally a private chapel in the Church of England and was the traditional burial place for the dukes of Portland at Welbeck Abbey. The building is unusual in that it was erected entirely by labour from the estate.

More information can be found here. 

Join me for a stroll around the grounds. 

On leaving the church I checked the time. I needed to be back at the car park before the place closed at 5pm. I carried on to Holbeck Woodhouse and crossed the main A60 road into Tile Kiln Wood, then it was time to head back. 

I arrived at the car park at 4.30pm, and set out my picnic at the back of the car. I wished I could have stayed there longer but just after 5 all the staff were leaving. The last person had the key to lock the barrier, and I just got out in time. 

I hadn't got a definite plan for camping. I had already had a smashing walk, and I didn't fancy hanging around for four hours until bedtime. The easiest thing to do was to drive home. I arrived back at 6.30pm. Yesterday and today have been scorchers. too hot to do a long walk, and too hot to sleep in the car. 

There are lots of walks in that area, I might go back again and it's not that far away. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.

Toodle pip.   ilona